Caves of Ajanta is hand-hewn from the near vertical sides of a horseshoe- shaped ravine, a worth site to witness the spectacular ancient art. In 1819 a small detachment of East India Company discovered this ancient site dating back to second century. This remote place was only known to local Bhil tribal people. The shadowy entrances to its abandoned stone chambers lay buried deep under a thick blanket of creepers and jungle.

It was indeed a sensational archaeological discovery By British of all time. The remarkable paintings of on the walls of the caves, swirling profusion of murals, depicting everything from battlefields to sailing ships, city streets and teeming animal filled forests to snow capped mountains. The paintings rank among India’s most beautiful treasures. In spite of its remoteness, Ajanta receives an extraordinary number of visitors. The best time to visit are either during the monsoon, when the river is filled up and gorge reverberates with the sound of waterfalls, or during the cooler months.

History of Ajanta dates back to 2nd century BC. Ajanta was an ideal place for Buddhist monks to found their permanent monasteries. Ajanta caves gave shelter to more than 200 monks and also painters, sculptors and laborers. During the seventh century, again it went into an oblivion. The reasons were doubtful, some historian think because of growing popularity of nearby Ellora caves and some people says that it because of threat posed by the resurgence of Hinduism. The site had been associated with sinister curse when each attempt to document this amazing rediscovery met with little or no success. Even the good intention to repair the images had been chased out. In 1920s Nizam of Hyderabad employed Italian expert to repair the badly damaged paintings. Unfortunately, the varnish used in sealing had an adverse effect and cave walls further darkened and cracked over time. The restoration project is under Archaeological Survey Of India, the flash photography is ban inside the caves.

Ajanta Cave Architecture

The 30 caves are cut into the steep face of a horseshoe-shaped rock gorge on the Waghore River. Ajanta caves are strongly linked with Buddhism. It depicts both schools of thought, separated with each other by good 400 years. Hinayana, the older school of thought signify Lord Buddha in pillars, stupas , footprints or throne. The other thought Mahayana represent the Lord in Human form. It is believed that Buddhist monks who took shelter in the caves carved out the elegant figures on the walls by simple chisel and hammer. The carved figures are elongated stories of Jatakas and various forms of Buddha.

Cave 1 contains some of the finest and stylistically most evolved paintings on the site. In the late 5th century the caves or viharas ( monasteries) not only served not only to shelter and feed the monks but also as places of worship in their own right. In common with most Mahayana viharas, the extraordinary murals lining the walls and ceilings depict episodes from the birth story and fable stories. The next cave of interest is Cave 16 known for its famous “ Dying Princes” painting near the front of its left wall. Cave 19 is undoubtedly the most remarkable chaitya hall, its facade teeming with elaborate sculptures. The cave also represents the Hindu influence, which is more apparent in the friezes that line the interior of porch.

Cave paintings of Ajanta is the most glorifying art of India. the basic painting techniques used by the artists of Ajanta to transform the dull walls into a lustrous beauty. The paintings were drawn estimated around 200 BC to 650 AD. Artists used to prime the surface coated with paste made up of mixture of cow dung, clay and animal hair and strengthened with vegetable fiber. Next, a finer layer of smooth white lime was applied. Before drying out the layer, artists quickly sketched the outlines of their picture using red cinnabar. The pigments were natural water soluble substances. After the paintings were dried out, artists polished them with smooth stone to bring out their natural sheen.

When was Ajanta's golden age?

There are different schools of opinion but scholars agree that caves had two periods of patronage. An early group was crafted around the 1st and 2nd centuries BC and second work began much later. The Vakataka emperor Harisena was behind the renaissance of Ajanta caves. American professor Dr Walter M Spink who has studied the caves for more than 40 years wrote a book Ajanta: A Brief History and Guide (1994) can be easily found near the site.