Located in Buldhana district near Aurangabad city.

The crater is rich in bio-diversity housing diverse population of flora and fauna. Home to variety of animal species and birds, most found are peacock, black drongo, little green bee eater, shrike, pipit, crane, hooper,
monitor lizards, rabbit, deer, langur monkeys and snakes.

Among the fauna one can find custard apple, eucalyptus, lemon grass, bamboo, teak and many other trees can be seen.

There is a mystery associated with the lake flowing inside the crater; nobody can say how it remains full through the year. A stream feeds this crater but up to this date no outlet was found.

 

Elephanta Caves:

Located 10 km from the Gateway of India at Mumbai.

The entire cave temple complex covers an area of about 60,000 sq ft and consists of a main chamber and two lateral ones, courtyards and several subsidiary shrines.

The caves are hewed from solid rock.

Cave 1 represents the evolved Brahmanical rock-cut architecture.

The caves are thought to date back to the Silhara kings of the 9th through 13th centuries.

These rock cut temples dedicated to Shiva Mahadeva.

The Trimurti of Elephanta showing the three faces of Shiva is almost akin to the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh.

It was named Elephanta by the Portuguese after the statue of an elephant near the landing area of the island.