10/19/2021 Details on Ajanta Caves Technical Aspect & Theme for Competitive Exams- Examrace

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Details on Ajanta Caves-Technical Aspect & Theme for Competitive Exams
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Ajanta Caves

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A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Near Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

Time period B. C. TO A. D.

An aesthetic vision and advanced technical knowledge was combined in the architects.

Discovered in .

Shaped like a crescent.

Entirely Buddhist

Chinese travelers Huan-tsung and fa-hien referred to Ajanta in their accounts.

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Buddhist monastic buildings, apparently representing a number of distinct “monasteries” or colleges.

The Ajanta caves are cut into the side of a cliff that is on the south side of a U-shaped gorge on the small river Waghur.

The majority of the caves are vihara halls for prayer and living, which are typically rectangular with small square
dormitory cells cut into the walls, and by the second period a shrine or sanctuary at the rear centred on a large statue of
the Buddha, also carved from the living rock.

The caves were built in two phases starting around the 2nd century BCE, with the second group of caves built around
CE

1st Phase of Ajanta Caves

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Satvahana period around B. C.

Caves and A caves and A

Often called the Hinayāna phase

Satavahana period caves lacked figurative sculpture, emphasizing the stupa instead.

2nd Phase of Ajanta Caves

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th th
Vakataka period around 4 to the 7 centuries CE

Most of the work took place over the very brief period from to CE, during the reign of Emperor Harishena of the
Vākāṭaka dynasty.

Caves of the second period are some possibly extensions of earlier caves.

Caves and are chaitya grihas, the rest viharas.

The second phase of Ajanta shows that the stupa and image coincided together.

Typically described as “Mahayana” , but do not show the features associated with later Mahayana Buddhism.

In Mahayana, it is not Gautama Buddha but the Bodhisattva who is important.

Jataka tales paintings and sculpture early births of Buddha as a king , not animals etc and settings of palaces resemble the
royal life of Harisena

Technical Aspects

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Carved in perpendicular steep side of the hill

Therefore, they do not have courtyards outside the temples.

Paintings technique

Mural paintings

Outline is drawn with red color

Fresco paintings

Mixture of cow dung and rice husk is spread on the surface of the caves, than coating of white lime plaster.

Surface is kept moist until the color is applied

Natural colors-primary + secondary

Except blue

Theme

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Jataka stories, incidents of Buddha՚s life.

Famous Paintings
The Dying Princess

The Flying Apsara

The Preaching Buddha

Elegant Cave: Cave No-16

The shrine has a large statue of Buddha preaching

Famous fresco paining-The dying princess

Developed by: Mindsprite Solutions

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