Five caves at the Ellora world heritage site in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district will be illuminated with LED lights and the Archaeological Survey of India will try to complete the work before the city hosts a G20-related event, a senior ASI official has said.


The 'first inception meet' of Women 20 (W20) as part of India's presidency of G20 will be held in the city on February 13-14, 2023.


The Women 20, an official G20 engagement group, was set up in 2015 to ensure gender considerations figure in G20 discussions.


The ASI has already put up lights in various Ajanta caves for visitors to see the paintings made there between 400 and 650 CE, an official said on Wednesday.


ASI's superintendent archaeologist Milan Kumar Chauley told PTI that they will also illuminate the inside portions of Ellora cave numbers 5, 10, 16, 29 and 32 which have paintings and sculptures.


Chauley said they will try to finish the work before the G20-related event in Aurangabad in February next year.


"The lights will not harm the paintings. We are currently using them in the Ajanta caves," he said.


The front entry point at the Ellora caves will also be revamped along with other developmental works, Chauley said.


Maha: Aurangabad Getting Facelift Ahead Of G20-Related Event


Aurangabad city in central Maharashtra is gearing up for hosting a G20-related event with the municipal and state authorities undertaking infrastructure upgradation and beautification projects on a war footing. The `first inception meet' of Women 20 (W20) as part of India's presidency of G20 will be held in the city on February 13-14, 2023.


The Women 20, an official G20 engagement group, was set up in 2015 to ensure that gender considerations figure in G20 discussions.


The Maharashtra Public Works Department and Aurangabad Municipal Corporation would execute several landscaping projects in the city ahead of the event, an official release said on Wednesday.


The roads connecting the Aurangabad airport to various locations in the city and spaces under the flyovers will also be beautified, it said.


Monuments like Panchakki and the Delhi Gate in the city will be illuminated.


The road connecting Aurangabad city to the historical Daulatabad (Devgiri) Fort and world-famous Ellora caves will also be revamped and new signage will be installed along the route, the release said.


The helipads at Sillod and Fardapur (near Ajanta Caves) will also be repaired, it added.


Archaeological Survey of India's superintendent archaeologist Milan Kumar Chauley told PTI that the re-carpeting of tar roads on the Ellora Caves campus will be completed ahead of the event.


New signage will be installed on the premises and landscaping will be done, he added.


(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)