What are the Ajanta caves famous for?

Ajanta Caves, Buddhist rock-cut cave temples and monasteries, located near Ajanta village, north-central Maharashtra state, western India, that are celebrated for their wall paintings.

What is the importance of Ajanta and Ellora caves?

It is also believed that these caves are the handiwork of the priests and the Buddhist, Jain and Hindu monks who frequently visited the place. Architectural Significance : The rock cut caves of the Ajanta and Ellora are the architectural marvel that also finds place in World Heritage list.

Which Colour used in Ajanta caves?

The main colours used were, red ochre, yellow ochre, brown ochre, lamp black, white and lapis lazuli (blue). This last pigment was imported from Northern India, central Asia and Persia.

How many Ajanta caves are there?

30 caves
The cave complex in Ajanta comprises 30 caves. Of these, five (9, 10, 19, 26, and 29) are chaitya (prayer hall with a stupa at the far end) and the rest are vihara (monastery).

What can we learn from Ajanta Caves?

The Ajanta Caves constitute ancient monasteries and worship-halls of different Buddhist traditions carved into a 75-metre (246 ft) wall of rock. The caves also present paintings depicting the past lives and rebirths of the Buddha, pictorial tales from Aryasura’s Jatakamala, and rock-cut sculptures of Buddhist deities.

What is the conclusion of Ajanta Caves?

Conclusion The excavation of Ajanta represents extraordinary rock architecture in western Deccan after about three hundred years of abandonment in rock art. It seems technicians avoided a massive basalt trap full of flaws as much as they could in choosing cave site.

Who replicated the murals of Ajanta Caves?

The Government of Bombay commissioned new copies of the Ajanta cave paintings in 1872 from John Griffiths, principal of the Bombay School of Art. Griffiths and his students produced 300 paintings, only for a third to go up in flames at London’s Imperial Institute in 1885.

What are the main features of Ajanta art?

All the walls and pilasters are covered by overlapping figures, brought to life with bright and contrasting colors by the artists. 6. At Ajanta, the painting methods are similar to the European fresco technique. The primary distinction is that when it was painted, the layer of plaster was dry.

What is the shape of Ajanta caves?

horseshoe shape
The caves, cut into the face of a mountain, form a horseshoe shape around the Wangorah River. They are an example of one of Indian’s unique artistic traditions known as rock cut temples. Ajanta consists of thirty caves, each dedicated to the life of the Buddha.

What is the conclusion of Ajanta caves?

Why were the Ajanta Caves built?

The Ajanta Caves were built in a period when both the Buddha and the Hindu gods were simultaneously revered in Indian culture. According to Spink and other scholars, not only the Ajanta Caves but other nearby cave temples were sponsored and built by Hindus .

How many cave temples are there in Ajanta Caves?

The Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, a World Heritage Site, are 30 rock-cut cave Buddhist temples carved into the sheer vertical side of a gorge near a waterfall-fed pool located in the hills of the Sahyadri mountains.

Where are the caves of Ajanta located?

The Ajanta caves are located in the northern part of the state of Maharashtra, India. The place is situated in the district of Aurangabad, which is around 400 km from Mumbai. The Aurangabad city is around 107 km from the caves.

How Ajanta Caves were rediscovered?

For a long time, the caves of Ajanta were lost in the depth of time and unknown to the outer world including the West due to its location. Meanwhile, the villagers always knew about it. In 1819, the caves were rediscovered by chance by a British officer John Smith who was on his way to hunt a tiger.