| In painting world, Ajanta paintings hold a very important | | | | In Buddhist traditions the Bhikshus or monks had to live |
| place. Murals of Ajanta caves are one of the most | | | | away from the general public in rainy seasons. |
| vibrant, exuberant and vivacious murals in the world. | | | | They discovered that the painting styles adopted in |
| Ajanta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located 105 | | | | Ajanta were high standard murals. Art historians |
| kilometers from the town of Aurangabad in the | | | | remain baffled to see these frescoes because to |
| Maharashtra state of Western India. There are total | | | | produce these frescoes a highly complex procedure |
| 29 caves in the horse shoe shaped mountains along | | | | had been applied and it is not a small achievement to |
| the ravine of Waghora river valley. These rock cut | | | | go through that procedure at those early times. Ajanta |
| caves were dug during 2nd to 6th century BCE, | | | | paintings seem to have followed the rich tradition of |
| predominantly for the Buddhist monks. Most of these | | | | paintings that had started during the prehistoric times at |
| caves were dug under the patronage of Vakataka | | | | Bhimbetka, Sittanvasal and Adamgarh. |
| king Harishena. | | | | Ajanta murals are mainly didactic, devotional and |
| Till the beginning of 19th century, these beautiful caves | | | | ornamental in taste. Themes of the paintings are |
| were completely unknown to the world. Ajanta caves | | | | predominantly inspired from the tales of Jataka and |
| were first discovered by English Subaltern officers of | | | | the life and teachings of Buddha. The paintings here |
| Madras Army in 1819. In next hundred years, many | | | | can be classified in to portraits, narrative illustrations |
| people set out on the expeditions and collected rich | | | | and decorative ornamentation of society. Some of the |
| and authentic information about these pristine caves. | | | | most critically acclaimed paintings of Ajanta are |
| Noteworthy endeavors were put in by several | | | | Bodhisattva Padmapani, Miracle of Saraswati, The |
| western art freaks like James Alexander (1834), | | | | Dying Princess, Pillar Detail, Dark Buddha, beside the |
| James Fergusson (1843), Major Robert Gill (1857), Mr. | | | | beautiful Jataka illustrations on the ceilings, walls, over |
| Griffith (1896), Lady Harringham (1911) and John Marshall | | | | the gates etc. The paintings done here give us ample |
| in 1928. | | | | information on the life style of the contemporary Indian |
| Ajanta caves are actually the chaityas (sanctuaries) | | | | society. |
| and viharas (monasteries), cut for the Buddhist monks. | | | | |