Ajanta Caves

Buddhism is not one of the most popular religions in India. So you won’t find many Buddhist temples in India, but if you are interested in knowing about the origins and history of Buddhism then Ajanta Caves are the place to visit. They are located about 40 Kms from the Jalgaon city which is in Maharashtra, India. These are basically a series of 29 cave temples which stretch across east to west. Out of these 30 caves, 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29 are chaitya-grihas and all other are monasteries. These caves are rock cut and carved on a cliff along the Waghora River. It was around second century BC-AD that these caves were built.
These caves have some of the greatest Buddhist art masterpieces and sculptures which encompass both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions. The paintings in the caves of Ajanta give you a lot of knowledge about the life of Gautam Buddha who was the founder of Buddhism. Apart from these illustrations you will also find many popular Jataka Stories pertaining to bodhistavas. The caves are actually built in two periods, both of them separated by each other by a gap of four centuries.
Most of the caves are quite dark from inside and it is very hard to see the paintings in pitch darkness. So you need to purchase a special lighting ticket, on production of which the guards inside the cave will switch on the lights and you can see the paintings glowing in there original colors.
It is believed that these paintings were carved on a dry surface. Before starting with the painting, a thick layer of cow dung and clay mixed with rice husks was applied on the rocky surface. Finally a coat of lime was applied on the surface and then the artisans started painting.
There are 29 caves; in the first cave you will find paintings of women, Bodhisattvas and Jataka paintings. The most popular is Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and Bodhisattva Padmapani. In the second cave you will find paintings related to Buddha’s birth. In cave 3 and 4 you will find unfinished images of Buddha. Cave sixth is two storied and you will find a seated image of Buddha. The tenth cave is said to be the oldest cave and it contains sculptures from Hinayana and Mahyana period. Cave 17 contains the best known images at the Ajanta caves. In this way there are 29 Caves, each one of them unique in on way or the other.
The Ajanta caves contain one of the best pieces of Indian art. They depict the rich Indian culture and heritage.