Ajantha Caves

                                          Ajanta Caves

Ajanta Caves are a group of 30 caves carved out of a steep ravine in Ajanta,a small village in Maharashtra, India. The Caves were discovered in 1819 and are famous for its Buddhist frescoes.The Caves were painted between 2 and 7 BC.The Monks made the rock faces receptive to pigment by coating them with a clay mixture and covering them with moist lime.The frescoes,which illustrate Buddhist texts,date from before and during the Gupta period of Indian history.The wall paintings are based on the Jatakas or stories from the former lives of Gautam Buddha.

The 30 Chaityas and Vihars have paintings which illustrate the life and incarnation of Buddha.The artists has lent his creativity in each work with an overwhelming sense of validity.These paintings have survived time and till date the numerous paintings glowing on the walls leaves  leaves visitors spell bounded.The contours of these figures and positions of their hands the make atmosphere very vibrant and alive. Ajanta caves were mean to provide seclusion to the Buddhist monks and their hammer and chisel offered a rich tapestry of images that speak of places, royalty, culture and tales of everyday life of ancient India. The Artists   skill and creativity were contemplated by his keen sense of observation.Many of the panels of the caves hold depiction of jatakas and numerous images of Buddha,Nymphs and Princesses.The flying Apsara in cave 17,the preaching Buddha in cave 16 to the sculptured Nagaraja in a sitting posture with his consort and a female attendant are to name few of the popular caves.Some of these enigmatic caves are illuminated by the natural light at a particular time of the day.

Cave 9