The Amazing Ajanta Temple Caves
The Amazing Ajanta Temple Caves
The Ajanta temple caves were carved from solid rock. These caves, an inspiring expression of Indian art from the middle ages, are considered one of the wonders of India and are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The caves are located in the Inthriyathari Mountains about sixty-two miles from the city of Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra. The caves were carved from volcanic lava at a site where a volcano once erupted. Great patience and skill were needed for the monks to carve these caves from the rock. It took almost 800 years to do so. The caves were excavated in two phases, the first from the second century B.C. to the second century A.D., the second phase from the fifth to the seventh centuries A.D. There are thirty caves arranged in the shape of a horseshoe extending for a length of over four miles. There is a walkway to the top peak.
The Chinese pilgrim Huien-Tsang wrote about the Ajanta temple caves and made illustrations. According to Huien-Tsang the caves originally came into being as follows: the architect of the caves was Ajahn Jorijalo, a arahant of southern India. When his mother died he learned that she had already been reborn. He hoped to find her in order to preach the Dhamma to her. One day when Ajahn Jorijalo was on his alms round, milk flowed from the breasts of one woman giving food to him. Her family was upset about her and thought she was an evil person. The arahant, however, was quite aware of the karma of her previous life. He knew the woman had been his mother in her previous life. So he preached a sermon to her to enable her to reach Enlightenment. He wanted to show his gratitude to his mother, so he built her a temple (sangkaram) at the mountain.
The temple (temple cave 10 in actuality), about 100 feet high, was carved out of the face of the mountain. The walls were covered with paintings of the history of the Lord Buddha and the bodhisattvas from birth to Nirvana. The paintings were framed with sculptures. According to Huien-Tsang there were two stone elephants at the entrance to the sangkaram. There still are to this day.
So many caves were built by human hands, by the hands of monks who told stories through their carvings on the walls of the caves. The stone carvers achieved perfection (parami) through their work. Their craftsmanship was very difficult to achieve. Even the pillars are varied and unique. The carvings and sculptures in the Ajanta caves are thought to represent the beginning of classical art in India.
The paintings in the Ajanta temple caves were done on dry mud-plaster using a tempera technique. (Fresco painting, on the other hand, is usually understood to be the application of water colors to wet plaster.) In this technique the pigments of color are tempered (cf. the Latin, temperare, mix, regulate) with an emulsion and thinned with water. In a true tempera application egg yoke is used as the emulsion (hence, “egg tempera”). In the Ajanta caves tempera was applied over a layer of natural materials spread over the stone. The natural materials, consisting of a mixture of clay, cow dung, and rice husks, were a centimeter thick (about four tenths of an inch). A thin smooth coat of lime was spread over the natural materials, and the tempera applied to this. Natural products were used to make the pigments. For example, green earth pigment (terre verte), an organic pigment composed of celadonite and glauconite, was used by the Ajanta monks for their murals, whereas the ancient Egyptians, for example, used copper frits on their papyrus rolls (a frit being a partly fused mixture using fluxes, which promote fusing of the metal). A wide variety of tones were used so that the images were given depth. The monks first outlined the figures with red or black freehand brush strokes. These guiding strokes can sometimes be seen under the layer of color, so that a double outline is visible. This feature is characteristic of the Ajanta caves as well as of early Tibetan temples. The tempera technique, in short, has been used from very ancient times right up to the Italian painters of the early Renaissance—from the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Mycenaean Greeks, and the Chinese, to the Christians in the catacombs, to the medieval Italian painters in the thirteenth-and-fourteenth-century Byzantine tradition like Giotto, right up to the early Renaissance depth painters like Botticelli (circa 1500). Nonetheless, it appears that the tempera technique of mural painting, which became so widespread later in Asia, originated with the monks of the Ajanta temple caves.
The Ajanta caves, moveover, represent both the Theravada (Hinayana) and the Mahayana Buddhist traditions. The thirty caves are divided into two types: five of the caves are chaitya-grihas (stupa halls, prayer halls) (numbers 9, 10, 19, 26, and 29); the rest are viharas (residence halls, monasteries). (In Indian architecture, the chaitya-griha, or chaitya, was a circular chamber, a stupa, combined with an outer rectangular hall to accommodate the congregation. As time went on the wall between the stupa and the hall was removed to create a hall with an apse at one end.) The oldest caves are chaityas 9 and 10 and viharas 8, 12, 13, and 15A. These caves, the first phase, represent the Theravada tradition. The remainder of the caves, the second phase, represents the Mahayana tradition: 3 chaityas (cave numbers 19, 26, and 29 not complete) and 11 viharas (cave numbers 1, 2 4, 6, 7, 11, 15, and 20 through 24). Whereas the Theravada excavations are all but lacking in carvings, the Mahayana religious sculptures represent a rather formalized imagery.
Cave 10 is not only the oldest but also the largest excavation at Ajanta, and the second largest in India. The cave is about 97 feet long and 41 feet wide with 39 pillars. It is apsidal in design. The inscription at the front of the cave points to an early decade of the second century B.C. The paintings in this cave are of special interest as examples of Indian art. Like the other caves, the paintings in cave 10 depicted stories from the Jatakas, the large body of Buddhist literature in the Pali language from the Theravada tradition. In the case of cave 10, the paintings show illustrations from only two of the Jatakas, the Sama Jataka and the Cchhaddanta Jataka.
One of the most beautiful caves at Ajanta is cave 16, a vihara excavated during the second phase of construction. The caves of the second phase date from the supremacy of the Vakatakas and Guptas. (The Vakataka empire arose in the central Deccan Plateau in India about 250 A.D. The Vakatakas promoted literature and the arts. They were allied to the Guptas by marriage.) The inscription on cave 10 indicates that Varahadeva, the minister of the Vakataka king, Harishena (about 475-500 A.D.), dedicated the cave to the
Buddhist sangha, a gift for the “best of ascetics.” There are significant paintings in cave 16: a painting of the Buddha’s nativity story, started in cave 2, continues on the right wall of cave 16; the painting on the left wall is the famous “The Dying Princess.” The Jatakas depicted in cave 16 are the Hasti Jataka, the Maha-Ummaga Jataka Number 546, and the Sutosoma Jataka Number 537.
Cave 1, an excellent example of a vihara, with exquisite interior paintings, was excavated in the late fifth century A.D. This cave is noteworthy for several reasons. Two gracious bodhisattvas, Padmapani and Vajrapani, stand at either side of the richly decorated doorway. On the wall of the rear corridor are painted images of Padmapani and Vajrapani, the former, lotus flower in his hand, exhibiting a calm demeanor stemming from compassion for all beings. In cave 1 the face of the huge Buddha image changes expressions depending on the direction of the light. If light hits the right side of the face, the Buddha smiles. If light hits the front of the face, the expression is unaffected. And if light hits the left side, the Buddha shows displeasure.
The large Buddha images in the caves have different features depending upon the tradition from which they stem. Any cave containing a large Buddha sitting in the meditation position, a bodhisattva sitting on either side, was built by Theravada monks. On the other hand, any cave containing a large Buddha sitting with feet down (the chair position) was built by Mahayana monks. In either case the hands are in the same position, i.e., the gesture of teaching, Dhammacakra Mudra, both hands being in front of the breast, the tips of the index fingers and the thumbs touching.
The ceilings of some of the caves are quite spectacular. Some ceilings have paintings that give the appearance of the wind blowing through fabric to create waves. In cave 19 the beautifully ribbed ceiling features various murals showing the Buddha at different periods of his life. (This is to say nothing about the other lavish features of this cave: the lovely carved façade with its Buddha figures, the large arched window, the many Buddha images inside the prayer hall, and the painted panels on the walls.)
So the Ajanta temple caves not only afford the opportunity to see amazing carvings, sculpture, and paintings, but also provide the occasion for learning a good deal about the Buddha’s life and teachings.
By Phramaha Thanat Inthisan, Ph..D.
Edit By Duwayne
29 September 20, 2005
The Ajanta temple caves were carved from solid rock. These caves, an inspiring expression of Indian art from the middle ages, are considered one of the wonders of India and are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The caves are located in the Inthriyathari Mountains about sixty-two miles from the city of Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra. The caves were carved from volcanic lava at a site where a volcano once erupted. Great patience and skill were needed for the monks to carve these caves from the rock. It took almost 800 years to do so. The caves were excavated in two phases, the first from the second century B.C. to the second century A.D., the second phase from the fifth to the seventh centuries A.D. There are thirty caves arranged in the shape of a horseshoe extending for a length of over four miles. There is a walkway to the top peak.
The Chinese pilgrim Huien-Tsang wrote about the Ajanta temple caves and made illustrations. According to Huien-Tsang the caves originally came into being as follows: the architect of the caves was Ajahn Jorijalo, a arahant of southern India. When his mother died he learned that she had already been reborn. He hoped to find her in order to preach the Dhamma to her. One day when Ajahn Jorijalo was on his alms round, milk flowed from the breasts of one woman giving food to him. Her family was upset about her and thought she was an evil person. The arahant, however, was quite aware of the karma of her previous life. He knew the woman had been his mother in her previous life. So he preached a sermon to her to enable her to reach Enlightenment. He wanted to show his gratitude to his mother, so he built her a temple (sangkaram) at the mountain.
The temple (temple cave 10 in actuality), about 100 feet high, was carved out of the face of the mountain. The walls were covered with paintings of the history of the Lord Buddha and the bodhisattvas from birth to Nirvana. The paintings were framed with sculptures. According to Huien-Tsang there were two stone elephants at the entrance to the sangkaram. There still are to this day.
So many caves were built by human hands, by the hands of monks who told stories through their carvings on the walls of the caves. The stone carvers achieved perfection (parami) through their work. Their craftsmanship was very difficult to achieve. Even the pillars are varied and unique. The carvings and sculptures in the Ajanta caves are thought to represent the beginning of classical art in India.
The paintings in the Ajanta temple caves were done on dry mud-plaster using a tempera technique. (Fresco painting, on the other hand, is usually understood to be the application of water colors to wet plaster.) In this technique the pigments of color are tempered (cf. the Latin, temperare, mix, regulate) with an emulsion and thinned with water. In a true tempera application egg yoke is used as the emulsion (hence, “egg tempera”). In the Ajanta caves tempera was applied over a layer of natural materials spread over the stone. The natural materials, consisting of a mixture of clay, cow dung, and rice husks, were a centimeter thick (about four tenths of an inch). A thin smooth coat of lime was spread over the natural materials, and the tempera applied to this. Natural products were used to make the pigments. For example, green earth pigment (terre verte), an organic pigment composed of celadonite and glauconite, was used by the Ajanta monks for their murals, whereas the ancient Egyptians, for example, used copper frits on their papyrus rolls (a frit being a partly fused mixture using fluxes, which promote fusing of the metal). A wide variety of tones were used so that the images were given depth. The monks first outlined the figures with red or black freehand brush strokes. These guiding strokes can sometimes be seen under the layer of color, so that a double outline is visible. This feature is characteristic of the Ajanta caves as well as of early Tibetan temples. The tempera technique, in short, has been used from very ancient times right up to the Italian painters of the early Renaissance—from the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Mycenaean Greeks, and the Chinese, to the Christians in the catacombs, to the medieval Italian painters in the thirteenth-and-fourteenth-century Byzantine tradition like Giotto, right up to the early Renaissance depth painters like Botticelli (circa 1500). Nonetheless, it appears that the tempera technique of mural painting, which became so widespread later in Asia, originated with the monks of the Ajanta temple caves.
The Ajanta caves, moveover, represent both the Theravada (Hinayana) and the Mahayana Buddhist traditions. The thirty caves are divided into two types: five of the caves are chaitya-grihas (stupa halls, prayer halls) (numbers 9, 10, 19, 26, and 29); the rest are viharas (residence halls, monasteries). (In Indian architecture, the chaitya-griha, or chaitya, was a circular chamber, a stupa, combined with an outer rectangular hall to accommodate the congregation. As time went on the wall between the stupa and the hall was removed to create a hall with an apse at one end.) The oldest caves are chaityas 9 and 10 and viharas 8, 12, 13, and 15A. These caves, the first phase, represent the Theravada tradition. The remainder of the caves, the second phase, represents the Mahayana tradition: 3 chaityas (cave numbers 19, 26, and 29 not complete) and 11 viharas (cave numbers 1, 2 4, 6, 7, 11, 15, and 20 through 24). Whereas the Theravada excavations are all but lacking in carvings, the Mahayana religious sculptures represent a rather formalized imagery.
Cave 10 is not only the oldest but also the largest excavation at Ajanta, and the second largest in India. The cave is about 97 feet long and 41 feet wide with 39 pillars. It is apsidal in design. The inscription at the front of the cave points to an early decade of the second century B.C. The paintings in this cave are of special interest as examples of Indian art. Like the other caves, the paintings in cave 10 depicted stories from the Jatakas, the large body of Buddhist literature in the Pali language from the Theravada tradition. In the case of cave 10, the paintings show illustrations from only two of the Jatakas, the Sama Jataka and the Cchhaddanta Jataka.
One of the most beautiful caves at Ajanta is cave 16, a vihara excavated during the second phase of construction. The caves of the second phase date from the supremacy of the Vakatakas and Guptas. (The Vakataka empire arose in the central Deccan Plateau in India about 250 A.D. The Vakatakas promoted literature and the arts. They were allied to the Guptas by marriage.) The inscription on cave 10 indicates that Varahadeva, the minister of the Vakataka king, Harishena (about 475-500 A.D.), dedicated the cave to the
Buddhist sangha, a gift for the “best of ascetics.” There are significant paintings in cave 16: a painting of the Buddha’s nativity story, started in cave 2, continues on the right wall of cave 16; the painting on the left wall is the famous “The Dying Princess.” The Jatakas depicted in cave 16 are the Hasti Jataka, the Maha-Ummaga Jataka Number 546, and the Sutosoma Jataka Number 537.
Cave 1, an excellent example of a vihara, with exquisite interior paintings, was excavated in the late fifth century A.D. This cave is noteworthy for several reasons. Two gracious bodhisattvas, Padmapani and Vajrapani, stand at either side of the richly decorated doorway. On the wall of the rear corridor are painted images of Padmapani and Vajrapani, the former, lotus flower in his hand, exhibiting a calm demeanor stemming from compassion for all beings. In cave 1 the face of the huge Buddha image changes expressions depending on the direction of the light. If light hits the right side of the face, the Buddha smiles. If light hits the front of the face, the expression is unaffected. And if light hits the left side, the Buddha shows displeasure.
The large Buddha images in the caves have different features depending upon the tradition from which they stem. Any cave containing a large Buddha sitting in the meditation position, a bodhisattva sitting on either side, was built by Theravada monks. On the other hand, any cave containing a large Buddha sitting with feet down (the chair position) was built by Mahayana monks. In either case the hands are in the same position, i.e., the gesture of teaching, Dhammacakra Mudra, both hands being in front of the breast, the tips of the index fingers and the thumbs touching.
The ceilings of some of the caves are quite spectacular. Some ceilings have paintings that give the appearance of the wind blowing through fabric to create waves. In cave 19 the beautifully ribbed ceiling features various murals showing the Buddha at different periods of his life. (This is to say nothing about the other lavish features of this cave: the lovely carved façade with its Buddha figures, the large arched window, the many Buddha images inside the prayer hall, and the painted panels on the walls.)
So the Ajanta temple caves not only afford the opportunity to see amazing carvings, sculpture, and paintings, but also provide the occasion for learning a good deal about the Buddha’s life and teachings.
By Phramaha Thanat Inthisan, Ph..D.
Edit By Duwayne
29 September 20, 2005
posted by Dr.Handy Inthisan at 5:42 AM
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