Ajanta Caves
The Ajanta Caves are thirty rock-cut Buddhist monuments carved into a horseshoe-shaped cliff of Deccan basalt in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. These structures span two distinct construction periods that began around the second century BCE and ended approximately 480 CE. The earliest group dates from the Satavahana dynasty era between 100 BCE and 100 CE, while the later phase occurred under the Vakataka dynasty during the reign of Emperor Harishena. Archaeological evidence suggests the site was abandoned for over three centuries before the second wave of excavation commenced. This dormant period left the early caves accessible to pilgrims like Faxian who visited around 400 CE but saw no new work being done. The first phase included simple chaitya halls and vihara monasteries without figurative sculpture, emphasizing the stupa as the central object of worship. Later caves introduced elaborate carvings and paintings that reflected the shift from Hinayana to Mahayana Buddhism traditions.
Cave 9 measures eighteen point two four meters by eight point zero four meters and features an apsidal shape with twenty-three pillars dividing the space. A row of octagonal columns supports a vaulted ceiling above a circumambulation path surrounding a central stupa. Cave 10 is larger at thirty point five meters long and contains thirty-nine octagonal pillars in its vast prayer hall. These early worship halls resemble European cathedrals built many centuries later with their high arched ceilings and side aisles. The later phase introduced square-plan viharas with attached cells carved into the walls for monks to sleep. Cave 6 stands as a unique two-storey monastery where the upper level was added as an afterthought during construction. The lower floor of Cave 6 shows crude experimentation while the upper storey displays more refined architectural details. Cave 7 measures fifteen point five five meters by thirty-one point two five meters but lacks a central hall due to rock faults. Artists carved only porticos and shrine rooms before abandoning the deeper excavation. Geological flaws forced planners to raise ceiling heights through deeper cutting into embedded basalt lava layers. Some caves like Cave 4 collapsed partially when the ceiling gave way in the sixth century.
Most surviving murals date from the second phase between 460 and 480 CE and depict stories known as Jatakas describing previous lives of the Buddha. Cave 16 features frescoes showing a Bodhisattva elephant jumping off a cliff to become food for starving people. Another panel illustrates Nanda the half-brother of the Buddha being shown heaven and hell to deter his desire for sensual life. Cave 17 contains thirty major murals including scenes of Prince Simhala's expedition to Sri Lanka and wine drinking couples seated amorously. These paintings use dry fresco techniques applied on top of plaster rather than wet plaster surfaces. Artists depicted wind bending crops in waves to create rhythmic sequences that unroll story after story visually. The compositions spread large scenes in all directions from a single figure or group at the center instead of horizontal bands. Cave 2 shows children at school with front rows paying attention while back row students act distracted. Frescoes in Cave 1 emphasize kingship by selecting tales where the Buddha was born royal before renouncing that life. The paintings celebrate physical beauty and luxury aspects that early Western observers found shocking for religious monastic spaces.
Walter Spink argued that most work took place over a brief window between 460 and 480 CE during Emperor Harishena's reign. This view contradicts traditional theories suggesting construction spanned four centuries from the fourth to seventh centuries CE. Spink based his chronology on inscriptions, artistic styles, dating of nearby sites, and many uncompleted elements within the caves. He identified specific pauses called Hiatus periods when work stopped due to political threats from neighboring Asmaka kings. Activity began simultaneously in many caves around 462 but suspended again in 475 when Asmakas replaced local rulers. Major excavation ceased shortly after Harishena died in 477 except at Cave 26 which Asmakas sponsored themselves. After 480 no new images were made at the site according to Spink though Rashtrakuta inscriptions suggest continued use until the eighth century. The Archaeological Survey of India still presents the traditional dating while Spink allows only one or two years margin of error in all cases. His precise circumstantial evidence has become broadly accepted by most authors writing about Indian art today.
On the 28th of April 1819 British officer John Smith discovered Cave 10 while hunting tigers with a local shepherd boy guiding him to the entrance. Smith asked villagers to bring axes spears torches and drums to cut down tangled jungle growth blocking access to the monastic halls. He first saw ceilings with beautifully drawn faces before noticing monastic halls that helped identify their Buddhist origin. The officer deliberately damaged an image on the wall by scratching his name and date over a bodhisattva painting while standing on five-foot high rubble piles. A paper by William Erskine was read to the Bombay Literary Society in 1822 bringing the caves to Western attention. Colonial-era mismanagement hastened deterioration when Mir Osman Ali Khan appointed Italian experts Lorenzo Cecconi and Count Orsini to restore paintings. Later neglect caused paintings to degrade again despite these early restoration efforts. Since 1983 Ajanta Caves have been listed among UNESCO World Heritage Sites facing threats from overcrowding during holiday times. Plans announced in 2012 included building replicas of Caves 1, 2, 16 and 17 to reduce crowding in originals.
Cave 1 measures thirty-five point seven meters by twenty-seven point six meters and features one of the most elaborate carved facades at the site. Relief sculptures cover entablatures and ridges while decorative motifs embellish most surfaces though a two-pillared portico has since perished into the river below. Twelve pillars create a square colonnade inside supporting the ceiling and creating spacious aisles along walls. The rear wall houses an impressive seated Buddha image with hands in Dhammacakkappavattana mudra surrounded by four cells on each side. Two over-life-size figures of protective bodhisattvas Padmapani and Vajrapani stand on either side of the shrine entrance. Cave 17 spans thirty-four point five meters by twenty-five point six three meters and includes some of the best-preserved murals known anywhere. It was sponsored by Vakataka prime minister Varahadeva who inscribed his wish for the world to enter peaceful states free from sorrow. Cave 17 contains thirty major murals depicting various Jatakas including Shaddanta Hasti Hamsa and Vessantara stories alongside scenes of shipwrecks and princesses applying makeup. The grand scale introduced errors where too much rock was taken out causing the cave to splay toward the rear. Upendragupta spent abundant wealth building this vihara bringing satisfaction to devotees before being defeated by Asmaka attacks.
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Common questions
What are the Ajanta Caves and where are they located?
The Ajanta Caves are thirty rock-cut Buddhist monuments carved into a horseshoe-shaped cliff of Deccan basalt in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. These structures span two distinct construction periods that began around the second century BCE and ended approximately 480 CE.
When were the earliest and latest phases of the Ajanta Caves built?
The earliest group dates from the Satavahana dynasty era between 100 BCE and 100 CE while the later phase occurred under the Vakataka dynasty during the reign of Emperor Harishena. Most surviving murals date from the second phase between 460 and 480 CE according to Walter Spink's research on inscriptions and artistic styles.
Who discovered the Ajanta Caves and when did this event occur?
British officer John Smith discovered Cave 10 on the 28th of April 1819 while hunting tigers with a local shepherd boy guiding him to the entrance. He asked villagers to bring axes spears torches and drums to cut down tangled jungle growth blocking access to the monastic halls before his name was scratched over a bodhisattva painting.
Which caves contain the most significant murals at the Ajanta Caves site?
Cave 17 spans thirty-four point five meters by twenty-five point six three meters and includes some of the best-preserved murals known anywhere in the complex. It contains thirty major murals depicting various Jatakas including Shaddanta Hasti Hamsa and Vessantara stories alongside scenes of shipwrecks and princesses applying makeup.
How many pillars does Cave 10 have and what is its architectural shape?
Cave 10 measures thirty point five meters long and contains thirty-nine octagonal pillars in its vast prayer hall. The structure features an apsidal shape with a row of octagonal columns supporting a vaulted ceiling above a circumambulation path surrounding a central stupa.