1. AJANTA
&
ELLORA CAVES
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

2. Location
Country – India
State – Maharashtra
District – Aurangabad
Caves - 30
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

3. AJANTA CAVES (information)
 AJANTA is world's greatest historical
monument recognised by UNESCO
located just 40kms from Jalgaon city
of Maharashtra, India.There are 30
caves in Ajanta of which 9, 10, 19, 26
and 29 are chaitya-grihas and the rest
are monasteries.These caves were
discovered in AD 1819 and were built
up in the earlier 2nd century BC-AD.
Most of the paintings in Ajanta are
right from 2nd century BC-AD and
some of them about the fifth century
AD and continued for the next two
centuries.All paintings shows heavy
religious influence and centre around
Buddha, Bodhisattvas, incidents from
the life of Buddha and the Jatakas.The
paintings are executed on a ground of
mud-plaster in the tempera technique.
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

4. CONTENTS
Cave One
CaveTwo
The facade (In cave 2)
The porch (In cave 2)
The hall (In cave 2)
The paintings (In cave 2)
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

5. CAVE 1
 It is first approach and has no relation to the chronological sequence of the caves.
It is the first cave on the eastern end of the horse-shoe shaped scarp. According to
Spink, it is one of the latest caves to have begun on site and brought to near-
completion in the Vākāţaka phase. Although there is no epigraphic evidence, it
has been proposed that the Vākāţaka king Harisena may have been the
benefactor of this better-preserved cave. A dominant reason for this is that
Harisena was not involved initially in patronizing Ajanta.
 This cave has one of the most elaborate carvings on its facade with relief
sculptures on entablature and ridges. A two pillared portico, visible in the 19th-
century photographs, has since perished. The cave has a front-court with cells
fronted by pillared vestibules on either side.These have a high plinth level.The
cave has a porch with simple cells on both ends.The absence of pillared vestibules
on the ends suggest that the porch was not excavated in the latest phase of
Ajanta when pillared vestibules had become a necessity and norm. Most areas of
the porch were once covered with murals, of which many fragments remain. Each
wall of the hall inside is nearly 40 feet (12 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) high. Twelve
pillars make a square colonnade inside supporting the ceiling, and creating
spacious aisles along the walls.There is a shrine carved on the rear wall to house
an impressive seated image of the Buddha, his hands being in the
dharmachakrapravartana mudra.There are four cells on each of the left, rear, and
the right walls.The walls are covered with paintings in a fair state of preservation.
The scenes depicted are mostly didactic, devotional, and ornamental. The themes
are from the Jataka stories (the stories of the Buddha's former existences as
Boddhisattva), the life of the Gautama Buddha, and those of his veneration
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

6. CAVE 2
 Cave 2, adjacent to Cave 1, is known for
the paintings that have been preserved
on its walls, ceilings, and pillars. It looks
pretty much the same as Cave 1 and is in
a better state of preservation.
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

7. THE FACADE (in cave 2)
 Cave 2 has a porch quite different from Cave one. Even
the facade carvings seem to be different.The cave is
supported by robust pillars, ornamented with designs.
The size and ground plan have many things in common
with the first cave.
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

8. THE PORCH
 The front porch consists of cells supported by
pillared vestibules on both ends. The cells on
the previously "wasted areas" were needed to
meet the greater housing requirements in later
years. Porch-end cells became a trend in all
later Vakataka excavations. The simple single
cells on porch-ends were converted into CPVs or
were planned to provide more room, symmetry,
and beauty.
 The paintings on the ceilings and walls of this
porch have been widely published. They depict
the Jataka tales that are stories of the
Buddha's life in former existences as
Bodhisattva. The porch's rear wall has a
doorway in the center, which allows entrance to
the hall. On either side of the door is a
square-shaped window to brighten the interior.ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

9. The hall
 The hall has four colonnades supporting
the ceiling and surrounding a square in
the center of the hall. Each arm or
colonnade of the square is parallel to
the respective walls of the hall, making
an aisle in between. The colonnades
have rock-beams above and below them.
The capitals are carved and painted
with various decorative themes that
include
ornamental, human, animal, vegetative, a
nd semi-divine forms.ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

10. The Paintings
Paintings are all over the cave except for the floor. At various
places the art work has become eroded due to decay and
human interference.Therefore, many areas of the painted
walls, ceilings, and pillars are fragmentary.The painted
narratives of the Jataka tales are depicted only on the walls,
which demanded the special attention of the devotee.They
are didactic in nature, meant to inform the community about
the Buddha's teachings and life through successive births.
Their placement on the walls required the devotee to walk
through the aisles and 'read' the narratives depicted in
various episodes. (Alas, to prevent vandalism, entry into the
aisles is restricted by site authorities).The narrative episodes
are depicted one after another although not in a linear order.
Their identification has been a core area of research since the
site's rediscovery in 1819 C.E. Dieter Schlingloff's
identifications have updated our knowledge on the subject.
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

11. Location
Country – India
State – Maharashtra
District – Aurangabad
Caves – 34
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

12. Contents
 The Buddhist caves
 Cave 1
 TheVishvakarma
 The Hindu caves
 The Kailasanatha
 The Dashavatara
 Other Hindu caves
 The Jain caves
 The Indra Sabha
 Other Jain caves

ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

13. Ellora caves (information)
 These 34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2
km, were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff, not far
from Aurangabad, in Maharashtra. Ellora, with its uninterrupted
sequence of monuments dating from A.D. 600 to 1000, brings the
civilization of ancient India to life. Not only is the Ellora complex
a unique artistic creation and a technological exploit but, with its
sanctuaries devoted to Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, it
illustrates the spirit of tolerance that was characteristic of ancient
India.
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

14. The Buddhist caves
 It was initially thought that the Buddhist caves were one of the earliest structures,
created between the fifth and eighth centuries, with caves 1-5 in the first phase (400-
600) and 6-12 in the later phase (mid 7th-mid 8th), but now it is clear to the modern
scholars that some of the Hindu caves (27,29,21,28,19,26,20,17 and 14) precede these
caves.The earliest Buddhist cave is Cave 6, followed by 5,2,3,5 (right wing), 4,7, 8,10
and 9. Caves 11 and 12 were the last. All the Buddhist caves were constructed between
630-700.
 These structures consist mostly of viharas or monasteries: large, multi-storeyed
buildings carved into the mountain face, including living quarters, sleeping quarters,
kitchens, and other rooms. Some of these monastery caves have shrines including
carvings of Buddha, bodhisattvas and saints. In many of these caves, sculptors have
endeavoured to give the stone the look of wood.
 Most famous of the Buddhist caves is cave 10, a chaitya hall (chandrashala) or
'Vishvakarma cave', popularly known as the "Carpenter's Cave". Beyond its multi-
Tstoreyed entry is a cathedral-like stupa hall also known as chaitya, whose ceiling has
been carved to give the impression of wooden beams. At the heart of this cave is a 15-
foot statue of Buddha seated in a preaching pose. Amongst other Buddhist caves, all of
the first nine (caves 1–9) are monasteries. The last two caves, DoTal (cave 11) andTin
Tal (cave 12) have three stories.

ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

15. Cave 1 (buddhist caves)
 Cave 1 is a vihara with eight cells, four in the back wall and four in the
right wall. It had a portico in the front with a cell
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

16. The Vishvakarma (buddhist
caves)
 The Vishvakarma (Cave 10) is the only chaitya griha amongst the Buddhist group
of caves. It is locally known as Vishvakarma or Sutar ka jhopda (carpenter's hut). It
follows the pattern of construction of Caves 19 and 26 of Ajanta. On stylistic
grounds, the date of construction of this cave is assigned to c.700.The chaitya
once had a high screen wall, which is ruined at present.At the front is a rock-cut
court, which is entered through a flight of steps. On either side are pillared
proticos with chambers in their back walls.These were probably intended to have
subsidiary shrines but not completed.The pillared verandah of the chaitya has a
small shrine at either end and a single cell in the far end of the back wall.The
corridor columns have massive squarish shafts and ghata-pallava (vase and
foliage) capitals.The main hall is apsidal on plan and is divided in to a central
nave and side aisles by 28 octagonal columns with plain bracket capitals. In the
apsidal end of the chaitya hall is a stupa on the face of which a colossal 3.30 m
high seated Buddha in vyakhyana mudra (teaching posture) is carved. A large
Bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa) is carved at the back.The hall has a vaulted roof in
which ribs have been carved in the rock imitating the wooden ones.
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

17. The Hindu caves
 The Hindu caves were constructed between the middle of sixth century
to the end of the eighth century.The early caves (caves 17–29) were
constructed during the Kalachuri periodThe work first commenced in
Caves 28, 27 and 19.These were followed by two most impressive caves
constructed in the early phase - Caves 29 and 21. Along with these
two, work was underway at Caves 20 and 26, and slightly later at Caves
17, 19 and 28The caves 14, 15 and 16 were constructed during the
Rashtrakuta period.
 The work began in Caves 14 and 15 and culminated in Cave 16. All these
structures represent a different style of creative vision and execution
skills. Some were of such complexity that they required several
generations of planning and co-ordination to complete.
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

18. The Kailasanatha (The Hindu
caves)
 Main article: KailashTemple
 A painted panel showing the dancing Shiva (Nataraja) from the Kailash
Temple at Ellora (Cave 16). One can still see a lot of the paint that once
covered the entire temple.
 Wall carvings – A scene depicting the wedding of Shiva(four armed
figure,right) and Parvati (two armed,left).
 Shiva-Parvati seated on mount Kailash, while Ravana tries to lift it.
 Cave 16, also known as the Kailasa or the Kailasanatha, is the unrivaled
centerpiece of Ellora.This is designed to recall Mount Kailash, the abode of
Lord Shiva – looks like a freestanding, multi-storeyed temple complex, but it
was carved out of one single rock, and covers an area double the size of
Parthenon in Athens.[8]
 All the carvings are done in more than one level. A two-storeyed gateway
opens to reveal a U-shaped courtyard.The courtyard is edged by columned
galleries three storeys high.The galleries are punctuated by huge sculpted
panels, and alcoves containing enormous sculptures of a variety of deities.
Originally flying bridges of stone connected these galleries to central temple
structures, but these have fallen.
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

19.  Within the courtyard are two structures. As is traditional in Shiva
temples, an image of the sacred bull Nandi fronts the central temple
housing the lingam. In Cave 16, the Nandi Mandap and main Shiva
temple are each about 7 meters high, and built on two stories.The lower
stories of the Nandi Mandap are both solid structures, decorated with
elaborate illustrative carvings.The base of the temple has been carved to
suggest that elephants are holding the structure aloft.
 A living rock bridge connects the Nandi Mandap to the porch of the
temple.The temple itself is tall pyramidal structure reminiscent of a
South Indian temple.The shrine – complete with pillars, windows, inner
and outer rooms, gathering halls, and an enormous lingam at its heart –
carved from living stone, is carved with niches, pilasters, windows as well
as images of deities, mithunas (erotic male and female figures) and other
figures. Most of the deities at the left of the entrance are Shaivaite
(followers of Shiva) while on the right hand side the deities are
Vaishnavaites (followers ofVishnu).There are two Dhvajastambhas
(pillars with the flagstaff) in the courtyard.The grand sculpture of Ravana
attempting to lift Mount Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva, with his full
might is a landmark in Indian art.The construction of this cave was a feat
of human genius – it entailed removal of 200,000 tonnes of rock, and
took 100 years to complete.
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

20.  The temple is a splendid achievement of Dravidian art.This project was
started by Krishna I (757–773) of the Rashtrakuta dynasty that ruled from
Manyakheta in present day Karnataka state. His rule had also spread to
southern India, hence this temple was excavated in the prevailing style.
Its builders modelled it on the lines of theVirupakshaTemple in
Pattadakal. Being a south Indian style temple, it does not have a shikhara
common to north Indian temples. – The Guide to Architecture of the
IndianSubcontinent, 1996,Takeo Kamiya, Japan Architects Academy and
archaeologicalSurvey of India
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

21. The Dashavatara (The Hindu
caves)
 The Dashavatara (Cave 15) was begun as a Buddhist
monastery. It has an open court with a free-
standing monolithic mandapa at the middle and a
two-storeyed excavated temple at the rear.The
layout of the temple is closely related to caves 11
and 12. Large sculptural panels between the wall
columns on the upper floor illustrate a wide range
of themes, which include the ten avataras of
Vishnu.An inscription of grant of Dantidurga is
found on the back wall of the front mandapa.
According to Coomaraswamy, the finest relief of
this cave is the one depicting the death of
Hiranyakashipu, whereVishnu in man-lion
(Narasimha) form, emerges from a pillar to lay a
fatal hand upon the shoulder of Hiranyakashipu
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

22. Other Hindu caves
 Other notable Hindu caves are the Rameshvara (Cave 21), which has
figurines of river goddesses Ganga andYamuna at the entrance and
the Dhumar Lena (Cave 29) whose design is similar to the cave
temple on Elephanta Island near Mumbai.Two other caves, the
Ravan ki Khai (Cave 14) and the Nilkantha (Cave 22) also have several
sculptures.The rest of the Hindu caves, which include the
Kumbharvada (Cave 25) and the Gopilena (Cave 27) have no
significant sculptures
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

23. The Jain caves
 The five Jain caves at Ellora belong to the ninth and tenth centuries.They
all belong to the Digambara sect.[10] Jain caves reveal specific
dimensions of Jain philosophy and tradition.They reflect a strict sense of
asceticism – they are not relatively large as compared to others, but they
present exceptionally detailed art works.The most remarkable Jain
shrines are the Chhota Kailash (cave 30), the Indra Sabha (cave 32) and
the Jagannath Sabha (cave 33). Cave 31 is an unfinished four-pillared hall
and a shrine Cave 34 is a small cave, which can be approached through an
opening on the left side of Cave 3
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

24. The Indra Sabha (the Jain
caves)
 The Indra Sabha (Cave 32) is a two storeyed cave with one more
monolithic shrine in its court. It has a very fine carving of the lotus
flower on the ceiling. It got the appellation, Indra Sabha probably it is
significantly ornate and also because of the sculpture ofYaksha
Matanga on an elephant, which was wrongly identified as that of
Indra.On the upper level of the double-storied shrine excavated at
the rear of the court, an imposing image of Ambika, theYakshi
(dedicated attendant deity) of Neminatha is found seated on her lion
under a mango tree, laden with fruits.
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

25. PICTURE
ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY

26. ROBY VINCENT,TRICHY