Carved out of granite on a horseshoe rock amidst the wilderness of Deccan plateau, lay the Ajanta Caves. Located at a distance of around 40 km from Jalgaon in Maharashtra, India, these caves are believed to date back to 2nd century BC and were built by Buddhist monks to be used as monasteries and prayer halls. Ajanta Caves are intricately embellished with beautiful paintings depicting the life and teachings of Lord Buddha.
The caves were hidden from the modern world and were discovered accidentally by some British soldiers in the year 1819. During a hunting expedition in the Deccan region, one of the soldiers saw a horseshoe rock with a cave opening. Behind the dense foliage, they discovered a number of caves. This discovery was acclaimed worldwide and when archaeologists began excavating the caves they found that the walls and ceilings of these caves were adorned with sculptures and paintings of Lord Buddha and his disciples, illustrations about his life events and stories about his various incarnations. These paintings which were lying in oblivion for centuries are now regarded as masterpieces made by Buddhist monks and devotees during a period when very few tools and techniques were available.
Ajanta caves are numbered and though most of them are finished, there are some caves which are still unfinished. It is believed that the monks used fire torches to light the caves and whitewashed the walls with lime plaster so that they could easily draw and paint. The colors used in these paintings are natural colors which were extracted from vegetables, flowers and colored pebbles which were grounded. All the caves, from 1 to 29, earlier had independent access but now they are connected by a path for the convenience of tourists. A viewing platform, opposite the caves, has also been constructed allowing visitors to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the area and the caves.
The caves primarily depict the ideologies of Theravada and Mahayana traditions. The Theravada tradition believes in depicting Lord Buddha in a symbolic form in keeping with the teachings of the Lord whereas the Mahayana tradition worships Buddha as God, more like a Hindu deity under the obvious influence of Hinduism. The must-visit caves are Cave 26, 17, 16, 15, 13, 12, 10, 9, 8, 4, 2 and 1. Cave 26 is a Chaitya (prayer hall) containing a Stupa and a large statue of Buddha and his followers depicting the last moments of the lord. Cave 17 and 16 are Mahayana monasteries with paintings of maidens, goddesses, celestial musicians, angel guardians, lotus petals and Buddha adorning the walls and ceiling of Cave 17 and a painting of princess Sundari in distress at the prospect of her husband becoming a monk in cave 16. Caves 15, 13 and 12 are Theravada monasteries. Cave 9 – a prayer hall- has beautiful arched windows, Cave 4 is the largest monastery and the ceiling of Cave 2 has a magnificent Mandala with motifs of birds, flowers and fruits. Cave 1 is famous for its doorway with murals of bodhisattvas and sidewalls of antechamber depicting scenes from Buddha’s life. The sanctum features sculpture of Buddha during a preaching session and the walls of the main hall have beautiful paintings portraying events from Buddha’s past lives.
The nearest airport at Aurangabad is directly connected to international airports at Delhi and Mumbai. If you are traveling by train, the nearest station is Jalgaon. Visitors can take a taxi from Aurangabad or Jalgaon to the caves. It takes 2-3 hrs by road from Aurangabad. Ajanta caves are open from 9am – 17.30 pm and are closed on Mondays. The caves are open on national holidays enabling domestic visitors to spend a day in the peace and tranquil environs of Ajanta caves.
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