What is the History of Ajanta Caves?

Much like the murals and sculptures, architectural elements too evolved continuously under differing influences and motivations.

In as much as Ajanta was an application of hereditary knowledge, it was also informed by a process of constant discovery and learning, incorporation of new ideas and forms from other sites such as Bagh, and an ever evolving artistic vocabulary

The architecture of the cave complex is unique because it reflects the ever improving proficiency of the craftsmen, educated in an architectural style already highly developed but unfamiliar with the rock-cut medium.

Ajanta in its full flourish therefore represents a successful integration of the splendour of contemporary structures with the peculiarities and potentials of basaltic medium.

As previously alluded to, there are five chaitya in the cave complex with the rest being vihara.

A chaitya is apsidal or rectangular in form with aisles on either side of a nave with a barrel roof. Each aisle is separated by a row of pillars.

The nave contains a stupa, the object of worship, at the terminal end. The early chaityas meticulously imitated contemporary wooden structures as can be seen on the vaulted roof decorations and pillars.

In contrast to the early stupas of Caves 9 & 10, those built at later dates such as in Caves 19 & 26 have an image of Buddha sculpted on the front face.

Another distinguishing feature of Cave 10 is its giant single arched entrance and relatively unadorned façade which gives way to a smaller doorway with a window positioned above.

Skilfully decorated façades and pillared porticoes testify to a definite shift in architectural activities from early austerity.

Approximately 67 miles (107 km) to the north of Aurangabad in the Indhyadri range of Western Ghats lie the caves of Ajanta. The 30 caves, famous for their early Buddhist temple architecture and many delicately drawn murals, are located in a 76 m high, horseshoe-shaped escarpment overlooking the Waghora (tiger) River.

The river originates from a picturesque waterfall called sat kund (seven leaps) just off the last cave. It serves as a potent reminder of the natural forces that over untold eons have shaped the basaltic layers of the Deccan plateau. Also a part of the Gautala Wildlife Sanctuary, this primordial landscape provides a fitting background to one of the finest collections of paintings from India’s antiquity.

Accorded UNESCO World Heritage site status in 1983, the ancient name of the site is untraceable today. Its current name is derived from a neighbouring village, the local pronunciation of which is Ajintha. It would be of interest to note, that Ajita is the colloquial name of Maitreya Buddha.

The excavation and creation of the caves seem to have been a more community effort in the earlier phase. Group efforts contributed in the building of various parts of the caves, from the façades to single cells.

Thus, we see, despite being a Shaivaite emperor (at least at the time of accession to throne), Harisena presided over the execution of some of the finest depictions of Buddhist legends.

While the peaceful surroundings may be self-explanatory of the initial choice of a Buddhist monastic establishment, the caves also lay close to the ancient trade routes and capital of the Satavahana Empire

The rule was benevolent, commerce flourished and the cities prospered.

Buddhism was already popular and Buddhist bhikshu (monks) travelled across the Deccan plateau as emissaries following Mauryan Emperor Ashoka’s (304 – 232 BCE) energetic patronage.

The caves of Ajanta were not excavated in isolation, but a range of similar activities resulted in a number of cave complexes across the Western Ghats.

Some of these include the caves of Karli, Bhaja, Kanheri, Junnar, Nasik, Kondana and Pitalkhora. It is quite possible that the inspiration for such rock-cut caves came from a set of similar structures in Barabar and the Nagarjuni Hills located in the Jehanabad district, 24 km north of Gaya. These were built during the reign of Ashoka and his grandson Dasarath (232 – 224 BCE), who succeeded him to the throne.

The permanence of rock cut architecture compared to the prevailing free standing wooden structures and locational advantage of such dwellings were powerful arguments in favour of these experiments. The cave complex in Ajanta comprises 30 caves.

The caves are numbered according to their relative arrangement along the horseshoe bend in an anti-clockwise manner from the outer end and not as per the time of excavation or purpose.

The Ajanta murals, owing to their inherent fragility and an abundance of destructive natural and maleficent human agents, have suffered considerable damage, often irrevocably so.

A deep understanding of nature and a profound compassion infuse each stroke and every gesture with an ardour and tenderness that produces an indelible impression in the heart and mind of the beholder.

It would be erroneous to consider that all paintings were rendered uniformly. For there are variations of style and work of minor hands comingle with chef-d’œuvre.