Ajanta Caves
The famous Ajanta caves are situated
about 99-kms away from Aurangabad district in the state of
Maharashtra. These caves are regarded as a world heritage site and
were carved out from the 2nd century BC to 6th century AD. They are
placed in a horseshoe shape about 3.5 m away from the village. The
river Wagura, a mountain stream flows along the bottom of the ravine.
This river falls from a height of 200 ft, thus making a series of
waterfalls. The sound of the waterfalls can be heard in the caves
also.
 The
intriguing Ajanta Caves are carved out of large rocks and are 30 in
number. These caves are dedicated to Lord Buddha. The followers and
students of Buddhism resided here to study this religion. They have
decorated these caves with the help of their excellent architectural
skills and artistic paintings.
The carvings and the paintings in the caves depict the life stories
of Lord Buddha. Along with this, several types of human and animal
figures are also carved out of the rocks.
¤ Depiction of Contemporary Society
The carvings and the murals in the Ajanta depicted the contemporary
society of that period. These artistic pieces showed all kinds of
people from kings to slaves, women, men and children interwoven with
flowers, plants, fruits, birds and beasts. There are also figures
related to the people of that time, some of them are 'Yakshas',
'Kinneras' (half human and half bird) 'Gandharvas' (divine musicians)
and 'Apsaras' (heavenly dancers).
Discovery The enchanting Ajanta caves were discovered accidentally
by a company of British soldiers in the 19th century. Before the
excavation of these caves they were hidden under the thick vegetation
for a long time.
¤ The Caves
The incredible caves of Ajanta are dedicated exclusively to Buddhism.
There are around 30 caves here and are divided into 'Chaitya-Grihas'
(stupa halls) and 'Viharas' (dwelling halls). Around five of these
caves (9, 10, 19, 26 and 29) are 'Chaitya-Grihas'. The rest of the
caves are 'Sangharamas' or Viharas (monasteries). The caves 1, 2, 16
and 17 are important from the art point of view. They are great pieces
of art compared to the contemporary art world.
These caves have exotic paintings illustrating the life and
incarnations of Buddha. The carvings and the paintings of the Ajanta
caves tell us about the imagination and creativity of the artist. The
murals on the walls of these caves are still in a good condition,
maintaining the freshness of the color and spreading vibrancy in the
atmosphere. Visitors will definitely enjoy watching these great
historical pieces of art.
¤ The Viharas
The Ajanta caves were divided into several viharas (dwelling halls)
and chaitya-grihas (stupa halls), scooped out of the sloping rocks in
the fifth century CE. The viharas consisted of a broad verandah. The
roof of this verandah was supported by pillars and giving towards the
interior on to a hall averaging in size about 35 ft. by 20 ft. Also
there are dormitories to the left, right and back , opening on to this
hall. The number of dormitories varied according to the size of the
hall, and in the larger ones pillars supported the roof on all three
sides, forming a sort of religious residence running round the hall.
There is also a shrine of lord Buddha in a niche facing the entrance
and sometimes facing the subsidiary shrines to the right or left of
the entrance. With the help of carvings, the facades of the viharas
were decorated and the paintings adorned the walls and ceilings.
¤ The Chaityas
The chaitya-grihas are greater than the viharas. The largest
chaitya-grihas being 94 1/2 ft. from the verandah to the back and 41
1/4 ft. across, including the cloister. Earlier, the chaitya-grihas at
Ajanta had stupas, but later they had a standing or seated image of
the Buddha in front of them.
One of the signs of changing patterns of worship is the bodhisattva
cult that was practiced at Ajanta. The Bodhisattvas are heavenly
beings on the brink to Buddhahood. It is said that they chose to
remain in the world to help others towards salvation. The figures off
these bodhisattvas are carved at the entrance of a vihara or
chaitya-griha or are painted on walls.
¤ The Wall-Paintings
The Ajanta caves are divided into three groups. The oldest group is
believed to belong to the period between 200 BCE to CE 200, the second
group is believed to belong to the sixth and the third group to the
seventh century. Almost all the interior walls and ceilings of the
caves are covered with murals.
At the time of discovery (1817), these paintings were in a better
condition than now. But fortunately, the school of art in Bombay has
the copied versions of the paintings which have now disappeared from
the caves. These copies are the major evidence of pictorial art in
India before the rise of Hinduism. Thus, they are valuable and need
preservation.
¤ Reach Ajanta
By Air : The nearest airport
from Ajanta caves is the Aurangabad domestic airport (99 kms).
Aurangabad is directly linked to Delhi, Udaipur, Jaipur, and Mumbai.
By Rail : Aurangabad is directly linked to Mumbai and Pune by
rail. Jalgaon, a railhead on the Central Railways line, is 59
kilometres from Ajanta. Two trains Tapovan Express and Devgiri Express
depart daily from Mumbai to Aurangabad.
By Road : Ajanta Caves are connected to a network of excellent
roadways with Mumbai, Pune, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Shirdi, Nasik, Dhule,
Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Indore, Bijapur, and Aurangabad. One can easily
get a bus ply for Ajanta from Aurangabad.
Major Circuits
Major Tour Packages To Maharashtra
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