Breathtaking Ajanta

The art and love

Admire and enjoy it until sunset. 

Yes! It is a daily routine in the world heritage site of Ajanta Caves. The magnificent and most beautiful Buddhist cave temple in India. The protected monument hosts roughly 30 caves which are totally artificial carved during two distinct periods of Indian history. 

Interior of Cave 26

The place beside the river Waghur contains many rock-sculptures and most adorable paintings many of them are still reflected with their original colors and gestures. Every single person who visited the Ajanta caves definitely revisits it and enjoys one of the world heritage examples of human history. 

Discovery and history

First, who has written the names on the wall?

According to the old text given by the medieval era Chinese Buddhist traveler, they all have visited this monsoon retreat of Buddhist monks and praised its beauty. Mughal courts of Akbar also have some records describing this place but it is truly discovered by the colonial British officer captain John Smith in 1819. When he was on his hunting routine for the tiger. Captions Smith lost in Ajanta’s beauty when he first saw the ancient murals and its everlasting beauty. 

World Heritage Site

The monuments of the Ajanta cave along with the Ellora Cave are protected monuments under the world heritage site in 1983. The classification and selections of Ajanta monuments meet the criteria: (i)(ii)(iii)(vi). 

The criteria state that the sites represent a masterpiece of human creative genius and exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design. The sites also bear a unique and exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. The sites also directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary work of outstanding universal significance. 

Something unnoticed

A love story on the pilgrim’s site, never!

I personally visited this place many times to complete my quest, yet with every visit, I found something new and something energetic. You should visit this world heritage site if you are a lover of history and historical places. If you are a lover of nature and its beauty. If you are a soul traveler. If you are the rider or trekker.  If you are an art lover. If you are Indian, and of course if you are in love with someone.

Ajanta View

You heard it right, it is truly inspiring. Apart from history, apart from nature, apart from art and apart of traveling destination hub the same Ajanta cave also gives us the most romantic story ever heard in the Deccan plateau. Nearly every single local person knows the love between major Robert Gill and local girl Paro. So when next time you visit, you would like to share your love with a partner. Maybe the same love story also gives the destinations one of the local honeymoon retreats over a time. 

Architecture

Who, How, and What?

The Hindu Satavahana Dynasty constructed the caves consisting of caves 9, 10, 12, 13, and 15A. The Emperor Harishena of the Vakataka Dynasty later carved caves 1-8 and 14-29. All the caves are carved out of basalt rock of a cliff and house the most beautiful monastery in history. All the caves are carved by skilled persons.

Vihara halls have symmetrical squares planned within each of these; the small dormitory cells are created; some of these viharas have center buddha statues. Some of the viharas are constructed in the multi-level like in Cave Number 6. The majority of the caves are established as the viharas 

Chaitya griha or worship halls are normally rectangular in shape and have perfectly carved pillars in the opposite direction to support the ceilings. At the end of the hall there stood the chaitya who is considered to be a symbolic representation of the buddha. There are four complete chaitya griha in caves 9, 10, 19, 26 without any buddha statue while caves 19, 26, and 29 have buddha statues along with the chaitya. 

Art and Sculptures 

Amazing and Marvelous!

 

The Jataka Tales which are commonly heard in the Buddhist family throughout the generation is prominently used to decorate the walls and ceilings of Ajanta caves. The Jataka Tales are inscribed to give us the teaching of morality and dhamma representing Buddha in different births. The art of painting shows the effect of the art of Gandhara and Gupta art. Ajanta frescoes are considered to be classical paintings and many artists tried to impress with the same styles.

Colors of Ajanta

The main colors used were red ochre, yellow ochre, brown ochre, lamp black, null, and lapis lazuli. Many researchers noted that the painting techniques at Ajanta are similar to the European fresco technique. The painting is done in the two layers, the first layer is a rough plaster of clay, cow dung, and rice husk used as a canvas, and then it is coated with lime juice for fine and smooth flow. 

Reconnection

With the whole Buddhist culture and sites.

If you have visited other Buddhist sites then you can easily note that the styles and culture shown in the Ajanta caves share the same theme and major details with sites found in Bharhut, Sanchi, Amaravati, Ellora, Bagh, Aihole, Badami, and other Buddhist sites of India. The sites clearly show the shift in the worship culture from Hinayana towards the Mahayana. 

Ancient world connection

Remember the 3 Chinese travelers in India?

If you recount the books of the history, you will find that all the Chinese Buddhist travelers have recorded the name of the Ajanta and its glorifying days but some painting from itself Ajanta shows the connection of another world with India like Greek, Persian, Saka, Pahlava, Kushan, and Huna. You cannot neglect the most famous fresco is in cave no 1 called Persian embassy scene another similar reference is noted in cave no 17. 

Challenge

Can you tell me another story about Ajanta?

You Can visit anytime in the year it is always full of surprises and mystery in him. Personally, I once had a job in the Aurangabad metro city and visited Ajanta every month without any mistake. 

The trip to Ajanta and Aurangabad city is not costly nor is it hard to access. You may have other plans for your vacations but let me advise you, whether you have vacations of 2 days or 7 days you will enjoy your stay in Aurangabad. There are many places where you can spend quality time of the day with your love and with your family. 

I met many foreigners who fall in love with it most truly and also met with many Indians who seek this amazing art and enjoy it. One day I met the German person named Elias and his girlfriend Emilia. They told me that they are visiting Ajanta for 7 years regularly just as they challenge each other to find something new in the painting every time. I also met a young boy named Prashant who has another story. He says this Ajanta reminds him that the world cannot remember the peoples yet they will fall in love in their works.

Another day I ran into a beautiful local couple from the same state Maharashtra. They said they opted for Ajanta for their honeymoon. This place serves the most romantic love story which discriminates against the racial structure of the society, the love story of Robert Gill and Paro.

So are you ready for the challenge? Visit Ajanta, meet with visitors, enjoy the art, and tell me a new corner of the place and I owe you dinner and a gift.

Planning Trip

The caves are located in the Aurangabad district of the Maharashtra state. The Aurangabad city is well connected with Indian railway networks and also hosts an air runway so it is easy to land here. Ajanta is located 104 km, say 3 hours of journey from Aurangabad and 1.5 hours of journey from Bhusawal, another major Indian railway junction connecting all the Indian continents.

Small activity for kids with large benefits

Let your kids meet with foreign personality

Ask them to count the number of buddha statues

Ask the kids to measure the number of steps

Request the kids to complete their autograph book with other people

Yourself can become friends with strangers

Ask your kids to identify the mudras of buddha in paintings

Charges 

INR 35 for Indians, SAARC and BIMSTEC countries.

INR 550 for other Foreign countries.

The entry is free for kids under the age of 15.

Notes

A week off: Monday closed.

Visiting hours: 09.00 AM to 05.00 PM.

The nearest bus stand: Ajanta Foot Cave Bus Stop and Jalgaon and Aurangabad.

Nearest railways station: Aurangabad, Jalgaon, and Bhusawal.

The nearest airport: Aurangabad Airport, a domestic airport. 

Camera Flash is not permitted in some caves.

No scratching and touching to the painting.

No climbing on the statues.

No footwear in the holy place. 

No alcohol or tobacco permitted on the premises of the caves.

Short trips plan for Aurangabad

Day 1

Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga Temple Ellora Caves and Aurangazeb’s tomb

Mhaismal, Daulatabad Fort and Chand Minar, Bhadra Maruti Temple

Day 2

Aurangabad Caves, Bibi Ka Maqbara, Siddharth Garden, Chatrapati Shivaji Museum

Goga Baba Hill, Panchakki, Sunheri Mahal

Day 3

Ajanta Caves

Best time to visit

Anytime between October to February will be the best time you can enjoy the Ajanta caves.

Ellora Ajanta festival is another event you should visit.

Paintings of Ajanta

You shall never miss them, I bet you will fall in love with one of these paintings. 

Cave no. 1

• A lady reclining on a couch (Sundarananda Kāvya)

• Princess Mālini and Buddha (Mahāvastu Avadāna)

• King Śibi (Mahābhārata)

Cave no. 2

• The mythical world of Nāgas (Mahāvastu Avadāna)

• Purna Avadāna (Divyāvadāna)

Cave no. 6

• A bhikshu (A Brahmin Upāsaka)

• Buddha figures (Mahayana tradition)

Bodhisattva Padmapani

Cave no. 10

• The arrival of the king (Aśoka) to worship the Bodhi tree (Edicts of King Aśoka)

• Elephant with six tusks (Chaddanta-jātaka, Mahāvastu Avadāna)

Cave no. 16

• Hasti Jātakam (Jātakamālā (a text is written in pure Sanskrit))

• A dying princess (Sundarananda Kāvya)

• Conversion of Sundarananda (Sundārananda Kāvya)

Cave no. 17

• Group of six heretics (Divyāvadāna)

• A toilet scene, Princess Sundari (Sundarananda Kāvya)

• Prince Sundarananda, bewildered (Sundarananda Kāvya)

• The Buddha with Yaśodharā and Rāhula (Mahāvastu Avadāna)

• Sinhala Avadāna (Divyāvadāna)

• Enigma of flying horse (Valāhaka jātaka, Mahāvastu Avadāna)

Hospitality 

Aurangabad city hosts many hotels and lodges as per your requirements. Running with five-star multi-specialty hotels as well as with the local lodge that charges an average of 500 INR per night.

The taxi and other vehicles are easily available for the day tour and for the whole trip also. The vehicle choice is also plenty like ac, non-ac, small van, school bus. Public transportations run at regular intervals of time so you will not get lost in one place. 

As the city has been one of the main cities of Maharashtra and serves as the center of the Marathwada division, the shopping facility is also assured. The city has many movie theaters where you can watch movies and enjoy yourself with your friends and company. 

 

Bonus 

If you had reached the caves in the mornings and already explored the amazing arts and sculpture then you should trek back to the Ajanta cave bus stop from caves on the feet, you will experience the landscapes and natures in the monsoon periods.

Summarize

It is always one of kind adventures you wanted for a lifetime. The place is for the family as well as for the sweets couples. The monuments exhibit our rich cultures and a long history of Buddhism and India with the outside world.

Even now I am going to visit the Ajanta caves next month, and I am excited to make some more unique friends so maybe we meet there.

Photo Attribution

1. Interior of Cave 26 Photo by Dey.sandip - Own work

2. Ajanta View Photo  by Freakyyash 

3. Colors of Ajanta Photo by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France - Exposition Clemenceau, le Tigre et l'Asie 

4. Bodhisattva Padmapani Photo by Unknown author - Hugh Honour y John Fleming: Historia mundial del arte,