Ajanta CavesIn 1819, a group of British soldiers on a hunting expedition chanced upon the Ajanta caves, lying in the horseshoe-shaped ravine of a river some 200 miles northeast of Bombay. Ranging in date from the second century BC to the sixth century AD, the paintings and sculptures that they found there now rank among the world's most important cultural treasures. Since the rediscovery of the caves, numerous attempts have been made to photograph the murals and sculptures accurately, but these works of art were created using the glow of lamps and candles, not the harsh light of modern professional photography. Now, in The Ajanta Caves, using long exposures that pick up natural ambient light, Benoy K. Behl captures some of the finest works of Buddhist art in all their natural luminosity. The artists who created the Ajanta caves were early followers of the Buddha, and they sought an isolated haven where they could meditate in peace. What is unique about the paintings is not their variety, nor the skill displayed in their composition, but their humanity; the men and women of this world look upon each other with expressions of infinite caring. |
Contents
Preface and acknowledgments | |
The impact of Ajanta on Asian | |
APPENDIX | |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
Ajanta caves ancient antechamber Archaeological Survey artists Avadana back wall beautiful Benaras bhikshu Bodhisattva Brahmin Buddha Buddhist caves Campeya carved Cave 17 ceiling cells Chaitya chapel colour Cuttack Daghopa decorated depicted detail Dhritarashtra elephant Elephanta Ellora entrance excavated exquisite feet figure of Buddha front aisle front wall Harisena Hinayana inches India Indraprastha inscriptions interesting Irandati Jataka is painted King Mahajanaka King Sibi left wall left-hand wall lotus magnificent Mahajanaka Jataka main hall main shrine merchants minister monkey Naga King Nalagiri Nanda ogresses OPPOSITE ornaments Padmapani painter paintings of Ajanta palace scene photographs pillars previous births Princess Purnaka rear wall right-hand wall rock rock-cut royal Royal Asiatic Society sanctuary Sankhapala Saudasa sculpture seated seen shown Sibi Jataka side sixth century square Stella Kramrisch story Survey of India Sutasoma translated by Dr Tushita Vajrapani Varahadeva verandah Vidhurapandita vihara Vishnudharmottara visited Visvantara Jataka wall of Cave Yaksha