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Home>Art&Culture>IndianMonuments>WorldHeritageMonumentsinIndia>WorldHeritageMonumentsinWestIndia>AjantaCaves

AjantaCaves,MaharashtraTheAjantacaveshavebeendesignatedasaWorldHeritageSite,toinspireandenrichthefuturegenerations.

MoreonAjantaCaves,Maharashtra(29Articles)

AjantaCavesinMaharashtraareconsideredasmasterpiecesoftheBuddhistartandtheyhavehadagreatinfluenceinthedevelopmentofartinIndia.Hence,UNESCOhasconsideredthesecavesasaWorldHeritageSitesince1983.Thepaintingsonthewallsandceilingsdramaticallyreflectthesophisticatedachievementsofthe

veryapogeeofIndia'ssocalledGoldenage,generallyassociatedwiththeGuptaEmpire.ThecreativityofthesculpturesdepictvarioushumanandanimalformsandevenmakethemexpressivemakesthecavepaintingsatAjantaoneofthehighwatermarksofartisticcreativity.TheAjantaCavesareauniqueartisticcreationanditssanctuariesdevotedtodifferentreligiousillustratethespiritof

tolerancethatwasacharacteristicofancientIndia.TheAjantaCavesaremeticulouslycutinthebentarmoftheVaghaRiver,whereitpushesitswaythroughthebrokenandroughhillsofthenorthernscarpoftheDeccan,andintotheBerar,andalsothelevelsoftheTaptivalley.Evenduringhotweatherconditiontherearepoolsintheriverbed,whileafewminutes'rainwillsendtheriverintospateforhours,fillingthegorgeandthecaveswithnoiseofwaters.

TheseBuddhistrockcutcavesareabout107kmawayfromthecityofAurangabadinMaharashtranestledinapanoramicgorge,intheformofagigantichorseshoe,overlookingabendoftheWaghoraRiverinnorthernMaharashtra.Thesecaveswerecarvedbetweenthe2ndcenturyBCandthe5th

centuryADandareyetknownforitsstunningpaintingsandsculpture,sincetheyareallverywellpreserved.Itwasonlyinthe19thcenturythattheywerediscoveredandtheydepictthestoryofBuddhism,spanningaperiodfrom200BCto650AD.TheirbeautyandantiquitydistinguishthemasoneofthetreasuresofIndian,andindeedworld,art.

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AjantaCaves(29) CityPalace

ThecavesofAjantacanbeclassifiedintotwodistinctphases:TheearlierHinayanaphase,inwhichtheBuddhawasworshippedonlyintheformofcertainsymbols.AndthelaterMahayanaphase,inwhichtheBuddhawasworshippedinthephysicalform.

TwokindsofAjantaCaves:FinishedCaves:TheyareTwentySevenanddepictdifferentformsofBuddha.UnfinishedCaves:Theyareunfinished&someofthemareaccessible.

Thus,depictingthesculpturesandpaintingsoftheearliestBuddhistarchitecture,theAjantacavesincludesasetof29caves,whicharenumberedaccordingtotheirsequentiallocationalongthecliffface,whichdoesnotcorrespondtotheorderinwhichtheywereconstructed.ThesecavescompriseofChaityaHallsorshrinesandViharasormonasteries.ThemoreprominentHinayanacavesarethosenumbered9,10(bothchaityas),8,12,13and15(allviharas),whereastheMahayanamonasteriesinclude1,2,16and17,whilethechaityasareincaves19and26.Inancienttimes,eachcavewasaccessedfromtheriverfrontbyindividualstaircases.

Ajantaisaworldinitself,shutinandaloof.Inthespring,whentherainshavebrokenandeverythingisgreen,itsbeautyissurpassingandappealing.TothenortharethetwofinehillfortsofBaithalWadiandAbasgarhdominatingstrategicpoints,undoubtedlyancient.Butthereisnosignofatownorvillageofanysizenearby.Theoldpilgrimsmusthavemadetheircamponthegreenbankattheturnoftheriverbelowthecaves,wherethereisnowacarpark.FourmilesawayistheAjantaGhat,theancienthighwaytoAsirgarhandthenorth.SouthwardlieAurangabad,Paithan,Junnar,Thana,andtheportsofSalsette,oncethrongedwiththeshippingoftheAfricanandArabiantrade

HistoryofAjantaCavesChaityahallswerededicatedtoLordBuddhaandwereconsideredastheplacesofworship.Thesewerelarge,rectangularchambersseparatedbyrowsofpillarsintoacentralnave,surroundedbyaislesonthreesides,forcircumambulationduringprayer.Italsohadasanctuaryoppositetheentrance.AsitwasdedicatedtoBuddha,itincludedmanysculpturesandpaintingsdepictingthevariousincarnationsofBuddha.Theviharas,whereaswereusedbyBuddhistmonksformeditationandthestudyofBuddhistteachings.Thesewererectangularshapedhallswithseriesofsmallcellsattachedontwosides.ThesideoppositetheentrancecontainedanimageofBuddhaoravotivestupa.

ThemuralsthatsurroundthewallsandceilingsofthecavesdepicttheepicofLordBuddhaandvariousdivinitiesofBuddhist.Outofthese,themostimportantartformsarethepaintingsoftheJatakatales,whichtellsthestoriesaboutthepreviousincarnationsoftheGautama

BuddhaasBodhisattva.TheyalsoincludethesculpturesofBuddhathatstandcalmandsereneincontemplation.Theseelaboratepaintingsandsculptureshavealotofexclusivenesssincetheyhavewithstoodalltheravagesoftime.Onecanalsofindinthecavesasortofilluminatedhistoryofthetimesstreetscenes,courtscenes,cameosofdomesticlifeandevenanimalandbirdstudiescomealiveontheseunlitwalls.

ThesewallpaintingsandsculptureshavebeenchiselledfromroughrocksbytheprimitiveinhabitantsduringthefirstandsecondcenturyB.C.Theartworkisofgreatfinesseandrepresentsthelevelofskillthepeopleofthosetimeshad.ThepopularAssemblyRockorChaityaareexamplesoftheecclesiasticalforms,butwereundoubtedlyderivedfromtheapsidalhallsofthesecularcommunitiesandguildswhichplaysoprominentapartinearlyBuddhistliterature.TheyarefoundintheCavesNos.IXandXatAjanta.

(LastUpdatedon:20/02/2014)

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