Amazing Ajanta

My Encounter with Ajanta :-  For pictures connected to the content visit: http://mrinalzmmrinal.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/amazing-ajanta.pdf  (Please note: All facts mentioned is based on knowledge shared within group, through Wikipedia & provided by Tour guide. Author do not claim or guarantee its authentication) Saturday 11th March 2014 @ 11:30 AM, I never knew 30 rock-cut cave monuments from the 2nd century BCE to the 600 CE are waiting for me to end up with a full filling peace. Approximately 3 hours took us to cover the 100 km. from Aurangabad to Ajanta. We arrived hungry and then right before we start had a fatigue accelerating lunch. We have not even entered the premises already drowsy due to over-eating. AC Bus by government was a boon in that scorching heat & was for all the tourists.  Photo Courtesy: Abhishek Pandey Those caves which were once buried under debris and screened by foliage during early 19th century; then discovered by British officers; who were scrambling over the thickly wooded slopes of the Sahyadri hill. To have more insight on the caves, we hired an accredited tourist guide, who then made it a secluded retreat by narrating the stories & facts of old Buddhist monastic orders. My awestruck moment is when we discovered that this magnificent work is just the magic of simply a hammer and chisel. Photo Courtesy: Subrata Rakshit Every passing architecture connected me with deep faith & inspired me. Chapels for prayer and viharas, monasteries where they lived, preached and carried out ritual performances, still have the similar piousness in the environment. Finished-Unfinished caves built in span of 800 years and contain numerous images of Buddha. The walls carry the painting with timeless colors. These art work were first plastered by mud & cow dung; then painted by natural colors. Only turquoise blue was imported from Middle east, rest all shades are locally made by natural process. Photo Courtesy: Subrata Rakshit This painting here depicts the early lives of Buddha: Photo Courtesy: Subrata Rakshit I can just recollect the images of sculptures in cave 26, those are elaborate and beautiful: panel of the temptation of Buddha. ‘Parinirvana’ depicting two different states, carved out the joy of heavenly creatures & wonderful recumbent figures of amid people in attitudes of mourning and sorrow. Buddha lying in a sleeping posture. People on earth were shown as they were filled with grief while buddha breaking of earthly ties and at the same moment people in heaven are busy in welcome procedures & merry making as Buddha is going to be part of heaven. Photo Courtesy: Subrata Rakshit

Cave 19 Mahayana Sect_ Chaitya Hall: The sculpture’s treasure chest Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu Arched chaitya window set into the elegantly simple facade of cave 9 (first century B.C.) is repeated in the elaborate frontage of cave 19 (fifth century), which has figures of Buddha on the portico. This is a fully developed chaitya with a stupa enclosing a standing Buddha at the far end. We all were deeply in love with Cave 16’s elegant vihara. This cave had an inscription mentions that king and his minister who built this cave. The shrine has a towering figure of Buddha preaching, flanked by attendants. Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu Amazing fact is that though this architecture was built within the folds of the hills, the sanctuaries were still illuminated by natural light at least during the day. Technique was the Metal mirrors that were used to reflect sunlight into the inner recesses. Monks & artists painted the wonderful frescoes that glow on these walls. These were in a fairly good state when the caves were first discovered but have deteriorated over the years with dampness and exposure to ever increasing numbers of tourists every year. Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu Don’t be disappointed as paintings in caves 1, 2, 16 and 17 we still can see some undamaged portions of frescoes that are vibrant and clear, the fading colors gave us a glimpse of the epitome of its beauty. Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu Ajanta undoubtedly deserves to be part of the World Heritage list of monuments. One of the reasons are these 3-D pictures which made our journey more worthy! I wish we have those cameras to capture the 3D effect of such sound art. My entire team was astonished by the way they would have painted them, they are magic in themselves; all of them were excellent examples of optical illusion.   Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu Boddhisatvas prominently visible in Ajanta art & paintings, all are celestial beings, And are personifications of the virtues of Buddha, who visit the world of men. Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu (cave 1) Dark king who indirectly vitalize the fact that racism was not encouraged at that time. There is also a painting of a dark princess & the lively panel of a dancing girl and musicians in cave1, which actually shows that color racism was not from this era at least. In later Buddhist philosophy, the time when these rock shrines were hewn out of the hill side, the Boddhisatvas were beings who had renounced the attainment of nirvana to attend to human needs. Boddhisatva Padmapani is a wonderful portrayal of the tender compassion that infuses his ministry to suffering mankind. If you can see those gentle eyes, delicate lips they will convey the consolation & lotus held in a beautifully drawn hand just bring us to an ultimate peace. Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu In this same cave1 we see the golden figure of Avalokiteswara or Vajrapaani with an elaborate crown hung with looped strands of pearls; pearl necklaces adorn his handsome body and a gold girdle fastens his striped garment. Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu The best is this tiny bull-painting in the ceiling, this is a renowned optical illusion  Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu Under the royal patronage of reigning dynasties, professional artists helped the monks and left a record of contemporary life in palaces along with tales of piety and faith. We relived the Jatakas which used to be narrated by our grandparents through the stories carved in walls and pillars of Ajanta.  Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu This painting above have a wonderful story of way to preserving ecology. Buddha is here in his elephant incarnation. Queen Maya's dream of the white elephant are in cave 2. Queen Maya's dream of the white elephant, interpreted by royal astrologers to mean the birth of an illustrious son, is a detailed panel in cave 2.   Large collection of tales of the previous birth of Buddha and his increasing strength and moral stature through one incarnation after another. Symbolic of the soul's long journey through many births, these tales for the benefit and instruction of people are depicted here in artistic detail. Nymphs, princesses and attendants of Ajanta are women of exquisite elegance and charm, hair dressed in intricate styles and jewels highlighting slender necks and waists. Photo Courtesy: Subrata Rakshit Cave 17: High Born Women in a fashionable embroidered turban are a reminder of the splendid jewelry worn by prosperous females. We scrutinized every picture of flying Apsaras & realize that the pearl tassels of their necklace and turban swing delicately with their aerial movement. 'The thousand Buddhas' of cave 2 will fill my heart, similar was the Eloquent and moving is the Buddha with a begging bowl asking alms from his wife and son in cave Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu One of the Court Scene from cave 1: featuring a bearded man in fur trimmed hat and boots, surrounded by attendants is believed to depict the reception of a Persian embassy at the Chalukya court. Photo Courtesy: Subhadeep Basu Buddhist paintings & art travelled a lot of countries like Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Tibet, Nepal, China and Japan all trace their origins to the classic mode first expressed in the Ajanta frescoes.  Photo Courtesy: Subrata Rakshit My entire Team feel that Ajanta is a panorama of Ancient Indian life. Architecture of Caves, variety of textiles used for the different purposes, dressing pattern, hair styles, ornaments-jewelry, family life, scenes from courts, musicians -their instruments and kind of beasts & birds, flowers everything is just unique & mesmerizing to witness. You can relive this beautiful era through its paintings & architecture. Photo Courtesy: Subrata Rakshit I thank my entire team for this splendid opportunity of encounters with Ajanta. I recommend this to everyone who feel connect with Past. Witnessing the technique, art, broad minded-ness & Fashion of that era make me realize that there is lot to relate. _ By Mrinal Bhattacharya