The Ajanta caves: an overview

Rajesh K Singh

Contents

Location. 1

Importance. 1

Period. 1

Purpose of the caves. 2

The makers of the caves. 2

The extent of the paintings. 2

The corpus of the paintings. 3

References. 5

Endnotes. 6

Introduction

The Ajanta caves are rock-cut monuments listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. Created by the ancient Buddhists, the site has preserved some of the finest specimen of the arts, architecture, and sculpture in ancient India.

Location

The Ajanta caves are situated near Fardapur on the Jalgaon – Aurangabad highway. It falls in the Aurangabad district of the Maharashtra state of India. It’s coordinates in the centre of the semi-circular scarp are latitude 20°33'9.62"N, longitude 75°42'0.68"E (Google Inc. 2013). In the ancient times, it probably lay on the borderland of the ancient province called Risika (approximately Khandesh region of Maharashtra).

Importance

The importance of the caves are multifarious. It is a unique archaeological monument. It has preserved unique specimen of painting in ancient India. The paintings depict themes from Buddhist mythology and legends. There is also a vast repertoire of sculpture depicting various figures from Buddhist theology. The importance of the architecture lays in a multitude of features that are of great historical significance. Ajanta tells us about the modes of Buddhist temple architecture as well as the reflections on other forms of architecture prevalent at the time.

Period

Ajanta was created in two phases. The first phase is dated to the second century BCE to first century BCE. At this time, the region was ruled by the Sātavāhana kings. The second phase belongs to the fifth century AD (Schlingloff, Ajanta: Handbook of the Paintings 2013, vol. I, 4-5). Walter M Spink has dated the second phase more specifically between circa 462 and 480 AD (Spink and Yaguchi 2014, timechart, xii). At this time, the region was ruled by the Vakataka kings. There were two branches of the dynasty ruling from Nandivardhana and Vatsagulma. The site fell in the dominions of the branch ruling from Vatsagulma (modern Washim) and the period coincided with the rule of Mahārāja Hariṣeṇa of the Vatsagulma branch.

Five of the caves belong to the earlier group: caves 9, 10, 12, 13, and 15A. The remaining 26 caves belong to the later group that comprises of the caves 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Upper 6, Lower 6, 7, 8, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29.

Purpose of the caves

There were many reasons for the creation of the caves. These are not natural caves. They are rock-cut caves. They are splendid examples of architecture cut by human hands into the cliff of a mountain. Some of the caves were intended as residences for Buddhist monastics. Some were for the congregation of the monastics. Some were Buddha temples. It was a pilgrimage site not only for the Buddhist monastics but also for the lay devotees. Monasteries were often centres of learning; they were convents with many kinds of functions and architectural establishments.

The makers of the caves

In the first phase, various people funded the creation of the monastery. Multiple donors sponsored the different parts of the edifices. We call it collective patronage.

However, in the second phase, the patronage was by individuals who had enough resources to sponsor exclusive edifices. Cave 26-complex was sponsored by Monk Buddhabhadra. Caves 17-20 was sponsored by the local king (Upendragupta II alias Dharādhipa).

Cave 4 or its parts was funded or donated by Māthura. Cave 16 was sponsored by Varāhadeva who was the secretary of Mahārāja Hariṣeṇa. Varāhadeva also sponsored the cave temples at Gulwāḍā, some 35 km from Ajantā, which are known as the Ghaṭotkacha caves. Ajanta Cave 1, according to Walter M Spink, was funded by Mahārāja Hariṣeṇa.

The extent of the paintings

The cave temples of the earlier period were fully painted, but only a small part of the original paintings have survived. The cave dwellings of the earlier period were not usually intended to be painted, because they were monastic residences. However, an exception is the painting work extant in Cave 12, which suggests that it was fully painted in spite of the fact that it was a residential monastic edifice. Notably, certain areas of the caves of the earlier group were re-painted in the fifth century AD.

The cave temples of the later period were either painted or intended to be painted. The residential edifices were not originally intended to be painted. However, they were eventually painted because they were converted into temples in the course of excavation and developments.

The painting work in many of the caves could never begin because there was an abrupt or speedy abandonment by the monastics and original donors. The painting work in many caves were begun but could never be completed for the same reason. And, in some caves most of the walls and ceilings were painted to a great degree, but never completely because of the rapid or sudden abandonment following the death of Hariṣeṇa (W. M. Spink 2005-2015).

The corpus of the paintings

Dieter Schlingloff and Monika Zin have created an index of the corpus of the Ajanta paintings that are broadly classified in two categories: (i) the narrative painting (ii) the devotional and ornamental paintings.[1]

The following is a tabular compilation of the narrative wall paintings that you can sort by index number, category, cave number, period, and narrative:

Schlingloff’s Index No.	Subject category	Cave No.	Period	Narrative
1.	The Buddha in former existences	IX	2^nd c. BCE	Paṇḍara
2.	The Buddha in former existences	IX	2^nd c. BCE	Mahāgovinda
3.	The Buddha in former existences	IX	2^nd c. BCE	Śaśa
4.	The Buddha in former existences	IX	2^nd c. BCE	Kuṇāla
5.	The Buddha in former existences	IX	2^nd c. BCE	Udaya
6.	The Buddha in former existences	X	2^nd c. BCE	Śyāma
7.	The Buddha in former existences	X	2^nd c. BCE	Śaḍdanta
8.	The superhuman events of the Buddha’s life	X	2^nd c. BCE	Bhagavān
9.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	X	2^nd c. BCE	Udayana
10.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	IX	2^nd c. BCE	Elapattra
11.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Matsya
12.	The Buddha in former existences	XVI	5^th c. CE	Vartakāpota
13.	The Buddha in former existences	II	5^th c. CE	Haṃsa
14.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Haṃsa
15.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Śaśa
16.	The Buddha in former existences	II	5^th c. CE	Rúru
17.	The Buddha in former existences	XVI	5^th c. CE	Rúru
18.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Rúru
19.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Mṛga
20.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Śarabha
21.	The Buddha in former existences	XVI	5^th c. CE	Mahiṣa
22.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Mahiṣa
23.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Ṛkṣa
24.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Siṃha
25.	The Buddha in former existences	XVI	5^th c. CE	Hastin
26.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Hastin
27.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Mātṛpoṣaka
28.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Ṣaḍdanta
29.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Vānara
30.	The Buddha in former existences	XVI	5^th c. CE	Mahākapi
31.	The Buddha in former existences	XVII	5^th c. CE	Mahākapi
32.	The Bodhisatva as a brahmin ascetic	XVII	5^th c. CE	Śyāma
33.	The Bodhisatva as a brahmin ascetic	XVI	5^th c. CE	Bisa
34.	The Bodhisatva as a brahmin ascetic	II	5^th c. CE	Kṣāntivādin
35.	The Bodhisatva as a brahmin ascetic	XVII	5^th c. CE	Bodhi
36.	The Bodhisatva as a brahmin ascetic	XVI	5^th c. CE	Vyāghrī
37.	The Bodhisatva as a brahmin minister	II	5^th c. CE	Vidhura
38.	The Bodhisatva as a brahmin minister	I	5^th c. CE	Mahoṣadha
39.	The Bodhisatva as a prince	XVI	5^th c. CE	Mūkapaṅgu
40.	The Bodhisatva as a prince	I	5^th c. CE	Sudhana
41.	The Bodhisatva as a prince	I	5^th c. CE	Kalyāṇakārin
42.	The Bodhisatva as a prince	XVI	5^th c. CE	Viśvantara
43.	The Bodhisatva as a prince	XVII	5^th c. CE	Viśvantara
44.	The Bodhisatva as a king	I	5^th c. CE	Mahāsudarśana
45.	The Bodhisatva as a king	I	5^th c. CE	Janaka
46.	The Bodhisatva as a king	I	5^th c. CE	Śibi-Kapota
47.	The Bodhisatva as a king	II	5^th c. CE	Śibi-Kapota
48.	The Bodhisatva as a king	XVII	5^th c. CE	Sarvadada
49.	The Bodhisatva as a king	XVII	5^th c. CE	Śibi
50.	The Bodhisatva as a king	I	5^th c. CE	Maitrībala
51.	The Bodhisatva as a king	II	5^th c. CE	Maitrībala
52.	The Bodhisatva as a king	XVI	5^th c. CE	Maitrībala
53.	The Bodhisatva as a king	I	5^th c. CE	Prabhāsa
54.	The Bodhisatva as a king	II	5^th c. CE	Prabhāsa
55.	The Bodhisatva as a king	XVII	5^th c. CE	Prabhāsa
56.	The Bodhisatva as a king	XVI	5^th c. CE	Sutasoma
57.	The Bodhisatva as a king	XVII	5^th c. CE	Sutasoma
58.	The Bodhisatva as a king	XVII	5^th c. CE	Siṃhala
59.	The Bodhisatva as a cobra deity	I	5^th c. CE	Śaṅkhapāla
60.	The Bodhisatva as a cobra deity	I	5^th c. CE	Campaka
61.	The Bodhisatva as a cobra deity	II	5^th c. CE	Bhūridatta
62.	The Bodhisatva as the king of the gods	XVI	5^th c. CE	Kumbha
63.	The Bodhisatva as the king of the gods	XVII	5^th c. CE	Indra
64.	Birth and youth of the Bodhisatva	XVI	5^th c. CE	Bhagavān
65.	Birth and youth of the Bodhisatva	II	5^th c. CE	Bhagavatprasūti
66.	Birth and youth of the Bodhisatva	VII	5^th c. CE	Bhagavān
67.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	IX	5^th c. CE	Kāśyapa
68.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	XVII	5^th c. CE	Śuddhodana
69.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	XVII	5^th c. CE	Udāyin
70.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	XVII	5^th c. CE	Rāhula
71.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	XVII	5^th c. CE	Rāhula
72.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	XVII	5^th c. CE	Sumati
73.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	XVI	5^th c. CE	Nanda
74.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	I	5^th c. CE	Sumāgadhā
75.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	I	5^th c. CE	Udrāyaṇa
76.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	I	5^th c. CE	Nāgakumāra
77.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	XVII	5^th c. CE	Dhanapāla
78.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	XVII	5^th c. CE	Indrabrāhmaṇa
79.	Episodes from the life of the Buddha	II	5^th c. CE	Pūrṇa
80.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	I	5^th c. CE	Māravijaya
81.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	VI	5^th c. CE	Māravijaya
82.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	XVI	5^th c. CE	Mahāsamāja
83.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	XVII	5^th c. CE	Mahāsamāja
84.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	XVI	5^th c. CE	Devāvatāra
85.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	XVI	5^th c. CE	Devāvatāra
86.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	XVII	5^th c. CE	Devāvatāra
87.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	XXI	5^th c. CE	Devāvatāra
88.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	I	5^th c. CE	Mahāprātihārya
89.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	II	5^th c. CE	Mahāprātihārya
90.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	VI	5^th c. CE	Mahāprātihārya
91.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	XVI	5^th c. CE	Mahāprātihārya
92.	Central events in Buddha’s life as devotional pictures	XVII	5^th c. CE	Mahāprātihārya
93.	Fragments of undetermined content	II	5^th c. CE	Undetermined content
94.	Fragments of undetermined content	VI	5^th c. CE	Palace affairs

References

Google Inc. 2013. Ajanta caves, Maharashtra. Vers. 7.1.2.2041. Google Earth. 10 July. Accessed March 3, 2014. http://www.google.com/earth/.

Schlingloff, Dieter. 2013. Ajanta: Handbook of the Paintings. III vols. New Delhi: IGNCA and Aryan Books International.

—. 1999. Guide to the Ajanta Paintings: Narrative Wall Paintings. Vol. I. II vols. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt Ltd.

Singh, Rajesh Kumar. 2013. Ajanta Paintings: 86 Panels of Jatakas and Other Themes. Abridged edition of R. K. Singh, An Introduction to the Ajanta Caves, 2012. Baroda: Hari Sena Press.

Spink, Walter M. 2005-2015. Ajanta: History and Development series. Edited by J. Bronkhorst. VIII vols. Lieden and Boston: Brill.

Spink, Walter M., and Naomi Yaguchi. 2014. Defining Features, Ajanta: History and Development series. Edited by J. Bronkhorst. Vol. VI. VIII vols. Lieden: Brill.

Zin, Monika. 2003a. A Guide to the Ajanta Paintings: Devotional and Ornamental Paintings. Vol. II. II vols. Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Pvt. Ltd.

—. 2003b. Ajanta: Handbook der Malereien - Devotional and Ornamental Malereien. Vol. I. II vols. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag.

Endnotes

[1] For the narrative paintings, see (Schlingloff 1999) and (Schlingloff 2013). For the devotional and ornamental paintings, see (Zin 2003a) and (Zin 2003b). For a summary of the whole, see (Singh 2013)

Ajanta Caves- an overview

Rajesh Kumar Singh