Posted on March 11, 2010.
Paintings of Ajanta and magic In the world of painting, paintings of Ajanta hold a very important place. The murals of the Ajanta caves are one of the most dynamic, brilliant and vivid murals in the world. Ajanta, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is located 105 kilometers from the city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra state in western India. There are total 29 caves in the mountains in the shape of a horseshoe along the ravine of the river valley Waghora. These caves carved into the rock were excavated during the 2nd to 6th century BC, mainly for Buddhist monks. Most of these caves have been dug under the patronage of King Vakataka Harishena.
Until the early 19th century, these beautiful caves have been completely unknown in the world. Ajanta Caves were discovered by the junior officers in English from Madras army in 1819. In the next hundred years, many people on expeditions and collected a rich and authentic information on these caves blank. Significant efforts have been made by a number of Western art as James Alexander (1834), James Fergusson (1843), Major Robert Gill (1857), Griffith (1896), Lady Harringham (1911) and John Marshall 1928.
Ajanta Caves are actually Chaityas (shrines) and viharas (monasteries), cut to the Buddhist monks. In Buddhist traditions Bhikshus or monks had to live away from the general public during the rainy seasons.
They discovered that the painting styles were adopted in Ajanta wall high standard. Art historians are puzzled to see these paintings as to produce these paintings a very complex procedure was applied and it is no small achievement to go through this procedure in those early days. paintings of Ajanta seem to have followed the rich tradition of painting that began in prehistory to Bhimbetka Sittanvasal and Adamgarh.
Ajanta murals are essentially didactic, devotional and ornamental in the taste. Themes of the paintings are mainly inspired by the Jataka tales and the life and teachings of Buddha. The paintings here can be classified in the portraits of narrative illustrations and decorative ornaments of society. Some of the tables most critically acclaimed of Ajanta Padmapani Bodhisattva, Miracle of Saraswati, the princess Dying, Pillar Detail, Dark Buddha, next to the beautiful illustrations Jataka on ceilings, walls, doors etc. The paintings done here to give us enough information about the lifestyle of contemporary Indian society.
For more information on the paintings of Ajanta, please visit Ethnic Paintings .
