ajanta

Ajanta

The 29 caves at Ajanta (built 2nd c. BCE--6th c. CE) are among the most famous Buddhist sites in India. These caves were cut from solid rock-starting from the top and working down, so that no scaffolding was needed-and often reproduce the architectural forms found in contemporary conventional buildings. The caves are built along a curve in the Waghora River in central Maharashtra, with the oldest caves in the middle, and the later ones at the two ends. This picture shows a detail from a chaitya or worship-hall in Cave 26, in which the main figure is a seated Buddha. Light for the cave comes from a high transom window, and in the ceiling one can see carved ribs that mimic the roof beams used in wooden beams at the time.

The caves are most famous for their paintings, some of which show episodes from the Jataka tales, and some of which show things from courtly life at the time. These paintings are remarkable not only by virtue of being painted by Buddhist monks, but because the caves in which they were painted would have been pitch black without lights. The level of decoration far surpassed the need to convey a message through story, and seems to have been done from the desire for beauty alone. One example of this is this painted pillar.

Although the paintings are often called "frescoes," this is not technically correct-in a fresco the color is absorbed into a wet surface (often plaster), whereas at Ajanta the stone walls were coated with a mixture of clay, cow dung, and rice husks, and the painting applied to the dry surface. The paintings have gradually degraded since the caves were discovered by a British hunting party in 1819, in part through misguided attempts at restoration, and in part because of the traffic and increased humidity caused by visitors. Here is another example of a decorative medallion.

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Last modified 28 December 2005