The Maratha Influence

The latest Hyundai Venue becomes our chariot as we navigate through the cultural byways of the great state of Maharashtra

- Joshua Varghese

WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF Maharashtra? That is a question that we intended to answer by touring this massive state in the compact and capable Hyundai Venue. Using a car equipped with the latest technology and design to experience history and culture, that's almost poetic.

Unlike our choice of wheels, our choice of dates for this trip was far from ideal because we found ourselves in the middle of an early onset of monsoon with imminent alerts along the charted route. However, we were in a car that could handle the weather and, on that trust, we headed for Aurangabad with some rain and an open highway for company. On this stretch, the Venue munched miles effortlessly, the three-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine was in its element and delivered a steady wave of torque which the seventh gear of the DCT put to good use.

Having reached Aurangabad in good time, we elected to visit the famous Ellora Caves, a UNESCO world heritage site and among the best expressions of Indian art during the Middle Ages. Experts say that the work took place during the sixth-eighth centuries AD. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism have all laid claim to these caves peacefully. Of the 34 caves at Ellora (open for public viewing), yours truly and a majority of the other spectators were most impressed by cave number 16, the Kailasa Temple.

This is the largest monolithic sculpture in the world and that means that the entire temple complex was carved by hand out of a single piece of rock-85,000 cubic metres, to be precise. Even if one knows nothing about art, the tenacity, perseverance, and perfection of the artisans is enough to inspire anyone. This is hard, unforgiving rock, not playing dough. There was no room for mistakes and yet in 2022, this marvel stands tall and proud, a testimony to the Indian Middle Ages and their skilled craftsmen.