Designated as a world heritage site by UNESCO, Ellora Caves locally known as 'Verul Leni' is situated on the Aurangabad-Chalisgaon road around 30 km from the city. Founded in the period between 5th century and 10th century AD, these caves are the culmination of Deccan rock-cut architecture. This Gigantic cave is considered as one of most subtle and elaborate ancient works of art which consists of a gateway, pavilion, assembly hall, sanctum and tower. Spread over 2km long, there are 34 caves at Ellora that has been cut out of the sloping side of a basaltic hill and are dedicated to the three faiths of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. The 12 caves to the south are belongs to the Buddhist , 17 caves in the middle belongs to Hinduism and the 5 caves to the north belongs to Jains. The masterpiece of Ellora is the Kailash Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at Cave 16. It is the world's largest monolithic sculpture, sculpted out of a single rock by 7000 labourers over a 150 year period. The best season to visit the cave is from October to March and the entry is free, except for the Kailasa temple.