AJANTA CAVES

&
PAINTINGS
INDIAN ART AND HISTORY

SUBMITTED TO: Shubham Rai Sir

SUBMITTED BY: Yashica Malhotra

YASHICA
MALHOTRA
 CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION OF AJANTA CAVES
MAP OF AJANTA CAVES
SITES
MONASTERIES
WORKSHIP HALLS
PAINTINGS OF AJANTA CAVES
AJANTA FRESCO
FEATURES OF PAINTINGS
TYPES OF PAINTINGS
CEILING PAINTINGS
ALAVOKITESVARA
SIGNIFICANCE OF PAINTINGS
INTRODUCTION:
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.
caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures
described as among the finest surviving examples
of ancient Indian art, particularly expressive
paintings that present emotions through gesture,
pose and form.

They are universally regarded as masterpieces of

Buddhist religious art. The caves were built in two
phases, the first starting around the 2nd century BCE
and the second occurring from 400 to 650 CE,. The site
is a protected monument in the care of the
Archaeological Survey of India, and since 1983, the
Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
MAP OF 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
. Textual records suggest that these caves served as a monsoon
retreat for monks, as well as a resting site for merchants and pilgrims
in ancient India.
While vivid colours and mural wall-painting were abundant in Indian
history as evidenced by historical records, Caves 16, 17, 1 and 2 of
Ajanta form the largest corpus of surviving ancient Indian wall-
painting.

The Ajanta Caves are mentioned in the memoirs of several medieval-era

Chinese Buddhist travellers to India and by a Mughal-era official of
Akbar era in the early 17th century.They were covered by jungle until
accidentally "discovered" and brought to Western attention in 1819 by a
colonial British officer Captain John Smith on a tiger-hunting party. The
caves are in the rocky northern wall of the U-shaped gorge of the river
Waghur in the Deccan plateau
 SITES:
The caves are carved out of flood basalt rock of a cliff, part of the Deccan Traps
formed by successive volcanic eruptions at the end of the Cretaceous geological
period. The rock is layered horizontally, and somewhat variable in quality. This
variation within the rock layers required the artists to amend their carving
methods and plans in places.
Cave 24; the Ajanta Caves were carved into
The sculpture artists likely worked at both excavating the rocks and making the
a massive rock on the Deccan plateau
intricate carvings of pillars, roof, and idols; further, the sculpture and painting
work inside a cave were integrated parallel tasks.
A grand gateway to the site was carved, at the apex of the gorge's horseshoe
between caves 15 and 16, as approached from the river, and it is decorated with
elephants on either side and a nāga, or protective Naga (snake) deity

MONASTERIES :
The majority of the caves are vihara halls with symmetrical
square plans. To each vihara hall are attached smaller
square dormitory cells cut into the walls. A vast majority of
Cave 4: a monastery, or vihara, with its square
the caves were carved in the second period, wherein a
hall surrounded by monks' cells
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 The viharas of the earlier period are much simpler, and lack
on the pillars and walls, all carved out of the natural rock. shrines.
These caves are often called monasteries.
 Cave 6: a two-storey
Cave 12 plan: an early type of
Cave 1 plan, a monastery Cave 16: a monastery monastery with "Miracle of
vihara (1st century BCE)
known for its paintings featuring two side aisles[ Sravasti" and "Temptation of
without internal shrine
Mara" painted

WORSHIP HALLS :
The other type of main hall architecture is the narrower rectangular plan with
high arched ceiling type chaitya-griha – literally, "the house of stupa".
This hall is longitudinally divided into a nave and two narrower side aisles
separated by a symmetrical row of pillars, with a stupa in the apse.
There is often a colonnaded porch or verandah, with another space inside the
doors running the width of the cave.
The oldest worship halls at Ajanta were built in the 2nd to 1st century BCE, the
newest ones in the late 5th century CE, and the architecture of both resembles the
architecture of a Christian church, but without the crossing or chapel chevette.
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 These chaitya-griha are called
worship or prayer halls.
 PAINTINGS
The paintings in the Ajanta caves predominantly narrate the Jataka tales.
These are Buddhist legends describing the previous births of the Buddha.
These fables embed ancient morals and cultural lores that are also found
in the fables and legends of Hindu and Jain texts. The Jataka tales are
exemplified through the life example and sacrifices that the Buddha made
in hundreds of his past incarnations, where he is depicted as having been
reborn as an animal or human.

MURAL PAINTINGS
Mural paintings survive from both the earlier and later groups of
caves. Several fragments of murals preserved from the earlier
caves (Caves 10 and 11) are effectively unique survivals of ancient
painting in India from this period, and "show that by Sātavāhana
times.
the Indian painters had mastered an easy and fluent naturalistic style,
dealing with large groups of people in a manner comparable to the
reliefs of the Sāñcī toraņ a crossbars".
Four of the later caves have large and relatively well-preserved mural
paintings represent "the great glories not only of Gupta but of all Indian
art".
They fall into two stylistic groups, with the most famous in Caves 16 and
17, and apparently later paintings in Caves 1 and 2.

AJANTA FRESCOS
The Ajanta frescos are classical paintings and the work of confident
artists, without cliches, rich and full.
They are luxurious, sensuous and celebrate physical beauty, aspects that
early Western observers felt were shockingly out of place in these caves
presumed to be meant for religious worship and ascetic monastic life.
FEATURES:
The paintings are in "dry fresco", painted on top of a dry
plaster surface rather than into wet plaster

All the paintings appear to be the work of painters

supported by discriminating connoisseurship and
sophisticated patrons from an urban atmosphere. painting
was widely practised and appreciated in the Gupta period.

Unlike much Indian mural painting, compositions are not

laid out in horizontal bands like a frieze, but show large
scenes spreading in all directions from a single figure or
group at the centre.
PAINTINGS FEATURING JATAKA TALES

The ceilings are also painted with sophisticated and elaborate

decorative motifs, many derived from sculpture.
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.
The scenes depict the Buddha as about to renounce the royal life.
Features of Ajanta Paintings-
1. These were built by the Mahayana sect of Buddhism.
2. Most of these were Buddhist monasteries, though paintings adorned some of them. From
the inside, these caves are dim, and drawings may have been made of lamps and torches.
3. These paintings contained the stories from jatakas and the life of Buddha. Bodhisattva
Padmapani is the most famous painting.
4. Red ochre, yellow ochre, brown ochre, lamp black, white, and lapis were the main colours
which were used which were imported from Northern India, central Asia, and Persia.
5. 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. The colours are vivid
even after 1500 years.
7. Most of the Ajanta paintings were done in the light of torches, as caves were dark from
inside.
8. The colours used in the paintings were made of plants and minerals and are vivid even
after 1500 years.
9. The paintings of Ajanta are world famous. Ajanta is a location where, over decades, many
caves have been hollowed out of the hills.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
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.
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.
 TYPES OF PAINTINGS IN
AJANTA CAVES
Bodhisattva Padmapani
A painting in cave number 1 of Ajanta caves, this is Buddha’s former existence portrayed as a
painting. Cave number 1 of Ajanta caves is known for some of the most elaborate carvings and
sculptures from the life of Gautam Buddha.

King Janaka & Wife

This is a painting of King Janaka of Videha sitting in the palace with his wife. He is seen to be
talking to her and discussing why he wants to renounce his worldly life, live a life of solitude and
lead to salvation.

The Painting of Persian Ambassador

A ceiling painting in cave number 1 of Ajanta caves, this one doesn’t talk about any particular
religious story but is a general decorative motif that explains the importance of Persian culture in
ancient India. The painting portrays a white-skinned Persian ambassador surrounded by dark-
skinned native people.
Buddha Paintings
With intricately beautiful paintings on the doorways, this painting in cave number 6 of Ajanta caves
depicts different events in Buddha’s life. This double storey cave was used as a home to monks, even
when it was incomplete and not entirely built. There is also a Buddha figure seated in this cave.

Doorway Painting
One of the many doorway paintings in Ajanta caves, this one depicts scenes from kings and communities
enjoying each others company eating and drinking wine in merriment.
 Indian wall-paintings are done on dry wall, called fresco secco.
In the West painting is done on a moist wall, called fresco buono.

It might have taken centuries for the Indian artist to develop the technique of
preparing the wall for painting, and also to select suitable pigments with an
appropriate binder. The importance of these may be seen from the fact that the
Ajanta paintings have withstood the ravages of time with remarkable resilience.

Preparation of Wall
We have no clue to the technique of preparing the wall. But the treatises
which were written later based on the Ajanta experience give us an idea. For
example, Vishnu-dharmottara (7th century) explains the process of preparing
the base plaster and the finish coat, called 'vajralepa'.

Preparation of Wall - Base Plaster

The base plaster consisted of powdered brick, burnt conches and sand, mixed
with a preparation of molasses and drops of a decoction of Phaseolus munga.
To this were added mashed ripe bananas or tree resins and the pulp of bilva
fruit (Aegle marmelos). After drying it was ground down and mixed with
molasses and water until became soft for coating.
Preparation of Wall - Finish Coat (Vajralepa)
Buffaloskin was boiled in water until it became soft. Sticks were then made
of the paste and dried in the sunshine.
When colour was mixed with this, it made it fast, and if white mud was
mixed with it, it served as a perfect medium for coating walls.

Pigments used
Most pigments were minerals available locally: red ochre,
vivid red, yellow ochre, indigo blue, chalk white, terra verte
and green.
Painting Sequence Only Lapis lazuli was imported. Lamp-black was the only non-
mineral.

A preliminary sketch in iron ore was drawn while

the surface was still slightly wet, followed by an
under-painting in grey or white.
On this surface the outline was filled in with various
colours, proceeding from underpainting to the
appropriate colours of the subject.
Finally, when dry, it was finished off with a dark
outline for final definition and a burnishing process
to give lustre to the surface.
CEILING PAINITNGS
If you look up from the beautiful wall paintings you
see the geometric designs and motifs that adorn the
ceiling. There are also images of peacocks, subtly
decorated in blue paint made from lapis lazuli. One
of the panels shows a decorative vegetable motif that
looks similar to our modern day green bell pepper. In
addition to this, there is a creature with a bull's head Reclining Buddha, Cave 26 (photo: Shriram Rajagopalan, CC: BY 2.0)
whose body transforms into swirling curvaceous In 1983, UNESCO World Heritage Centere

lines that blend into the floral decoration of the next

panel.
The ceiling paintings are so beautiful that one of the
panels, which depicts a running elephant surrounded by
flowers, was chosen as the official logo of India's
Department of Tourism. The elephant is shown playfully
galloping, as his trunk swirls close to his body.
Alavokitesvara
This painting can be found to the left on the main shrine. It depicts one of
the most beloved bodhisattvas, Avalokitesvara.
The term “bodhisattva” refers to a person that has been awakened by the
Buddhist spirit. According to Mahayana doctrine, Alavokitesvara
postponed his ascension into Buddhahood until he assisted every being in
achieving Nirvana.

FEATURES:
Originally, a masculine form, Avalokitesvara is also known as the
feminine Guanyin in China, and Kuan Yin in Japan.
In the painting, his tan body, darkened only by the locks of curly hair,
is delicate and elegant.
He is adorned with pearls, amythyst, and other attributes of
traditional Indian jewelry.
On his head sits a magnificent crown, which at some point was most
likely colored in extreme detail, but over time has faded.
His eyes are lowered in a meditative state. His calm, spiritual face sets
the tone and mood of the room. In his right hand, he holds a lotus
blossom, which may represent his spiritual awakening.
 SIGNIFICANCE :
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.

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.
 REFERENCES
https://www.google.com/search?
q=AJANTA+PAINTINGS+TECHNIQUES&rlz=1C1CHBF_enIN967IN967&sourc
e=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiQi8vM4ZTzAhWMwzgGHSfhCQsQ
_AUoAnoECAEQBA&biw=1536&bih=754&dpr=1.25

https://www.holidify.com/pages/ajanta-caves-paintings-1822.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajanta_Caves

https://openart.in/history/ajanta-cave-paintings-brief-note/

Indian art history book

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