Do you know about these?

This is an archaeological mystery that is not often discussed yet may have great historical implications.  They are located in Indi aand to this day they still do not know for sure who built them.  There are various theories about indigenous peoples and the like but the tools that would be needed to architect this complex would be extensive:

The Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India are 30 rock-cut cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to the 600 CE. The caves include paintings and sculptures considered to be masterpieces of Buddhist religious art (which depict the Jataka tales) as well as frescos which are reminiscent of the Sigiriya paintings in Sri Lanka. The caves were built in two phases starting around 2nd century BCE, with the second group of caves built around 600 CE. It is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India.

Here is a bit more on where these caves are located:

Since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The caves are located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, near Jalgaon, just outside the village of Ajinṭhā (20°31′56″N 75°44′44″E). Caves are only about 59 kilometers from Jalgaon Railway station (on Delhi – Mumbai, Rail line of the Central railways, India); and 104 kilometers from Aurangabad.

In this pic you can get a view of how they are built right into the mountain:

This is a close up of one of the entrances.  To think that this was built in a BCE time is mind boggling.

This shows one of the vast hallways with incredible columns and statues along the sides.  It is reminiscent of the movie Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom.

Here are some videos giving some more information on the caves and some additional cool scenery.  One of the commenters had this to say in terms of an archaeological explanation in reply to someone on the thread who thinks it was done by aliens:

The kind of explanation that these theorists are giving is exactly the reason why the west was a backward place for most of the history of mankind. Firstly, it is very difficult for them to accept that when there ancestors were running in the jungles, there was civilization in other places of the world.  Secondly, they have no imagination and they are unable to comprehend things that are beyond the western material scope of understanding.  The half-man half-animal creatures are all explained in different Indian philosophies. Also, these caves are not the oldest structures in the Indian subcontinent or even the world. So suggesting aliens is an extremely ignorant argument.

Another commenter had this to say about visiting:

i have visited these caves. they are now being maintained by some organisation from Japan. Simply extraordinary.

In this video they show some cool pics and get into the religious side of things a bit.

However one commenter disagrees:

This video says, hinduism gained in India and buddhism declined after 6th century. I believe this statement is wrong. Hinduism existed in India for a long time even before buddhism or Buddha came into existance. They should rephrase this as Buddhism gained and declined in India between 2 BC and 6 AD or whatever it is.

What do you think about who built these?  Feel free to comment with your ideas.

thanks to Shriram Rajagopalan for the pic