Little Blue Birdie’s Diary

At the beautiful caves of Ajanta

Dear Diary,

After the new year, here we are, back on our trip in India. Since Vesak is close by, we thought of visiting some Buddhist cultural sites. When we talk about Sigiri frescos, we often compare them with the frescos at the Ajantha caves, because archaeologists believe that the frescos belong to the same era.

According to them, there are many similarities between the styles of the two places. Therefore, today we decided to visit the Ajantha Caves. If you also get an opportunity, try to visit this glorious place.

The Ajanta Caves are a series of 29 Buddhist cave temples in Ajanta, India. Some of these caves date from the 2nd Century BC. Combining both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions, the Ajanta Caves preserve some of the best masterpieces of Buddhist art in India.

The Ajanta Caves were carved over many years, out of a horseshoe-shaped cliff along the Waghora River. They were used by Buddhist monks as prayer halls (chaitya grihas) and monasteries (viharas) for about nine centuries, and then were unexpectedly abandoned. They were rediscovered in 1819. The caves are numbered from east to west, 1 through 29.

Today, a terraced path connects the caves, but in ancient times, each was independently accessed from the riverfront. A viewing platform across the river affords an excellent view of the entire Ajanta site. The natural beauty of the area makes it clear why the monks chose the site for their spiritual pursuits. Preserved inside the caves are many masterpieces of Buddhist art.

Some reflect the earlier Theravada tradition of depicting the Buddha only in symbolic form such as with a throne or footprints. Others, the Mahayana caves, feature colourful murals and statues depicting the life (and former lives) of the Buddha and various Bodhisattvas.

The caves also depict scenes from everyday life and many include inscriptions indicating a prince or noble who donated the cave to the monks.

Cave 26 - A Mahayana prayer hall (chaitya). The highlight is a large carved statue of the reclining Buddha, representing his moment of death. Below him, his followers mourn his passing; above, celestial (heavenly) beings rejoice. The cave also contains a stupa with an image of the Buddha in a pavilion.

Cave 17 - A Mahayana monastery covered with many well-preserved wall paintings. Maidens and celestial musicians are on the ceiling, and Buddhas, celestial guardians, goddesses, lotus petals and scroll-work adorn the doorway.

One mural in Cave 17 shows the king of gods flying amidst clouds with his entourage (those accompanying a person) of celestial nymphs (apsaras) and musicians.

The panel above the doorway depicting the seven Manushi Buddhas (Buddhas in human form) together with the Maitreya or future Buddha, seated under their respective Bodhi trees.

Cave 10 - Theravada prayer hall, thought to be the oldest cave temple at Ajanta, dating to the 2nd Century BC.

Cave 9 - One of the earliest prayer hall caves, notable for its arched windows that let softly diffused(spread out) sunlight into the cave. This Theravada cave also features a large stupa.

Cave 4 - Incomplete, but the largest of the Ajanta monasteries.

Cave 2 - The cover-up of this Mahayana monastery cave shows the kings of Naga and their entourage(those accompanying a person). Inside, a glorious mandala dominates the ceiling, held by demons and decorated with birds, flowers, fruits and abstract designs. The ceiling gives the effect of a cloth canopy(a covering hungover something), right down to the sag in the middle.

Cave 1 - The most popular of the monastery caves at Ajanta. Every inch of the cave was originally painted, though much has worn away over the centuries. Murals of two great bodhisattvas flank(along eitherside) the doorway to the antechamber(a chamber laeding to a mere important room).

On the right, holding a thunderbolt, is Avalokitesvara (or Vajrapani), the most important bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. On the left, holding a water lily is the bodhisattva Padmapani.

The sidewalls of Cave 1’s antechamber show two scenes from the Buddha’s life: his temptation by Mara just before his Enlightenment and the miracle of Sravasti, where the Buddha multiplied Himself into a thousand images.