Ajanta Caves
About
107 kms. from the city of Aurangabad, the rock-cut caves of Ajanta nestle in
a panoramic gorge, in the form of a gigantic horseshoe.
Among the finest examples of some of the earliest Buddhist architecture, caves-paintings
and sculptures, these caves comprise Chaitya Halls, or shrines, dedicated to
Lord Buddha and Viharas, or monasteries, used by Buddhist monks for meditation
and the study of Buddhist teachings.
The paintings that adorn the walls and ceilings of the caves depict incidents
from the life of the Buddha and various Buddhist divinities. Among the more
interesting paintings are the Jataka tales, illustrating diverse stories relating
to the previous incarnations of the Buddha as Bodhisattva, a saintly being who
is destined to become the Buddha.
Occupied for almost 700 years, the caves of Ajanta seem to have been abandoned
rather abruptly. They remained shrouded in obscurity for over a millennium,
till John Smith, a British army officer, accidentally stumbled upon them while
on a hunting expedition in 1819. The 'View Point' from where John Smith first
glimpsed the caves, provides a magnificent sight of the U-shaped gorge and its
scenic surroundings. Cascading down the cliff is a spectacular waterfall, which
at the bottom feeds a natural pool called the Saptakunda.
Ajanta
has been designated as a
World Heritage Site, to be preserved as an artistic
legacy that will continue to inspire and enrich the lives of generations to
come.
The caves of Ajanta can be classified into two distinct phases: the earlier
Hinayana phase (1), in which the Buddha was worshipped only in the form of certain
symbols. And the later Mahayana phase (II), in which the Buddha was worshipped
in the physical form.
Ajanta has two kinds of Caves:
Finished Caves: They are Twenty Seven
& depict different forms of Buddha.
more
>>
Unfinished Caves: They are unfinished
& some of them are accessible.
more
>>
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