Ajanta Caves Aurangabad Maharashtra,India
Location: Aurangabad,Maharashtra,India
Ajanta caves are located 99-km away
from Aurangabad district in the state of Maharashtra.
Built In :
Ajanta caves were carved out from
the 2nd century BC to 6th century AD, and are ranked high as a world heritage
site.
HOW TO REACH THERE?
Nearest Airport :
The closest airport is at
Aurangabad, 108 kms away.
Nearest Railway Station :
The closest railhead to Ajanta is
Jalgaon which is approximately and hour and a half away. It is possible to hire
a car or take a bus from here to the caves.
Nearest Bus Stop :
Regular buses ply from Jalgaon and
Aurangabad to Ajanta. Otherwise you can choose to hire a private taxi to take
you around.
Where to Stay?
There are limited places to stay in Ajanta. You can check in Ajanta Travellers Lodge or Hotel Padmapani Park on Jalgaon-Aurangabad highway.
Most visitors prefer to stay in Aurangabad or Jalgoan where there are a variety of hotels, from budget to luxury.
Best Time To Visit :
Winter
months (from October to February) or during the monsoons are a good time to
visit the Ajanta Caves. Weekends and holidays tend to be very hectic with
plenty of visitors to the cave.
About Ajanta Caves :
They were hidden in the midst of a
lonely glen with a streamlet flowing down below. They were scooped out into the
heart of the rock so that the pious Buddhist monk could dwell and pray.
During
this time, images of Buddha interpreting his different life stories and several
types of human and animal figures were carved out of rock in-situ.
All sections of people of the
contemporary society from kings to slaves, women, men and children are seen in
the Ajanta murals interwoven with flowers, plants, fruits, birds and beasts.
There are also the figures of 'Yakshas',
'Kinneras' (half human and half bird) 'Gandharvas' (divine musicians),
'Apsaras' (heavenly dancers), which were of concern to the people of that time.
The Ajanta caves are dedicated solely to Buddhism.
The 30 Chaityas and Viharas have
paintings, which illustrate the life and incarnations of Buddha. The artist has
lent his creativity in each work with an overwhelming sense of vitality.
History
:
The monastic complex of Ajanta consists of several
viharas (monastic halls of residence) and chaitya-grihas (stupa monument halls)
cut into the mountain scarp in two phases.
The first phase is mistakenly called
the Hinayana phase (referring to the Lesser Vehicle tradition of Buddhism, when
the Buddha was revered symbolically).
Actually, Hinayana – a derogative term
for Sthaviravada – does not object to Buddha statues. At Ajanta, cave numbers
9, 10, 12, 13, and 15A (the last one was re-discovered in 1956, and is still
not officially numbered) were excavated during this phase.
These excavations
have enshrined the Buddha in the form of the stupa, or mound.
Paintings
:
Therefore, many areas of the painted walls, ceilings, and pillars are fragmentary.
The painted narratives of the Jataka tales are depicted only on the walls, which demanded the special attention of the devotee.
The process of painting involved several stages. The first step was to chisel the rock surface, to make it rough enough to hold the plaster.
The plaster was made of clay, hay, dung and lime. Differences are found in the ingredients and their proportions from cave to cave. While the plaster was still wet, the drawings were done and the colors applied.
The wet plaster had the capacity to soak the color so that the color became a part of the surface and would not peel off or decay easily.
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