AJANTA INFO
Location : Maharashtra
Total Caves : 30.
|
ELORA
INFO
Location : Maharashtra.
Total Caves : 32.
|
|
| |
|
|
Ajanta Ellora Tours |
Click Here for Ajanta Ellora Tour Packages
| The
Guptas: Ajanta and Ellora |
| Set
back in a masked, isolated, steep-walled bend
of a river gorge, are the fantastic facades and
chiseled open faces of some 30 "caves."
They're not really caves; they're entire constructions
carved out of the rock - inverse buildings, where,
instead of creating a protective outline for an
empty space, a solid is cored to leave an outline.
It's work from the inside out, leaving whole rooms
with columns, passage ways, beds, temples. No
new rock is ever brought in to fill a space; space
is created around an object. |
Cave
Artistry - Silence Speaks
Maharashtra’s greatest treasures are undoubtedly
its extraordinary cave temples and monasteries.
The busy commercial capital city is the obvious
base for visitors to the caves of Ajanta with
their fabulous and vibrant murals, and the monolithic
temples at Ellora. From 2nd century BC the region
was the center of Buddhism.
Ajanta Caves, stand still despite the ravages
of time. They epitomize the absolute mastery of
those unknown artists who created these stunning
images for their royal patrons of the Vakataka
dynasty, in the 5th century AD. They were embellished
when the civilization was at its zenith and nothing
comparable from this glorious era survives. The
wall paintings of the 30 caves have therefore
been rightly included in the list of World Heritage
Monuments. Most of them illustrate the events
from the life of the Buddha and tales from jatakas-a
large collection of stories about previous incarnations
of the Buddha, both animal and human. Some of
the moving portraits are the towering Buddha,
begging for alms form his wife and son, a panel
of the thousand Buddhas etc.
The murals follow the six branches of Indian paintings
‘Shadanga', deigning various emotions. Besides
the tales of Jataka, the cave also depicts the
poems of Kalidas.
Was
as late as 19th century that a party of British
officers discovered the Ajanta caves that, for
long lay buried in the debris of time. The caves
surved hundreds of years in the Sahyadri hills
to tell the story of rich and a glorious past
from 200 BC to 650 AD. These 30 caves were built
to offer seclusion to the Buddhist monks, who
lived, taught and performed rituals in the Chaityas
and Viharas which were the seats of learning and
cultural movement. Inspired by faith and devotion
each figure has been carved by the monks using
just hammer and chisel. Prime
Sites :
Cave
No. 1 :
Prince Buddha is depicted delicately holding
the fragile blue lotus, his head bent sideways
as if the weight of his ornate jewelled crown
is too heavy for his head. His half-closed eyes
give an air of meditation, almost of shyness.
Cave
No. 2 :
which is one of the better-preserved monasteries
with a shrine, shows how sculpture, paintings
and architectural elements were used together
to enhance the atmosphere of piety and sanctity.
The ceiling and wall paintings illustrate events
associated with Buddha's birth.
Cave
No. 17 :
one can find the paintings that depict stories
from the Jatakas or tales of the previous incarnations
of Buddha and also Buddha with his right hand
raised, with the palm facing the viewer, which
is a symbol of "Abhaya" - reassurance
and protection.
Cave
No. 26 :
Buddha is seen seated under a Bodhi tree at
Bodhgaya, meditating, when Mara and her voluptuous
daughters attempted to tempt him. Buddha touched
the earth with his left hand to witness his
enlightenment. The "Parinivana" (ultimate
enlightenment or liberation) came when Buddha
left the world- as depicted in the 7m (23ft)
image of the reclining Buddha in cave number
26.
|
Impressive
in their own right are the rock-hewn temples and
monasteries of Ellora that lie just 30 Kilometers
away from Aurangabad city. In all, there are 34
cave temples, 12 Mahayana Buddhist caves (550-750
AD.). 17 Hindu caves (600 -875 AD) and 5 caves
of the Jain faith (800-1000 AD.) 22 more caves,
dedicated to Shiva, were recently discovered.
Kailas Temple, the central attraction at Ellora,
is the most remarkable. Chiseled by hand from
a single massive rock, it includes a gateway,
pavilion, courtyard, vestibule, sanctum sanctorum
and tower.
The
finest example of cave-temples, these 34 caves
have intricate interiors and ornamental facades.
Carved during the 350AD and 700AD the rock temples
and monasteries represent three faiths- Hinduism,
Buddhism and Jainism. The Vishvakarma cave of
the Buddhists, the Kailasa Hindu temple and the
Jain Indrasabha, present a captivating sight.
These were carved out of a solid rock to provide
sanctuaries to Buddhist monks. Prime
Sites :
There
are 34 caves, of which 12 are Buddhist, 17 Hindu
and 5 Jain. The caves all face west, so are
best seen in the afternoon. The Buddhist caves
are to your far right as you face the curve
of the Charanadari Hill, then come the Hindu
ones, and finally, the Jain cave temples to
the far left.
Special tour packages are organized for Ajanta and Ellora from Mumbai.
>
Buddhist Cave 12 or Tin Tala
> Dumar Lena (Cave 29) and
the Shiva cave at Elephanta.
> Kailasa Temple - the largest
monolithic structure.
> Kailasa Temple or Cave
16
> Chhota Kailasa (Cave 30).
> Indrasabha (Cave 32). |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
