Doulatabad Fort

by Grace Muth

On our second day in Aurangabad after visiting the Ellora caves we were all super tired.  It was just our luck that had us going to the Daulatabad Fort after lunch that day. After a restful bus ride over to the fort, we started our tour.  The Daulatabad Fort was built to make conquering it impossible.  First we went through a gate with big brass spikes on it and we were told that the spikes were supposed to be elephant proof, but the enemies would put a camel up against the spikes so that the camel would die but the elephant would be saved.  

A gate

elephant-proof, spiky door

After walking for about 10-20 meters we came to a building that had been a temple, and then was turned into a mosque, then was turned back into a temple.  We went inside and everyone, who wanted to, got a chalked red dot between their eyes on their forehead.  The dot is a part of the Hindi culture; you get the dot after you ring a bell to let the gods know you have arrived, and show devotion to the god that is worshiped in the temple.  The dot is like a third eye that lets you see inside someone’s soul. 

the temple/mosque/temple

James' third eye

After leaving the temple we went through a second gate and arrived in a courtyard.  The courtyard had about 10 cannons and 2 gates.  One gate was big and real, and the other was small and fake.  

fake gate to the right, real gate to the left

We went through the real gate and up some slanted stairs and arrived at the next gate.  The slanted stairs made this gate harder for the elephants to ram into so the enemies had to break it down by hand.  

another elephant proof gate

The gate led to 2 more gates.  There was a small gate, which was real but no one would make noise behind it so the enemies would think it was fake.  There was a big fake gate where people would hide and make noise.  The enemies, in hopes of a fight, would break down the fake gate.  Unfortunately for the enemy all of the people hiding behind the fake gate would escape through a hole in the wall.  Like I said before, this fort was built to make conquering it impossible.  After going through what must have been our 8^th or 9^th gate and climbing up a flight of stairs, we left the building we had been in through another gate and were left on a ledge that was over hanging the moat.  From here we saw the castle that all of the gates were protecting.

the moat

Now the story doesn’t end there.  While we could see the castle there was still a moat, more gates, and a “dark passage” to go through.  The moat was 45 feet wide, about 50 feet deep, and was full of snakes and alligators.  There was a sketchy bridge that we had to cross just to arrive at yet another gate.  Through the gate is a hallway with a set of stairs that led to, wait for it, a gate.  That gate led to a small rock cut courtyard, which had a small opening to the “dark passage”.  

courtyard outside the "dark passage"

The “dark passage” was a twisting turning maze of steps, drop offs, darkness, and bats, lots of bats.  When we got to the end of the passage there was one final gate.  When enemies would come and try to break down this final gate the people in the fort would pump sulfur gasses into the passage and the enemies would have to escape.  There was a small hole in the wall that the enemies went through, as a way out, but after 2 steps there was an oily slide that sent them straight into the moat.  There we each had the choice whether to go up to the castle or to end the tour.  I chose to go to the castle.  About 400 stairs later James, Sydney, Will, and I arrived at the castle.  It was amazing!  There was a man up in the castle that pointed out a doorway that led up to a tower.  At the top of the tower it felt like you were on top of the world.  We had a party where we played “I’m on top of the world” by Imagine Dragons, took tons of pictures and rested for the hike down.

View from the top

I'm on top of the world!!

It is best to end on a high note and when you feel like you are on top of the world, I think that’s pretty close to a high note.  The total amount of stairs was 457, and the experience was 100% amazing.  I hope I described the fort well enough to put a somewhat accurate picture in y

The Caves of Ellora

by James Muth

     Natural caves are some of the most beautiful and dark things in the world, but caves made for religious purposes, carved out of a mountain by hand, are even more beautiful, and dark. In Aurangabad, India at the Ellora caves site, there are 34 man-made caves that are 30 km away from the center of the city. There are 12 Buddhist, 17 Hindu and 5 Jain caves. The group visited 2 caves from each religion.

            The first Jain cave that we visited was unfinished. It was a bit of a climb to get up to the mouth of the cave. There were lots of intricate carvings on the pillars on the outside, but on the inside it looked more like a natural cave. It was a different experience to see not completely finished pillars. It gave the group an insight on how difficult it must have been to turn a mountain into a temple. In the cave there were also bats, as expected, and even a large toad. Outside the cave there was a small puddle that housed three crabs. No one knew for sure how the crabs got up there, but it was interesting to see them there. The second Jain cave was very large and it had two layers. Both smelled of guano but the amazing carvings, like a life sized elephant, made us forget that in an instant. There was a lot to see and learn so we were kept busy for a while.

the unfinished cave from the outside

the unfinished cave from the inside

The second Jain cave

A giant, carved elephant at the second Jain cave

Grace peeking through a hole

Mom meditating

Jain sculpture

            The Hindu caves we went to were gigantic. The first one had several depictions of Lord Shiva. One at the entrance was Shiva fighting some unseen terror; another was of him with his wife. The main and noticeable difference between Jain and Hindu caves are the construction. The Hindu caves let in much more light because three of the four sides in the cave are cut completely out, all the way to the surface. There was enough light to see from one end of the cave to another. The other cave we saw wasn’t really a cave. It certainly didn’t feel like one. It was technically still cut out of the mountain but our guide – Bharat- used the term “monolithic architecture. The structure was a giant temple-like building in the center of the cleared out section of the mountain. Around the edge of the cut out area there was a passageway that had all the incarnations of Vishnu along the edges. Three of the four sides of the cave were the above-mentioned passageways. The temple in the center had two layers and lots of statues of animals. That cave is the largest one at the Ellora cave site.

Lord Shiva

Holy cow!

The temple in the center of the largest "cave"

            The Buddhist caves that we visited were very similar to the ones that we saw in Ajanta. One cave had several layers and looks like an ancient apartment building. It kind of is because Monks used to study and live there. The other Buddhist cave we visited was a chanting hall. If anyone said anything, it would echo and no one would know who said it. So of course everyone sang and harmonized a little because the echo made for great acoustics. It was very interesting to learn about the construction of these caves so that the religion could be perfected or performed.

the ancient apartment building

the chanting hall

            The caves at the Ellora site were stunning, wowing, fantastic and dark. The religions were clearly represented in each one of the caves. Whether there were depictions of Lord Shiva or Master Buddha, there was always something to be amazed at, including the darkness.

Maggie's Birthday

 by Maggie Muth         

          My birthday was crazy! I’ll tell you about it. I woke up on my birthday when my mom and dad woke me and went out side to look at the monkeys and my door. The college students had put notebook paper with drawings on it. I got dressed and went to breakfast after Grace gave me her present, a binder filled with Lego instructions.

            After breakfast we went to the Ajanta Caves. We parked the bus and walked up some steps. Then dad said, “hop in Maggie.” He was standing next to a palonquin, (a chair that four people carry). So I got in, and we went up the rest of the stairs. I felt like a princess. We got to the first cave, and I got out.

Me in the palonquin

            The Ajanta Caves are interesting pieces of art and architecture. They are all Buddhist caves built between 200 B.C and 700 A.D. There are two kinds of caves, the meditation caves, and the monastery caves. The meditation caves have domed roofs and stufas (altar like things). The monastery caves had pillars, paintings, side rooms, and giant Buddha statues. In one of meditation caves there was a reclining Buddha. He looked like he was sleeping, but he was actually trying to find enlightenment.

A domed ceiling cave with a stufa

The reclining Buddha

Practicing our meditation hand positions

Paintings on the ceiling of a cave!

            After the caves we went to lunch. It was an awesome meal. I got a soda and got to go in the first part of the line because I was the birthday girl. We finished lunch and got back on the bus to go to the hotel.

            When we got back, James and I went to find some college students to play with. We found two, Sydney, and Will. We played and talked on the swings until dinner.

            At dinner dad served me Kraft mac and cheese. I cried with joy! Every one else had Chinese food. Then I opened a present from Grace and James. Legos! James also gave me an epic pair of headphones. We had chocolate chip ice cream and cake. The staff gave us a knife that sang happy birthday when I cut the cake. After cake we had a dance party. I don’t know how I’m going to beat this birthday next year!

Oh my gosh... mac & cheese!!!!

I love you, Dad!

CAKE!!!

dance party!