Occurrence of Attributes in Original Text
The text related to the cultural heritage 'Ajanta Caves' has mentioned 'Cave' in the following places:
| Occurrence Sentence | Text Source |
|---|---|
| 2nd century BCE to 6th century CE Buddhist cave monuments located in Maharashtra, India | WIKI |
| Cave 19, Ajanta, a 5th-century chaitya hall | WIKI |
| The Buddhist Caves in Ajanta are approximately 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments dating from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state in India. | WIKI |
| Contents 1 History 1.1 Caves of the first (Satavahana) period 1.2 Caves of the later, or Vxc4x81kxc4x81xe1xb9xadaka, period 1.3 Re-discovery 2 Sites and monasteries 2.1 Sites 2.2 Monasteries 2.3 Worship halls 3 Paintings 4 Spink's chronology and cave history 4.1 Hindu and Buddhist sponsorship 5 Individual caves 5.1 Cave 1 5.2 Cave 2 5.3 Cave 3 5.4 Cave 4 5.5 Cave 5 5.6 Cave 6 5.7 Cave 7 5.8 Cave 8 5.9 Cave 9 5.10 Cave 10 5.11 Caves 11 5.12 Caves 12 5.13 Cave 13, 14, 15, 15A 5.14 Cave 16 5.15 Cave 17 5.16 Cave 18 5.17 Cave 19 (5th century CE) 5.18 Cave 20 5.19 Caves 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 5.20 Cave 26 (5th century CE) 5.21 Caves 27, 28 and 29 5.22 Cave 30 5.23 Other infrastructure 5.24 Recent excavations 6 Copies of the paintings 7 Significance 7.1 Natives, society and culture in the arts at Ajanta 7.2 Foreigners in the paintings of Ajanta 8 Impact on later painting and other arts 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 11.1 Bibliography 12 External links | WIKI |
| [25] The cave numbering is a convention of convenience, and does not reflect the chronological order of their construction. | WIKI |
| Cave 9, a first-period Hinayana-style chaitya worship hall with stupa but no idols | WIKI |
| On 28 April 1819 a British officer named John Smith, of the 28th Cavalry, while hunting tigers discovered the entrance to Cave No. | WIKI |
| [48] Captain Smith went to a nearby village and asked the villagers to come to the site with axes, spears, torches, and drums, to cut down the tangled jungle growth that made entering the cave difficult. | WIKI |
| Name and date inscribed by John Smith after he found Cave 10 in 1819 | WIKI |
| In 1848, the Royal Asiatic Society established the "Bombay Cave Temple Commission" to clear, tidy and record the most important rock-cut sites in the Bombay Presidency, with John Wilson as president. | WIKI |
| Cave 24; the Ajanta Caves were carved into a massive rock on the Deccan plateau | WIKI |
| The inhomogeneity in the rock has also led to cracks and collapses in the centuries that followed, as with the lost portico to cave 1. | WIKI |
| Excavation began by cutting a narrow tunnel at roof level, which was expanded downwards and outwards; as evidenced by some of the incomplete caves such as the partially-built vihara caves 21 through 24 and the abandoned incomplete cave 28. | WIKI |
| The sculpture artists likely worked at both excavating the rocks and making the intricate carvings of pillars, roof, and idols; further, the sculpture and painting work inside a cave were integrated parallel tasks. | WIKI |
| The caves from the first period seem to have been paid for by a number of different patrons to gain merit, with several inscriptions recording the donation of particular portions of a single cave. | WIKI |
| The later caves were each commissioned as a complete unit by a single patron from the local rulers or their court elites, again for merit in Buddhist afterlife beliefs as evidenced by inscriptions such as those in Cave 17. | WIKI |
| [63] After the death of Harisena, smaller donors motivated by getting merit added small "shrinelets" between the caves or add statues to existing caves, and some two hundred of these "intrusive" additions were made in sculpture, with a further number of intrusive paintings, up to three hundred in cave 10 alone. | WIKI |
| Cave 4: a monastery, or vihara, with its square hall surrounded by monks' cells | WIKI |
| [65] A vast majority of the caves were carved in the second period, wherein a shrine or sanctuary is appended at the rear of the cave, centred on a large statue of the Buddha, along with exuberantly detailed reliefs and deities near him as well as on the pillars and walls, all carved out of the natural rock. | WIKI |
| The plan of Cave 1 shows one of the largest viharas, but is fairly typical of the later group. | WIKI |
| Many others, such as Cave 16, lack the vestibule to the shrine, which leads straight off the main hall. | WIKI |
| Cave 6 is two viharas, one above the other, connected by internal stairs, with sanctuaries on both levels. | WIKI |
| Cave 12 plan: an early type of vihara (1st century BCE) without internal shrine Cave 1 plan, a monastery known for its paintings[71] Cave 6: a two-storey monastery with "Miracle of Sravasti" and "Temptation of Mara" painted[72] Cave 16: a monastery featuring two side aisles[72] | WIKI |
| Top: Interior of Ajanta chaitya hall, Cave 26, photo by Robert Gill (c. 1868); Bottom: James Fergusson painting of Cave 19 worship hall. | WIKI |
| There is often a colonnaded porch or verandah, with another space inside the doors running the width of the cave. | WIKI |
| [75] The Ajanta Caves follow the Cathedral-style architecture found in still older rock-cut cave carvings of ancient India, such as the Lomas Rishi Cave of the Ajivikas near Gaya in Bihar dated to the 3rd century BCE. | WIKI |
| [80] The two later halls have a rather unusual arrangement (also found in Cave 10 at Ellora) where the stupa is fronted by a large relief sculpture of the Buddha, standing in Cave 19 and seated in Cave 26. | WIKI |
| [21][68] Cave 29 is a late and very incomplete chaitya hall. | WIKI |
| Many columns are carved over all their surface with floral motifs and Mahayana deities, some fluted and others carved with decoration all over, as in cave 1. | WIKI |
| Cave 10: a worship hall with Jataka tales-related art (1st century BCE)[84] Cave 9: a worship hall with early paintings and animal friezes (1st century CE)[84] Cave 19: known for its figures of the Buddha, Kubera and other arts (5th century CE)[84] Cave 19: another view (5th century CE) | WIKI |
| [91] The paintings in cave 1, which according to Spink was commissioned by Harisena himself, concentrate on those Jataka tales which show previous lives of the Buddha as a king, rather than as deer or elephant or another Jataka animal. | WIKI |
| In general the later caves seem to have been painted on finished areas as excavating work continued elsewhere in the cave, as shown in caves 2 and 16 in particular. | WIKI |
| [95] According to Spink's account of the chronology of the caves, the abandonment of work in 478 after a brief busy period accounts for the absence of painting in places including cave 4 and the shrine of cave 17, the later being plastered in preparation for paintings that were never done. | WIKI |
| Cave 2, showing the extensive paint loss of many areas. | WIKI |
| [96] Cave 17 verandah doorway; eight Buddhas above eight couples[97][98] Section of the mural in Cave 17, the 'coming of Sinhala'. | WIKI |
| Hamsa jxc3xa2taka, cave 17: the Buddha as the golden goose in his previous life[99] Cave 13 | WIKI |
| Spink's chronology and cave history[edit] | WIKI |
| This is based on evidence such as the inscriptions and artistic style, dating of nearby cave temple sites, comparative chronology of the dynasties, combined with the many uncompleted elements of the caves. | WIKI |
| Buddhist monks praying in front of the Dagoba of Chaitya Cave 26 | WIKI |
| Work was then resumed, but again disrupted by Harisena's death in 477, soon after which major excavation ceased, except at cave 26, which the Asmakas were sponsoring themselves. | WIKI |
| [103] However, there exists a Rashtrakuta inscription outside of cave 26 dateable to end of seventh or early 8th century, suggesting the caves were not abandoned until then. | WIKI |
| That one could worship both the Buddha and the Hindu gods may well account for Varahadeva's participation here, just as it can explain why the emperor Harisena himself could sponsor the remarkable Cave 1, even though most scholars agree that he was certainly a Hindu, like earlier Vakataka kings. | WIKI |
| xe2x80x94xe2x80x89Walter Spink, Ajanta: History and Development, Cave by Cave,[105] | WIKI |
| Ajanta Caves panorama with cave numbers. | WIKI |
| The caves are numbered from right to left, except for the later discovered cave 29, located high above Cave 21. | WIKI |
| Also, cave 30 is located between caves 15 and 16, nearer the river bed (cave invisible here). | WIKI |
| Cave 1[edit] | WIKI |
| Front of Cave 1 | WIKI |
| Cave 1, interior | WIKI |
| Cave 1 was built on the eastern end of the horseshoe-shaped scarp and is now the first cave the visitor encounters. | WIKI |
| This cave, when first made, would have been a less prominent position, right at the end of the row. | WIKI |
| Spink states that the Vxc4x81kxc4x81xe1xb9xadaka Emperor Harishena was the benefactor of the work, and this is reflected in the emphasis on imagery of royalty in the cave, with those Jataka tales being selected that tell of those previous lives of the Buddha in which he was royal. | WIKI |
| The frieze over the frontage of Cave 1 front shows elephants, horses, bulls, lions, apsaras and meditating monks. | WIKI |
| This cave (35.7 m xc3x97 27.6 m)[114] has one of the most elaborate carved faxc3xa7ades, with relief sculptures on entablature and ridges, and most surfaces embellished with decorative carving. | WIKI |
| The cave has a frontcourt with cells fronted by pillared vestibules on either side. | WIKI |
| The cave has a porch with simple cells on both ends. | WIKI |
| The paintings of Cave 1 cover the walls and the ceilings. | WIKI |
| [117][118] Other significant frescos in Cave 1 include the Sibi, Sankhapala, Mahajanaka, Mahaummagga, and Champeyya Jataka tales. | WIKI |
| [121][122] The Bodhisattva of compassion Padmapani with lotus[121][123] The Vajrapani[121][124] Kinnara with kachchapa veena, part of Bodhisattva Padmapani painting in Cave 1. | WIKI |
| [125] Ajanta Cave 1 Group of foreigners on the ceiling | WIKI |
| Cave 2[edit] | WIKI |
| Outside view and main hall with shrine, Cave 2. | WIKI |
| Cave 2, adjacent to Cave 1, is known for the paintings that have been preserved on its walls, ceilings, and pillars. | WIKI |
| It looks similar to Cave 1 and is in a better state of preservation. | WIKI |
| This cave is best known for its feminine focus, intricate rock carvings and paint artwork yet it is incomplete and lacks consistency. | WIKI |
| [126][127] One of the 5th-century frescos in this cave also shows children at a school, with those in the front rows paying attention to the teacher, while those in the back row are shown distracted and acting. | WIKI |
| Cave 2 (35.7 m xc3x97 21.6 m)[114] was started in the 460s, but mostly carved between 475 and 477 CE, probably sponsored and influenced by a woman closely related to emperor Harisena. | WIKI |
| [129] It has a porch quite different from Cave 1. | WIKI |
| The cave is supported by robust pillars, ornamented with designs. | WIKI |
| The paintings on the ceilings and walls of Cave 2 have been widely published. | WIKI |
| [86][87] Just as the stories illustrated in cave 1 emphasise kingship, those in cave 2 show many noble and powerful women in prominent roles, leading to suggestions that the patron was an unknown woman. | WIKI |
| Cave 2 fresco above the right door shows Buddha in Tushita heaven[131] A scene from Vidurapandita Jataka: the birth of the Buddha[131] The artworks of Cave 2 are known for their feminine focus, such as these two females[126] The Miracle of Sravasti[132] | WIKI |
| Cave 3[edit] | WIKI |
| Cave 3 is merely a start of an excavation; according to Spink it was begun right at the end of the final period of work and soon abandoned. | WIKI |
| The cave was one of the last projects to start at the site. | WIKI |
| Cave 4[edit] | WIKI |
| Exterior view and interior hall of Cave 4 | WIKI |
| Cave 4, a Vihara, was sponsored by Mathura, likely not a noble or courtly official, rather a wealthy devotee. | WIKI |
| Ajanta hall door (left) and cave pillars | WIKI |
| [114] Spink, in contrast, dates this cave's inauguration a century earlier, to about 463 CE, based on construction style and other inscriptions. | WIKI |
| [135] Cave 4 shows evidence of a dramatic collapse of its ceiling in the central hall, likely in the 6th century, something caused by the vastness of the cave and geological flaws in the rock. | WIKI |
| Cave 4: The Buddha in a preaching pose flanked by bodhisattvas | WIKI |
| The cave has a squarish plan, houses a colossal image of the Buddha in preaching pose flanked by bodhisattvas and celestial nymphs hovering above. | WIKI |
| The cave's ceiling collapse likely affected its overall plan, caused it being left incomplete. | WIKI |
| Only the Buddha's statue and the major sculptures were completed, and except for what the sponsor considered most important elements all other elements inside the cave were never painted. | WIKI |
| Cave 5[edit] | WIKI |
| Cave 5, an unfinished excavation was planned as a monastery (10.32 xc3x97 16.8 m). | WIKI |
| Cave 5 is devoid of sculpture and architectural elements except the door frame. | WIKI |
| [114] The cave's construction was likely initiated about 465 CE but abandoned because the rock has geological flaws. | WIKI |
| The construction was resumed in 475 CE after Asmakas restarted work at the Ajanta caves, but abandoned again as the artists and sponsor redesigned and focussed on an expanded Cave 6 that abuts Cave 5. | WIKI |
| Cave 6[edit] | WIKI |
| Cave 6 is two-storey monastery (16.85 xc3x97 18.07 m). | WIKI |
| [114][138] Only the lower floor of cave 6 was finished. | WIKI |
| The unfinished upper floor of cave 6 has many private votive sculptures, and a shrine Buddha. | WIKI |
| The lower level of Cave 6 likely was the earliest excavation in the second stage of construction. | WIKI |
| [72][139] The upper storey was not envisioned in the beginning, it was added as an afterthought, likely around the time when the architects and artists abandoned further work on the geologically-flawed rock of Cave 5 immediately next to it. | WIKI |
| Both lower and upper Cave 6 show crude experimentation and construction errors. | WIKI |
| [140] The cave work was most likely in progress between 460 and 470 CE, and it is the first that shows attendant Bodhisattvas. | WIKI |
| [141] The upper cave construction probably began in 465, progressed swiftly, and much deeper into the rock than the lower level. | WIKI |
| The upper level of Cave 6 is significant in that it shows a devotee in a kneeling posture at the Buddha's feet, an indication of devotional worship practices by the 5th century. | WIKI |
| [144] The shrine antechamber of the cave features an unfinished sculptural group of the Six Buddhas of the Past, of which only five statues were carved. | WIKI |
| The most intact painting in Cave 6: Buddha seated in dharma-chakra-mudra[146] Painting showing the Mahayana devotional worship to the Buddha[138][143] Buddha in the upper level, deer below and apsaras above (artificial lighting)[147][148] | WIKI |
| Cave 7[edit] | WIKI |
| External view of Cave 7, and inside shrine | WIKI |
| Cave 7 is also a monastery (15.55 xc3x97 31.25 m) but a single storey. | WIKI |
| Cave 7 has a grand facade with two porticos. | WIKI |
| Perhaps because of faults in the rock, Cave 7 was never taken very deep into the cliff. | WIKI |
| [151] The cave artwork likely underwent revisions and refurbishments over time. | WIKI |
| Cave 7 plan (Robert Gill sketch, 1850)[153] Cave 7: Buddhas on the antechamber left wall (James Burgess sketch, 1880)[150] Buddhas on the antechamber's right wall[150] The shallow corridor before the shrine | WIKI |
| Cave 8[edit] | WIKI |
| External view of Cave 8, with plan. | WIKI |
| Cave 8 is small, and located at the lowest level in Ajanta, just below the walkway between Caves 7 and 9. | WIKI |
| Cave 8 is another unfinished monastery (15.24 xc3x97 24.64 m). | WIKI |
| For many decades in the 20th-century, this cave was used as a storage and generator room. | WIKI |
| [114] The cave excavation proved difficult and probably abandoned after a geological fault consisting of a mineral layer proved disruptive to stable carvings. | WIKI |
| Spink, in contrast, states that Cave 8 is perhaps the earliest cave from the second period, its shrine an "afterthought". | WIKI |
| The cave was painted, but only traces remain. | WIKI |
| Cave 9[edit] | WIKI |
| Entrance to the Cave 9 worship hall. | WIKI |
| Cave 9 (18.24 m xc3x97 8.04 m)[114] is smaller than Cave 10 (30.5 m xc3x97 12.2 m),[114] but more complex. | WIKI |
| [156] This has led Spink to the view that Cave 10 was perhaps originally of the 1st century BCE, and cave 9 about a hundred years later. | WIKI |
| [157] Cave 9 arch has remnant profile that suggests that it likely had wooden fittings. | WIKI |
| The cave has a distinct apsidal shape, nave, aisle and an apse with an icon, architecture, and plan that reminds one of the cathedrals built in Europe many centuries later. | WIKI |
| On the left wall of the cave are votaries approaching the stupa, which suggests a devotional tradition. | WIKI |
| According to Spink, the paintings in this cave, including the intrusive standing Buddhas on the pillars, were added in the 5th century. | WIKI |
| Some of the panels and reliefs inside as well as outside Cave 10 do not make narrative sense, but are related to Buddhist legends. | WIKI |
| [159] This devotionalism and the worship hall character of this cave is the likely reason why four additional shrinelets 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D were added between Cave 9 and 10. | WIKI |
| Buddha statue on the porch of Cave 9 The apsidal hall with plain hemispherical stupa at apse's center[161] Pillar paintings Cave 9: fresco with Buddhas in orange robes and protected by chatra umbrellas | WIKI |
| Cave 10[edit] | WIKI |
| Exterior view and interior hall of Cave 10[162] | WIKI |
| Cave 10, a vast prayer hall or Chaitya, is dated to about the 1st century BCE, together with the nearby vihara cave No 12. | WIKI |
| This cave is significant because its scale confirms the influence of Buddhism in South Asia by the 1st century BCE and its continued though declining influence in India through the 5th century CE. | WIKI |
| [164] Further, the cave includes a number of inscriptions where parts of the cave are "gifts of prasada" by different individuals, which in turn suggests that the cave was sponsored as a community effort rather than a single king or one elite official. | WIKI |
| [164] Cave 10 is also historically important because in April 1819, a British Army officer John Smith saw its arch and introduced his discovery to the attention of the Western audience. | WIKI |
| [163] It is thought that the chronology of these early Chaitya Caves is as follows: first Cave 9 at Kondivite Caves and then Cave 12 at the Bhaja Caves, which both predate Cave 10 of Ajanta. | WIKI |
| [165] Then, after Cave 10 of Ajanta, in chronological order: Cave 3 at Pitalkhora, Cave 1 at Kondana Caves, Cave 9 at Ajanta, which, with its more ornate designs, may have been built about a century later,[163] Cave 18 at Nasik Caves, and Cave 7 at Bedse Caves, to finally culminate with the "final perfection" of the Great Chaitya at Karla Caves. | WIKI |
| Ajanta Cave 10 dedicatory inscription | WIKI |
| Cave 10 features a Sanskrit inscription in Brahmi script that is archaeologically important. | WIKI |
| "xe2x80x94xe2x80x89Inscription of Cave No.10. | WIKI |
| The paintings in cave 10 include some surviving from the early period, many from an incomplete programme of modernisation in the second period, and a very large number of smaller late intrusive images for votive purposes, around the 479xe2x80x93480 CE, nearly all Buddhas and many with donor inscriptions from individuals. | WIKI |
| [164][170][171] According to Stella Kramrisch, the oldest layer of the Cave 10 paintings date from about 100 BCE, and the principles behind their composition are analogous to those from the same era at Sanchi and Amaravati. | WIKI |
| Cave 10, condition in 1839[172] The Buddha in long, heavy robe, a design derived from the art of Gandhara[173] Later painting with devotional figures, on pillars and ceiling Paintings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on the arches | WIKI |
| Outside view of Cave 11: Buddha with a kneeling devotee[174] | WIKI |
| Cave 11 is a monastery (19.87 xc3x97 17.35 m) from the later 5th century. | WIKI |
| [114] The cave veranda has pillars with octagonal shafts and square bases. | WIKI |
| [174] Inside, the cave consists of a hall with a long rock bench opening into six rooms. | WIKI |
| The cave has a few paintings showing Bodhisattvas and the Buddha. | WIKI |
| The sanctum of this cave may be among the last structures built at Ajanta because it features a circumambulation path around the seated Buddha. | WIKI |
| Cave 12 hall, with monk cells. | WIKI |
| According to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Cave 12 is an early stage Hinayana (Theravada) monastery (14.9 xc3x97 17.82 m) from the 2nd to 1st century BCE. | WIKI |
| The cave is damaged with its front wall completely collapsed. | WIKI |
| Cave 13, 14, 15, 15A[edit] | WIKI |
| Cave 13 is another small monastery from the early period, consisting of a hall with seven cells, each also with two stone beds, all carved out of the rock. | WIKI |
| Cave 14 is another unfinished monastery (13.43 xc3x97 19.28 m) but carved above Cave 13. | WIKI |
| Cave 15 is a more complete monastery (19.62 xc3x97 15.98 m) with evidence that it had paintings. | WIKI |
| The cave consists of an eight-celled hall ending in a sanctum, an antechamber and a verandah with pillars. | WIKI |
| [114] Cave 15 door frame has carvings of pigeons eating grain. | WIKI |
| Cave 15A is the smallest cave with a hall and one cell on each side. | WIKI |
| Its entrance is located just to the right of the elephant-decorated entrance to Cave 16. | WIKI |
| [177] It is an ancient Hinayana cave with three cells opening around a minuscule central hall. | WIKI |
| Cave 13 Cave 14 Cave 15 Cave 15A Interior of cave 15A[178] | WIKI |
| Cave 16[edit] | WIKI |
| Entrance stairs to the single-storey Cave 16, with stone elephants and front with pillars (left). | WIKI |
| Cave 16 occupies a prime position near the middle of site, and was sponsored by Varahadeva, minister of Vakataka king Harishena (r.xe2x80x89c.xe2x80x89475 xe2x80x93 c.xe2x80x89500 CE). | WIKI |
| [180][181] He was, states Spink, probably someone who revered both the Buddha and the Hindu gods, as he proclaims his Hindu heritage in an inscription in the nearby Ghatotkacha Cave. | WIKI |
| [105] The 7th-century Chinese traveler Xuan Zang described the cave as the entrance to the site. | WIKI |
| Cave 16 (19.5 m xc3x97 22.25 m xc3x97 4.6 m)[114] influenced the architecture of the entire site. | WIKI |
| Spink and other scholars call it the "crucial cave" that helps trace the chronology of the second and closing stages of the entire cave complex's construction. | WIKI |
| [182][183] Cave 16 is a Mahayana monastery and has the standard arrangement of a main doorway, two windows, and two aisle doorways. | WIKI |
| The paintings in Cave 16 are numerous. | WIKI |
| [189] After the Nanda-related frescos, the cave presents Manushi Buddhas, followed by flying votaries with offerings to worship the Buddha and the Buddha seated in teaching asana and dharma chakra mudra. | WIKI |
| [191][192] According to Spink, some of the Cave 16 paintings were left incomplete. | WIKI |
| The conversion of sensuality-driven Nanda to Buddhism, left corridor[194] Palace scene fresco, right corridor of Cave 16[191] The Buddha in asceticism stage, getting sweet milk-rice from Sujata[192] Manushi Buddhas painting in Cave 16[192] Cave 16: king paying homage to the Buddha | WIKI |
| Cave 17[edit] | WIKI |
| Cave 17: exterior view and inside hall with seated Buddha statue[195] | WIKI |
| Cave 17 (34.5 m xc3x97 25.63 m)[114] along with Cave 16 with two great stone elephants at the entrance and Cave 26 with sleeping Buddha, were some of the many caves sponsored by the Hindu Vakataka prime minister Varahadeva. | WIKI |
| [196] Cave 17 had additional donors such as the local king Upendragupta, as evidenced by the inscription therein. | WIKI |
| The cave features a large and most sophisticated vihara design, along with some of the best-preserved and well-known paintings of all the caves. | WIKI |
| While Cave 16 is known for depicting the life stories of the Buddha, the Cave 17 paintings has attracted much attention for extolling human virtues by narrating the Jataka tales. | WIKI |
| Inscription of Cave 17Inscription of Cave 17, with translation | WIKI |
| The Cave 17 monastery includes a colonnaded porch, a number of pillars each with a distinct style, a peristyle design for the interior hall, a shrine antechamber located deep in the cave, larger windows and doors for more light, along with extensive integrated carvings of Indian gods and goddesses. | WIKI |
| [198] The grand scale of the carving also introduced errors of taking out too much rock to shape the walls, states Spink, which led to the cave being splayed out toward the rear. | WIKI |
| Cave 17 has one long inscription by king Upendragupta, in which he explains that he has "expended abundant wealth" on building this vihara, bringing much satisfaction to the devotees. | WIKI |
| Cave 17 has thirty major murals. | WIKI |
| The paintings of Cave 17 depict Buddha in various forms and postures xe2x80x93 Vipasyi, Sikhi, Visvbhu, Krakuchchanda, Kanakamuni, Kashyapa and Sakyamuni. | WIKI |
| Vessantara Jataka: the story of the generous king Vessantara[198] Shaddanta Jataka: six-tusked elephant giving away his tusks[198] Painting depicting "Darpana Sundari", a lady with a mirror[206] The Buddha in Cave 17 sanctum Musician with Alapini Vina (far left), next to Indra. | WIKI |
| Cave 18[edit] | WIKI |
| Cave 18 is a small rectangular space (3.38 xc3x97 11.66 m) with two octagonal pillars and it joins into another cell. | WIKI |
| Cave 19 (5th century CE)[edit] | WIKI |
| Entrance faxc3xa7ade and inside worship hall, Cave 19, sponsored by king Upendragupta. | WIKI |
| Cave 19 is a worship hall (chaitya griha, 16.05 xc3x97 7.09 m) datable to the fifth century CE. | WIKI |
| [208] Cave 19 is one of the caves known for its sculpture. | WIKI |
| Cave 19 drew upon on the plan and experimentation in Cave 9. | WIKI |
| [209] It made a major departure from the earlier Hinayana tradition, by carving a Buddha into the stupa, a decision that states Spink must have come from "the highest levels" in the 5th-century Mahayana Buddhist establishment because the king and dynasty that built this cave was from the Shaivism Hindu tradition. | WIKI |
| Cave 19 excavation and stupa was likely in place by 467 CE, and its finishing and artistic work continued into the early 470s, but it too was an incomplete cave when it was dedicated in 471 CE. | WIKI |
| The entrance facade of the Cave 19 worship hall is ornate. | WIKI |
| [215] According to Sharma, the similarities at the Karla Caves Great Chaitya, built in the 2nd century CE, suggest that Cave 19 may have been modeled after it. | WIKI |
| Cave 19 plan suggests that it once had a courtyard and additional artwork[208] Nagaraja in ardhaparyanka asana, with his wife holding lotus and wearing mangalasutra[208] The nave has 15 pillars with Buddha reliefs[215] Buddha paintings in the side aisle of Cave 19[215] | WIKI |
| Cave 20[edit] | WIKI |
| Cave 20: exterior, and main shrine with pillars | WIKI |
| Cave 20 is a monastery hall (16.2 xc3x97 17.91 m) from the 5th century. | WIKI |
| [217] The work on Cave 20 was pursued in parallel with other caves. | WIKI |
| Cave 20 has exquisite detailing, states Spink, but it was relatively lower on priority than Caves 17 and 19. | WIKI |
| [218] The work on Cave 20 was intermittently stopped and then continued in the following decade. | WIKI |
| The cave is known for the sculpture showing seven Buddhas with attendants on its lintel. | WIKI |
| [114] The cave has a dedicatory Sanskrit inscription in Brahmi script in its verandah, and it calls the cave as a mandapa. | WIKI |
| Many of the figural and ornamental carvings in Cave 20 are similar to Cave 19, and to a lesser degree to those found in Cave 17. | WIKI |
| The door frames in Cave 20 are quasi-structural, something unique at the Ajanta site. | WIKI |
| [222] The decorations are also innovative in Cave 20, such as one showing the Buddha seated against two pillows and "a richly laden mango tree behind him", states Spink. | WIKI |
| Cave 21: exterior, and inside hall | WIKI |
| Cave 21, 22, 23 and 24 are all monasteries, representing the final phases of Ajanta's construction. | WIKI |
| Cave 21 is a hall (28.56 xc3x97 28.03 m) with twelve rock cut rooms for monks, a sanctum, twelve pillared and pilastered verandah. | WIKI |
| Cave 22 is a small vihara (12.72 xc3x97 11.58 m) with a narrow veranda and four unfinished cells. | WIKI |
| The painted figures in Cave 22 show Manushi-Buddhas with Maitreya. | WIKI |
| [114][223][225] A pilaster on the left side of the Cave 22 veranda has a Sanskrit prose inscription. | WIKI |
| Cave 23 is also unfinished, consisting of a hall (28.32 xc3x97 22.52 m) but a design similar to Cave 21. | WIKI |
| The cave differs in its pillar decorations and the naga doorkeepers. | WIKI |
| Exterior, and unfinished inside of Cave 24. | WIKI |
| Cave 24 is like Cave 21, unfinished but much larger. | WIKI |
| It features the second largest monastery hall (29.3 xc3x97 29.3 m) after Cave 4. | WIKI |
| The cave 24 monastery has been important to scholarly studies of the site because it shows how multiple crews of workers completed their objectives in parallel. | WIKI |
| [229] The construction of Cave 24 was planned in 467 CE, but likely started in 475 CE, with support from Buddhabhadra, then abruptly ended in 477 with the sponsor king Harisena's death. | WIKI |
| Cave 24 is significant in having one of the most complex capitals on a pillar at the Ajanta site, an indication of how the artists excelled and continuously improved their sophistication as they worked with the rock inside the cave. | WIKI |
| [231] The artists carved fourteen complex miniature figures on the central panel of the right center porch pillar, while working in dim light in a cramped cave space. | WIKI |
| [232] The medallion reliefs in Cave 24 similarly show loving couples and anthropomorphic arts, rather than flowers of earlier construction. | WIKI |
| [232] Cave 24's sanctum has a seated Buddha in pralamba-padasana. | WIKI |
| Cave 25 is a monastery. | WIKI |
| The Buddha of Cave 21 Cave 22: inside hall Cave 23: inside hall Sophisticated pillars of Cave 24 with embedded loving couples; evidence of parallel work[232] | WIKI |
| Cave 26 (5th century CE)[edit] | WIKI |
| Cave 26: entrance and interior of hall | WIKI |
| Cave 26 is a worship hall (chaityagriha, 25.34 xc3x97 11.52 m) similar in plan to Cave 19. | WIKI |
| An inscription states that a monk Buddhabhadra and his friend minister serving king of Asmaka gifted this vast cave. | WIKI |
| [236] It is likely that the builders focussed on sculpture, rather than paintings, in Cave 26 because they believed stone sculpture will far more endure than paintings on the wall. | WIKI |
| The cave drew upon the experiences in building Cave 10, with attached wings similar to the ancient Cave 12 Hinayana-style vihara. | WIKI |
| [235][237] The Cave 26 complex has two upper stories and it shows evidence that four wings of the cave were planned, but these were abandoned and only the carved Buddhas on the right and left wall were completed. | WIKI |
| The sculptures in Cave 26 are elaborate and more intricate. | WIKI |
| The cave consists of an apsidal hall with side aisles for circumambulation (pradikshana). | WIKI |
| Many of the wall reliefs and images in this cave were badly damaged, and have been restored as a part of the site conservation efforts. | WIKI |
| Between cave 26 and its left wing, there is an inscription by a courtier of Rashtrakuta Nanaraj (who is mentioned in the Multai and Sangaloda plates), from late 7th or early 8th century. | WIKI |
| Cave 26 plan as completed. | WIKI |
| [244] Cave 26, left aisle wall: Mahaparinirvana of Buddha, or Dying Buddha[245] | WIKI |
| Left: Cave 27, to the left of Cave 26. | WIKI |
| Middle: Cave 28, further beyond Cave 27, at the westernmost end of the Ajanta complex. | WIKI |
| Right: Cave 29, high up between caves 20 and 21. | WIKI |
| Cave 27 is a monastery and it may have been planned as an attachment to Cave 26. | WIKI |
| Cave 28 is an unfinished monastery, partially excavated, at the westernmost end of the Ajanta complex and barely accessible. | WIKI |
| Cave 29 is an unfinished monastery at the highest level of the Ajanta complex, apparently unnoticed when the initial numbering system was established, and physically located between Caves 20 and 21. | WIKI |
| Cave 30[edit] | WIKI |
| In 1956, a landslide covered the footpath leading to Cave 16. | WIKI |
| [246][247] Further tracing and excavations led to a previously unknown Hinayana monastery cave dated to the 2nd and 1st century BCE. | WIKI |
| [248][249] Cave 30 may actually be the oldest cave of the Ajanta complex. | WIKI |
| [246] It is a 3.66 m xc3x97 3.66 m cave with three cells, each with two stone beds and stone pillows on the side of each cell. | WIKI |
| The cave has two inscriptions in an unknown script. | WIKI |
| According to Gupte and Mahajan, this cave may have been closed at some point with large carefully carved pieces as it distracted the entrance view of Cave 16. | WIKI |
| The largest storage spaces are found, states Spink, in the "very commodious recesses in the shrines of both Ajanta Cave Lower 6 and Cave 11". | WIKI |
| In 1846 for example, Major Robert Gill, an Army officer from Madras Presidency and a painter, was appointed by the Royal Asiatic Society to make copies of the frescos on the cave walls. | WIKI |
| Part of a mural probably relating the conversion of Nanda, Cave 1. | WIKI |
| Reproduction of The Adoration of the Buddha, cave 17, Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur, India | WIKI |
| Some slightly creative copies of Ajanta frescos, especially the painting of the Adoration of the Buddha from the shrine antechamber of Cave 17, were commissioned by Thomas Holbein Hendley (1847xe2x80x931917) for the decoration of the walls of the hall of the Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur, India. | WIKI |
| The Ajanta cave arts are a window into the culture, society and religiosity of the native population of India between the 2nd century BCE and 5th century CE. | WIKI |
| Cave 1, for example, shows a mural fresco with characters with foreigner faces or dresses, the so-called "Persian Embassy Scene". | WIKI |
| A foreigner in Sasanian dress drinking wine, on the ceiling of the central hall of Cave 1, likely a generic scene from an object imported from Central Asia (460xe2x80x93480 CE)[287][288] | WIKI |
| Cave 1 has several frescos with characters with foreigners' faces or dresses. | WIKI |
| Similar depictions are found in the paintings of Cave 17. | WIKI |
| [note 6] Some show foreign Near East kings with wine and their retinue which presumably add to the "general regal emphasis" of the cave. | WIKI |
| Cave 17: many foreigners are included as devotees attending the Buddha's descent from Trayastrimsa Heaven[287][note 7] | WIKI |
| Similar depictions are found in the paintings of Cave 17, but this time in direct relation to the worship of the Buddha. | WIKI |
| In Cave 17, a painting of the Buddha descending from the Trayastrimsa Heaven shows he being attended by many foreigners. | WIKI |
| In the Visvantara Jataka of Cave 17, according to Brancaccio, the scene probably shows a servant from Central Asia holding a foreign metal ewer, while a dark-complexioned servant holds a cup to an amorous couple. | WIKI |
| In another painting in Cave 17, relating to the conversion of Nanda, a man possibly from northeast Africa appears as a servant. | WIKI |
| Cave 2, ceiling: foreigners sharing a drink of wine[296] Cave 1, ceiling: another Persian-style foreign group, one of the four such groups (one now missing) at the center of each quadrant of the ceiling[285] A servant from Central Asia, Cave 17. | WIKI |
| [287] Cave 17: foreigners attending the Buddha[297] Cave 17: foreigners on horses attending the Buddha[297] Lady in blue dress with tiara, of possible "Persan origin". | WIKI |
| [300] Some influences from Ajanta have also suggested in the Kizil Caves of the Tarim Basin, in particular in early caves such as the Peacock Cave. | WIKI |