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Hi there..., I am your friend Eva. Today, while having my breakfast, I happened to look through my younger sister's textbook and saw pictures and descriptions of Ajanta-Ellora caves. And that reminded me of my school days' longing to visit these caves with the most beautiful paintings and statues during the Gupta Era.
Ajanta Caves, a cluster of 30 rock-cut Buddhist caves located 107 kilometers from Aurangabad and 60 kilometers from Jalgaon in Maharashtra, are believed to be discovered by British soldiers on a hunt in 1819. These caves form a horseshoe shape around the Waghur River in the Deccan plateau.
These caves, date from the 2nd century BCE to the 6 Century AD, recount the life of Lord Buddha and his previous earthly experiences from Aryasura's Jatakamala through wall-mural paintings, ceiling paintings, and sculptures of Buddha deities.
Textual records suggest that these caves served as monsoon retreats for the Buddhist monks, also a resting site for merchants and pilgrims in ancient India. These caves, built in two phases, the first around the 2nd BCE and the second during 400-650 BCE, include Chaityas (chapels) or Viharas ( monasteries). These uniques architectural creations are complemented with more mysticism by the darkness within the gorge and the number of waterfalls nearby it.
In 1983 UNESCO declared Ajanta Caves as World Heritage Site. Now, they are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, as they represent visual and descriptive accounts of ancient and medieval Indian culture and artistic traditions. Over time the caves have lost many of their masterpieces, yet few paintings like Bodhisattva Padmapani ( Padmapani in Sanskrit means the one who holds the lotus) retain their glory even now and continue to be a glory of India.
So this is it for now. What is your opinion on Ajanta Caves? Did you like reading it? Would you like to join me in exploring this beautiful site? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Bye, Bye Bess...
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