AJANTA
Ajanta caevs are famous for their murals which are the finest surviving examples of indian art, particularly painting, these caves were excavated in horse-shore shaped bend of rock scarp nearly 76 mtr. in height overlooking a narrow stream known as waghora.
the location of this valley provided a calm and serene environment for the buddhist monks who retreated at these secluded places during the rainy season. each cave was connected to the stream by a flight of steps, which are now almost obliterated, albeit traces of some could be noticed at some places. in all 30 caves were hewn out of the living rock in different periods according to the necessity.
out of these, five (9,10,19,26 and 29) are chaityagrihas and the rest are viharas. in date and style also these caves can be divided into two broad groups. out of the 30 caves 6 caves belong to the earliest phase of buddhism i.e., Hinayana. Caves 9&10 which are chaityagrihas and 8,12,13,&15A which are viharas belong to this phase. these caves are datable to the pre-christion era, the earliest among them being cave 10 dating from the second century B.C where the object of worship is a stupa. these caves are imitation of contemporary wooden constructions even to the extent of fixing of wooden rafters are beams to the ceiling even thought they are non-functional.
these early caves were painted but nothing substantial has survived, caves no.9 and 10 clearly show some vestiges of painting. the headgear, ornaments of the images in these painting resemble bas-relief sculputre of sanchi and bharhut.
the addition of new caves coulf be noticied again the period of vakatakas, the contemporaries of the imperial guptas. these were caused to be excavated by the royal family and also the feudatories owing allegiance to the vakatakas. varahadeva, the minister of vakataka king Harishena(475-500 AD) dedicated cave 16 to the buddhist sangha while cave 17 was the gift of a prince (who subjugated asmaka) a feudatory of the same king. a flurry of activity at ajanta was between mind 5th century AD to mid 6th century AD hieun tsang, the famous chinese traveller who visited india during the first half of 7th century AD has left a vivid and graphic description of the florishing buddhist establishments here even though he did not visit the caves.
A solitary Rashtrakuta inscription in cave no,26 indicates it use during 8th and 9th centuries AD. the second phase departs from the earlier one with the introduction of new pattern in layout as well as the centrality buddha image, both in sculpture as well as in paintings.
all these caves which were once painted, but now the best examples of these exemplary paintings of vakataka period could be noticed only in caves 1,2,16 and 17. the variation in style and execution in these paintings also are noticied, mainy due to different authors who followed contemporary style.
the main theme of the paintings is the depiction of varios jataka stories-different incidents associated with the life of buddha, and the contemporary events and social life. the ceiling decoration invariably consists of decorative patterns, geometrical as well as floral. apart from painted representations, sculptural panels also adorn the beauty of the caves.
Ajanta paintings are the best examples of tempera technique, executed after elaborate preparation of rock surface. after chiseling rock surface different layers of clay mixed with ferruginous earth, sand, fibrous material of organic origin were applied very carefully. then the surface was finally finished with a thin coat of lime wash.
over this surface, outlines are drawn boldly, then the spaces are filled with requisite colours in different shades and tones to achieve the three dimensional effect of rounded and plastic volumes. the colours and shades wtilised also vary from red and yellow ochre, terra verte, to t]lime, kaolin, gypsum, lamp black and lapis lazuli. the chief binding material used here was glue.
the group of caves is inscribed by the UNESCO as a world heritage monument in the yer 1983.
CAVE 1 - PADMAPANI & VAJRAPANI
This is one of the finest monasteries of its kind and no other monastery at ajanta has been so handsomely ornamented. the mahayana monastery consists of an open courtyard, verandah, a hypostylar hall, sanctum with an antechamber and cells. the sanctum houses lord buddha in preaching posture with bodhisattvas on either side and five disciples and a wheel flanked by deers at the base of the pedestal suggests symbolically buddha's first sermon at sarnath.
the door frame and pillars were beautifully carved. every inch of this cave was originally painted, even the pillars and the sculptures being no exceptions. the ceiling painted with geometrical, floral and faunal depictions, creats an impression of decorative shamiyana held above. the walls painted mostly with the jataka tales and scenes related to lord buddha's life. the cave contains some of the masterpieces of the world of painting namely padmapani and vajrapani.
CAVE 2 - jatakas
the mahayana monastery is one of the best caves at ajanta. on the basis of paleography it belongs to 6th - 7th century A.D. it consists of verandah, a hypostylar hall, an antechamber, sanctum with two sub shrines, chapels and a group of cells. lord buddha is enshrined in the sanctum flanked by celestial nymphs and bodhisattvas. the western sub-shrine of the sanctum houses the figures of shankhanidhi-padmanidhi(gods of prosperity), while the eastern sub-shrine of the sanctum contains the figures of hariti-panchika(symbol of motherhood). the massive pillars and doorframes are elaborately carved with designs and decorated with paintings. extensively painted, it is famous for its ceiling painting in the hall, antechamber, varandah and chapels. the paintings contain some of the finest circle designs drawn in contrasting colors, which still retain their brightness and lustre. the wall of the sanctum and antechamber are painted with countless figures of lord buddha, while those of the halls are painted with illustrations of the former births of lord buddha, known as jatakas.
