Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The uncertainty regarding the organisation of the Ellora-Ajanta International Festival this year is likely to be resolved. However, this year, the festival will be held at the foot of the Ellora Caves instead of the Sunehri Mahal. The first day will be held at the Bibi Ka Maqbara area, while the second and third days will be celebrated at the Ellora Caves. Since 2003, the festival has been held in the city, and now it is going to be held at its original location. The festival was organised at the Ellora Caves from 1985 to 2003.
To receive a greater response, the festival was started at the Sunehri Mahal situated on the campus of the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in 2003. However, due to legal restrictions on holding the festival at the Sunehri Mahal, a meeting was held on January 17 in the presence of District Collector Deelip Swami to discuss changing the festival's venue. Accordingly, there was a unanimous agreement to hold the festival at the foot of the Ellora Caves, said the sources. Additional District Collector Arvind Lokhande, resident deputy collector Vinod Khiroldkar, tourism official Prabhodaya Muley, officials from the Hotel and Tourism sector, and other tourism stakeholders attended the meeting.
Festival in March...
Three celebrities will be invited for the three days of the festival. Around two and a half hours will be allocated for the celebrities, while one hour will be dedicated to local artists. This year’s event will follow a pattern of giving local artists the opportunity across all three days. The exact dates and the details of the artists have not been finalised yet, but the festival is expected to take place in the first week of March, said sources.