My Encounter with Ajanta · My Encounter with Ajanta : (Please note: All facts mentioned is based on knowledge shared within group, through Wikipedia & provided by Tour guide. Author

My Encounter with Ajanta :

(Please note: All facts mentioned is based on knowledge shared

within group, through Wikipedia & provided by Tour guide. Author

do not claim or guarantee its authentication)

Saturday 11th March 2014 @ 11:30 AM, I never knew 30 rock-cut

cave monuments from the 2nd century BCE to the 600 CE are

waiting for me to end up with a full filling peace.

Approximately 3 hours took us to cover the 100 km. from

Aurangabad to Ajanta.

We arrived hungry and then right before we start had a fatigue

accelerating lunch.

We have not even entered the premises already drowsy due to

over-eating. AC Bus by government was a boon in that scorching

heat & was for all the tourists.

Photo Courtesy: Abhishek

Pandey

Those caves which were once buried under debris and screened by

foliage during early 19th century; then discovered by British

officers; who were scrambling over the thickly wooded slopes of

the Sahyadri hill.

To have more insight on the caves, we hired an accredited tourist

guide, who then made it a secluded retreat by narrating the stories

& facts of old Buddhist monastic orders.

My awestruck moment is when we discovered that this magnificent

work is just the magic of simply a hammer and chisel.

Photo Courtesy: Subrata Rakshit

Every passing architecture connected me with deep faith & inspired

me.

Chapels for prayer and viharas, monasteries where they lived,

preached and carried out ritual performances, still have the similar

piousness in the environment.

Finished-Unfinished caves built in span of 800 years and contain

numerous images of Buddha.

The walls carry the painting with timeless colors. These art work

were first plastered by mud & cow dung; then painted by natural

colors.

Only turquoise blue was imported from Middle east, rest all shades

are locally made by natural process.


This painting here depicts the early lives of Buddha:


I can just recollect the images of sculptures in cave 26, those are

elaborate and beautiful: panel of the temptation of Buddha.

‘Parinirvana’ depicting two different states, carved out the joy of

heavenly creatures & wonderful recumbent figures of amid people

in attitudes of mourning and sorrow.

Buddha lying in a sleeping posture. People on earth were shown as

they were filled with grief while buddha breaking of earthly ties and

at the same moment people in heaven are busy in welcome

procedures & merry making as Buddha is going to be part of

heaven.


Cave 19 Mahayana Sect_ Chaitya Hall: The sculpture’s treasure chest

Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu

Arched chaitya window set into the elegantly simple facade of cave 9 (first century

B.C.) is repeated in the elaborate frontage of cave 19 (fifth century), which has

figures of Buddha on the portico. This is a fully developed chaitya with a stupa

enclosing a standing Buddha at the far end. We all were deeply in love with Cave 16’s

elegant vihara. This cave had an inscription mentions that king and his minister who

built this cave. The shrine has a towering figure of Buddha preaching, flanked by attendants.


Amazing fact is that though this architecture was built within the folds of the hills, the

sanctuaries were still illuminated by natural light at least during the day. Technique was the Metal mirrors that were used to reflect sunlight into the inner recesses.

Monks & artists painted the wonderful frescoes that glow on these walls. These were

in a fairly good state when the caves were first discovered but have deteriorated over

the years with dampness and exposure to ever increasing numbers of tourists every

year.


Don’t be disappointed as paintings in caves 1, 2, 16 and 17 we still can see some

undamaged portions of frescoes that are vibrant and clear, the fading colors gave us a glimpse of the epitome of its beauty.


Ajanta undoubtedly deserves to be part of the World Heritage list of monuments. One

of the reasons are these 3-D pictures which made our journey more worthy! I wish

we have those cameras to capture the 3D effect of such sound art. My entire team

was astonished by the way they would have painted them, they are magic in

themselves; all of them were excellent examples of optical illusion.


Boddhisatvas prominently visible in Ajanta art & paintings, all are celestial beings,

And are personifications of the virtues of Buddha, who visit the world of men.

Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu (cave 1)

Dark king who indirectly vitalize the fact that racism was not encouraged at that

time.

There is also a painting of a dark princess & the lively panel of a dancing girl and

musicians in cave1, which actually shows that color racism was not from this era at

least.

In later Buddhist philosophy, the time when these rock shrines were hewn out of the

hill side, the Boddhisatvas were beings who had renounced the attainment of nirvana

to attend to human needs.

Boddhisatva Padmapani is a wonderful portrayal of the tender compassion that

infuses his ministry to suffering mankind.

If you can see those gentle eyes, delicate lips they will convey the consolation & lotus

held in a beautifully drawn hand just bring us to an ultimate peace.


In this same cave1 we see the golden figure of Avalokiteswara or Vajrapaani with an

elaborate crown hung with looped strands of pearls; pearl necklaces adorn his

handsome body and a gold girdle fastens his striped garment.


The best is this tiny bull-painting in the ceiling, this is a renowned optical illusion


Under the royal patronage of reigning dynasties, professional artists helped the

monks and left a record of contemporary life in palaces along with tales of piety and faith.

We relived the Jatakas which used to be narrated by our grandparents through the

stories carved in walls and pillars of Ajanta.


This painting above have a wonderful story of way to preserving ecology. Buddha is

here in his elephant incarnation. Queen Maya's dream of the white elephant are in

cave 2. Queen Maya's dream of the white elephant, interpreted by royal astrologers

to mean the birth of an illustrious son, is a detailed panel in cave 2.

Large collection of tales of the previous birth of Buddha and his increasing strength and moral stature through one incarnation after another.

Symbolic of the soul's long journey through many births, these tales for the benefit and instruction of people are depicted here in artistic detail.

Nymphs, princesses and attendants of Ajanta are women of exquisite elegance and

charm, hair dressed in intricate styles and jewels highlighting slender necks and

waists.


Cave 17: High Born Women in a fashionable embroidered turban are a reminder of

the splendid jewelry worn by prosperous females. We scrutinized every picture of

flying Apsaras & realize that the pearl tassels of their necklace and turban swing delicately with their aerial movement.

'The thousand Buddhas' of cave 2 will fill my heart, similar was the Eloquent and

moving is the Buddha with a begging bowl asking alms from his wife and son in cave


One of the Court Scene from cave 1: featuring a bearded man in fur trimmed hat and

boots, surrounded by attendants is believed to depict the reception of a Persian embassy at the Chalukya court.


Buddhist paintings & art travelled a lot of countries like Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Tibet,

Nepal, China and Japan all trace their origins to the classic mode first expressed in the Ajanta frescoes.


My entire Team feel that Ajanta is a panorama of Ancient Indian life.

Architecture of Caves, variety of textiles used for the different purposes, dressing

pattern, hair styles, ornaments-jewelry, family life, scenes from courts, musicians -

their instruments and kind of beasts & birds, flowers everything is just unique &

mesmerizing to witness.

You can relive this beautiful era through its paintings & architecture.


I thank my entire team for this splendid opportunity of encounters with Ajanta.

I recommend this to everyone who feel connect with Past. Witnessing the technique,

art, broad minded-ness & Fashion of that era make me realize that there is lot to relate.

_ By Mrinal Bhattacharya

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My Encounter with Ajanta · My Encounter with Ajanta : (Please note: All facts mentioned is based on knowledge shared within group, through Wikipedia & provided by Tour guide. Author