Rock-hewn Buddhist caves exhibiting some of the finest Indian art - Ajanta Caves 242
What and Why
The Ajanta caves (Hindi:अजंता गुफाएँ) are 30 rock-hewn Buddhist caves which date back as early as the 2nd century BCE. The caves include paintings and rock sculptures described as the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art. The status of these caves are very highly valued that it is believed that they influenced the Indian art that followed. Moreover these caves become a main sentinel for the proliferation of Buddhism during ancient times, as these caves served as a retreat for monks, as well as a resting site for merchants and pilgrims in ancient India. Hence the construction of these caves created places of worship and social gatherings.
The caves are all built in the rocky wall of a U-shaped river gorge of the area. In one way the construction of these caves remind us of the blogged Dazu Rock Carvings (Chinese: 大足石刻, Dazushike) and essentially serve as the same purpose, only in quite different time and space. The murals on different caves are very colourful and elaborate and are considered some of the finest examples of Buddhist paintings, ever. These murals generally show scenes of Buddha's life and from the book of Jātaka (Sanskrit: जातक).
Incredibly the caves were covered by jungle until accidentally discovered in the early 19th century CE by a colonial British officer during a tiger-hunting party. The Ajanta Caves are generally agreed to have been made in two distinct periods, the first during the 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE, and the second during the 5th century CE.
Toponymy
The root farda (Persian: فردا) means tomorrow in Persian; while the root pur (Devanagari:पुर) means a city in ancient Hindi, and is used in many Indian cities. Ajanta probably derives from the root yajanta in Devanāgarī meaning worship. This language is well-known for giving us the om (Devanagari: ॐ).
See
The 30 caves are all aligned along a U-shaped gorge and are numbered sequentially, although the number order simply reflects the positions and are not chronological. The caves are carved out of flood basalt rock of a cliff, formed by successive volcanic eruptions at the end of the Cretaceous period. The rock is therefore layered horizontally, and somewhat variable in quality and properties. This variation within the rock layers required the artists to adjust their carving and sculpturing methods as they carved. The inhomogeneity in the rock have also led to many cracks and collapses later.
We follow cave by cave and describe the most important ones.
Cave 1
Cave 1 is the first cave the visitor encounters upon entry into the site but it is also one of the last caves to have been excavated and hence the least damaged. The cave depicts those Jātaka tales that tell of those previous lives of the Buddha during which he was royal.
The cliff is more steep than other caves, so it was necessary to cut far back into the slope, giving a large courtyard in front of the facade. The front facade is noticeable with the broken portico in front.
The paintings of Cave 1 cover the walls and the ceilings and are in a good state of preservation. The two most famous individual painted images at Ajanta are the two over-life-size figures of the protective bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर) and Vajrapāṇi (Sanskrit: वज्रपाणि) on either side of the entrance to the shrine.
Cave 2
Cave 2, adjacent to Cave 1, is known for the colourful paintings that have been preserved on its walls, ceilings, and pillars, although my picture above does little justice as this cave is very dimly lit. The above mural is called The Miracle of Śrāvastī: a miracle performed by Buddha by emitting fire from his upper body and water from his lower body.
The famous Avalokiteśvara portrait.
Cave 4
A squarish vihāra (Sanskrit: विहार), a monastic hall, and a major Buddha carving inside the hall. The vihara is actually an empty worshipping hall.
Cave 6
A double-storey monastery with empty halls in both storeys. The walls and sanctum's door frame of the both levels are intricately carved showing themes of mythical or zodiac creatures.
Cave 9
Cave 9 has a distinct apsidal shape: the nave, aisle and apse remind one of the European cathedrals built many centuries later. The stupa is at the centre of the apse, with a circumambulation path around it. The stupa sits on a high cylindrical base. Even the outer facade seems to have inspired future European churches, with a large circular windows above the doorway.
Cave 10
While Cave 10 looks similar to Cave 9 with a similar nave and apse arrangement, the cave features a Sanskrit inscription in Brahmi that is archaeologically important. The inscription is the oldest of the Ajanta site dated to the 2nd century BCE. It reads: 𑀯𑀲𑀺𑀣𑀺𑀧𑀼𑀢𑀲 𑀓𑀝𑀳𑀸𑀤𑀺𑀦𑁄 𑀖𑀭𑀫𑀼𑀔 𑀤𑀸𑀦𑀁, meaning 'The gift of a cave-façade by Vasisthiputra' Katahadi'.
Cave 16
Affectionately known as the elephant caves as they are guarded by the two prominent elephants, Cave 16 occupies a prime position near the middle of site. It is a double-storey monastery, devoted it to the community of monks. Apparently the famous Chinese buddhist monk Xuanzang (Chinese: 玄奘, né 陈祎 (Chinese), Chen Yi), travelled to the Ajanta and believed this cave as the main entrance to the site. There are large number of frescoes in this particular shrine, including some of the best ones in the site. The one below shows the frescoes in the upper storey.
Cave 19
Another 'European'-styled hall and probably the most elaborate worship hall in the site. The major nave is shown on the main picture above. The main entrance facade of the Cave 19 worship hall is ornate with all sorts of stories of the Buddha.
Cave 26
Possibly saving the best to the last, the sculptures of Cave 26 are the most elaborate and intricate. It is amongst the last caves excavated, and an inscription suggests late 5th or early 6th century CE is the carving period. The cave consists of an apsidal hall with side aisles for circumambulation.
The major artworks include the Mahaparinirvana of Buddha (reclining Buddha) on the wall, followed by the legend called the 'Temptations by Māra'. The temptations include the seduction by Māra's (Sanskrit: मार) daughters who are depicted below the meditating Buddha. They are shown skimpily dressed in seductive postures, attempting to distract him with noise and threaten him with violence. In the top right corner is the image of a dejected Mara frustrated by his failure to disturb the resolve of Buddha.
At the centre of the nave is a massive rock stupa. The stupa is carved with an image of the Buddha, a three tiered torana above him, and apsaras are carved on the anda (hemispherical egg) stupa. On top of the stupa is a nine-tiered harmika, a symbolism for the nine saṃsāra heavens in Mahāyāna (Devanagari: महायान).
Too bad I do not have too much knowledge about Indian art, but there is no doubt the Ajanta caves do make a major mark of significance in history, considering the high quality and large quantity of the arts in all the caves. I was fortunate to be accompanied by my friend, who has an expert knowledge on Indian ancient art and she was fully astonished and indulged in it. Moreover, the murals also depict scenes from shops, festivals, processions, palaces, trades and performances; and are not restricted to religious motifs.
Small mountain temple
There is a small temple on top of a hill in the middle of the gorge, but we couldn't be bothered as you can see the access is quite strenuous.
Panorama
There is a very good panoramic viewpoint from the top of the caves before you reach the site. The view is quite stunning. By the way you can also see that there are various waterfalls along the gorge.
Another bird-eye view from the caves.
Eat and Drink
Since we stayed in Aurangabad (औरंगाबाद), we naturally ate its food. The staple here is called naan qalia (नान किलिया), which is naan (Persian: نان, nān) bread served in curry mutton. This dish originates from the region as a result of its Persian history during the 14th century CE. The curry is a bit thicker than the usual Indian curry, closer to the Southeast Asian curry. We had this serving of naan qalia in Kream N Krunch.
Getting There and Around
Ajanta Caves is located near the town of Fardapur, which is 110 km away from Aurangabad, the main tourist hub. Clearly the only way to go is to get a car with a driver. Indian roads, including urban ones, are some of the worst I have ever experienced, blogged in Agra (आगरा). Once you reach the site, the entire site is very walkable. The entry fee to the site is INR 600₹. The area will probably take you a full day, including travels.
UNESCO Inscription
The first Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta date from the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C. During the Gupta period (5th and 6th centuries A.D.), many more richly decorated caves were added to the original group. The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta, considered masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, have had a considerable artistic influence.
References
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