Ajanta Caves
Ajanta is a prize jewel in the rich crown of India's glorious archaeological heritage. The Caves, situated 105 km north of Aurangabad, date back to 200 AD to 650 BC, predating both the Ellora and Elephanta Caves. The Ajanta Caves weres, similar to the Khajuraho Monuments, discovered accidentally by a company of British soldiers in the early 19th century.
The caves where created in two phases roughly 700 years apart. The first caves were cut in the 2nd century BCE, through patronage of various kings and are in a Theravada style. They are simple, aesthetic and on a grand scale especially cave 10 with its large stupa. There is very little ornamentation and no figurative depiction of the Buddha.
The later caves date from about 460 CE, under the patronage of king Harisena and are in Mahayana style. They are sumptuously ornamented with frescoes (or more accurately tempera paintings), beautiful Buddha statues and many scenes from the Jatakas and the Buddha's life.
Broadly there are two types of caves the shrine halls which were used purely for worship and spiritual practice and the viharas which contain chapels as well as lodgings. With the sudden demise of Harisena in 477, and the strong resurgence of Hinduism thereafter it seems that the caves were abandoned by 480. Tragic as this is, it is certainly why the caves are so well preserved compared to those at Ellora which were never lost.
The caves capture through art the arising of archetypal figures in Buddhism. From the earliest days one sees nothing but a stupa, a symbolic copy of the burial mound where the Buddha's remains, and those of his Enlightened disciples would have been kept. As the caves develop one sees more ornamentation and figures coming in, until eventually there are representations of the Buddha in many postures, flanked by archetypal figures such as Padmapani holding a lotus and Vajrapani holding a vajra-thunderbolt - symbolizing the compassion and wisdom aspects of Enlightenment. |
