Ajanta Caves, Aurangabad. Audience. Prerequisites. Copyright & Disclaimer. Ajanta Caves

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2 Ajanta Caves, Aurangabad Ajanta Caves are the rck-cut caves which mainly belng t the fllwers f Buddha. There are many paintings, idls, and ther structures that were built in 2 nd century BCE and the cnstructin was dne till 480CE r 650CE. There are tales depicted in pictures which are related t the rebirth f the Buddha. This tutrial will let yu knw abut the histry f the caves alng with the structures present inside. Yu will als get the infrmatin abut the best time t visit it alng with hw t reach the caves. Audience This tutrial is designed fr the peple wh wuld like t knw abut the histry f Ajanta Caves alng with the interirs and design f the caves. The caves are visited by many peple frm India and abrad. Prerequisites This is a brief tutrial designed nly fr infrmatinal purpse. There are n prerequisites as such. All that yu shuld have is a keen interest t explre new places and experience their charm. Cpyright & Disclaimer Cpyright 2017 by Tutrials Pint (I) Pvt. Ltd. All the cntent and graphics published in this e-bk are the prperty f Tutrials Pint (I) Pvt. Ltd. The user f this e-bk is prhibited t reuse, retain, cpy, distribute, r republish any cntents r a part f cntents f this e-bk in any manner withut written cnsent f the publisher. We strive t update the cntents f ur website and tutrials as timely and as precisely as pssible, hwever, the cntents may cntain inaccuracies r errrs. Tutrials Pint (I) Pvt. Ltd. prvides n guarantee regarding the accuracy, timeliness, r cmpleteness f ur website r its cntents including this tutrial. If yu discver any errrs n ur website r in this tutrial, please ntify us at cntact@tutrialspint.cm. 1

3 Table f Cntents Ajanta Caves, Aurangabad... 1 Audience... 1 Prerequisites... 1 Cpyright & Disclaimer... 1 Table f Cntents AJANTA CAVES OVERVIEW AJANTA CAVES HISTORY AJANTA CAVES ARCHITECTURE AJANTA CAVES DESCRIPTION OF CAVES AJANTA CAVES HOW TO REACH? AJANTA CAVES NEARBY PLACES

4 1. Ajanta Caves Overview Ajanta Caves Ajanta Caves are situated in Aurangabad city in Maharashtra state f India. The caves were built in tw phases. The first phase started frm arund 2 nd BCE and the secnd phase started frm arund 480 r 650 AD. The caves mainly belnged t Buddhists as there are many pictures, idls, and pictrial tales that tell abut Buddha and his rebirth. Aurangabad Aurangabad city is lcated in Maharashtra state and was named after the Mughal emperr Aurungzeb. There are many mnuments in and arund the city which the peple can visit. Malik Amber was the funder f the city in Malik Amber was the Prime Minister f Shah Nizam wh made Khadki as his capital. 3

5 After the death f Shah Nizam in 1626, Fateh Khan succeeded him and changed the name f the place t Fatehnagar. In 1633, Mughals captured Fatehnagar and Daulatabad and Aurungzeb was appinted as the vicery f Deccan. Aurungzeb made Fatehnagar his capital and renamed it as Aurangabad. Visiting Hurs Ajanta Caves are pened fr the turists frm 9:00am t 5:30pm. Turists can visit the caves n all days except Mndays. It takes arund tw t three hurs t visit the caves as there are many things t see inside. Tickets Turists have t pay an entry fee in rder t visit the caves. Indian turists have t pay Rs. 10 whereas the freign turists have t pay Rs If turists want t carry still camera r vide camera, they have t pay Rs. 25 extra. There is n charge fr the children wh are belw 15 years. Best Time t Visit The perid f June t March is the best time t visit the caves as the climate is very pleasant. In the remaining mnths f April and May, the temperature is very ht and the climate is unsuitable fr visiting the caves. Where t Stay? The city nearest t Ajanta Caves is Aurangabad which is arund 99km away. There are mre than 200 htels in Aurangabad that range frm inexpensive htels t expensive fivestar htels. Sme f these htels are as fllws: Five-Star Htels 4

6 VITS Htel lcated at Statin Rad Welcm Htel Rama Internatinal lcated at Chikhalthana Ambassadr Ajanta lcated at Cidc Vivanta by Taj Aurangabad lcated at Rauza Bagh Fur-Star Htels Lemn Tree Htel lcated at Chikhalthana Keys Htel The Aures lcated at Kranti Chwk Htel Windsr Castle lcated at Cidc The Meadws lcated at Mitmita Htel Gurjas lcated at Vinayak Patil s Chwk. Three-Star Htels Htel JP Internatinal lcated at Narailbag Htel Green Olive lcated at Bhagya Nagar The Manr Htel lcated at Osmanapura Kranti Chwk The Sky Curt lcated ppsite Railway Statin Htel Avn Internatinal lcated at Jalna Rad Budget r Tw-Star Htels Htel regal Plaza lcated at Bansilal Nagar Vijay Residency lcated at Cidc Htel Admiral Suites lcated at Osmanapura Htel Manmandir Executive lcated at Adalat Rad Htel Pearl lcated at Samarthnagar Cheap r One-Star Htels Htel Sparkling Pearl lcated at Cidc Htel Venkateshwar lcated at Rkadia Hanuman Clny Htel Deepali Executive lcated at Cidc Htel Indradeep Executive lcated at Statin Rad Htel Sahara lcated at Jalna Rad 5

7 2. Ajanta Caves Histry Ajanta Caves Ajanta Caves were built in tw phases and they have arund 29 caves t be seen. The caves are numbered in rder t identify them but that des nt mean that they are cnstructed in the chrnlgical rder. Caves cnstructed during Satvahan Perid The caves 9, 10, 12, 13, and 15A were cnstructed during this perid and are cnsidered as the earliest caves. These caves belng t the Hinayana sect f Buddhism. Out f these caves, cave 9 and cave 10 have Buddhist Stupas which have wrship halls and caves 12, 13, and 15A have viharas. Caves cnstructed during Vataka Perid Accrding t the histrians and varius studies, it has been fund that secnd phase f the cnstructin f Ajanta caves started during the reign f Harisena, a king f Vataka dynasty. The caves cnstructed during this perid belnged t the Mahayana sect f Buddhism. The caves that were cnstructed during this perid are 1 t 8, 11, and 14 t 29. Out f these caves, 19, 26, and 29 are chaitya grihas and rest are viharas. After the death f Harisena, cnstructin f the caves came t a halt but were in use. Thugh sme histrians say that Buddhist used the caves but n stable cmmunity was present there. Discvery f the Caves Jhn Smith discvered the caves in 1819 during his hunting campaign. While mving arund, he came t cave 10 and then asked the villagers t remve the jungle that grew arund the cave. Within a few decade, the caves became ppular due t the paintings present inside. Nizam f Hyderabad cnverted the place int a museum. 6

8 Rads were als built during his reign and turists were allwed t see the site by paying a small sum f mney. This led t deteriratin f the site but after independence, the caves came under gvernment f Maharashtra which tk measures t stp deteriratin. Histry f Paintings There are several paintings that can be fund in the Ajanta caves. Peple can mstly find Mural paintings that were made during bth the phases. Ancient paintings shw that they were made during the Satvahana perid. Sme f the caves have the paintings f Gupta perid and later. Ajanta frescs are classical paintings made n dry plaster surface. The paintings were elabrately made with distinguishing features. The ceilings f the caves were als elabrately decrated. Cave 1 has the paintings f Jataka tales which is related t previus lives f Buddha. 7

9 3. Ajanta Caves Architecture Ajanta Caves Ajanta Caves were built frm the Basalt accumulated in the frm f igneus rcks. These rcks were accumulated due t the vlcanic eruptins ccurred lng back. The wrkers carved the rck with prper planning as cracks als ccurred during the prcess. The wrkers carved pillars, rfs, and idls ut f the rcks. Alng with this, painting wrk was als dne. Turists can enter the site thrugh a gateway built between cave 15 and cave 16. The gateway is decrated with elephant and snake. Mnasteries Mst f the caves are in the frm f Viharas having drmitries attached t them. At the back side f the caves, a sanctuary was built and each sanctuary has a statue f Lrd Buddha in the center. Many ther deities are als carved n the pillars and near the large statue f Buddha. These caves were built during the secnd phase and were shifted frm Hinayana sect t Mahayana sect. Due t all these features, they came t be knwn as mnasteries. The center f the viharas are in the frm f a square having rectangular aisles n each side. There are number f small cells which can be entered thrugh the drs made up f wd. Wrship Halls The wrship halls, als knwn as Chaitya Grihas, was built in the frm a rectangle. The halls are divided int a naïve and tw aisles. The hall cnsists f a stupa and an aspe. A stupa is a hemispherical structure having the remains f Buddhist mnks and nuns while apse is a semi-circular structure having a vault r semi-dme. 8

10 Peple perfrmed circumambulatin arund the stupa which is surrunded by pillars. Sme caves have large entrances having windws thrugh which light entered the caves. The cnstructin f the wrship halls depicted the architecture f Christian church but they didn t have any chapel. 9

11 Ajanta 4. Ajanta Caves Descriptin f Caves There are arund 29 caves n the site and the descriptin f each ne is as fllws: Cave 1 and Cave 2 Cave 1 is a mnastery having a hall with 14 cells. The hall als have sanctuary and a verandah whse dimensin is 10.5 x 2.82 x 4.1m. There is a curtyard with tw cells, ne n each side. There is a statue f Buddha that is seated in the mudra f dharma chakra parivartana Cave 2 has the dimensins f 35.7 x The cave includes cells, sanctuary, and subshrines. There is a statue f Buddha wh is seated in the mudra f dharma chakra parivartan. Each sub-shrine has a painting f Yaksha knwn as Sankhanidhi and Padmanidhi. Alng with it, the figures f Panchika and Hariti can als be fund. The ceiling is painted with Jataka tales. 10

12 Cave 3 t Cave 5 Cave 3 has the dimensins f x The cave is an incmplete mnastery and nly a pillared verandah can be fund here. Cave 4 is a mnastery in square shape and has a hall, a sanctuary, and a pillared verandah. The dimensins f the mnastery is x 27.65m. 11

13 The frame f the dr is carved with Bdhisatva and eight great perils. Cave five is an incmplete mnastery whse dimensins is x 16.8m. The frame f the dr is carved in a sphisticated manner. Female figures can als be fund in the cave. Cave 6 Cave 6 is a mnastery having duble strey and has the dimensin f x 18.07m. A sanctuary and a hall can be fund n the first flr. The secnd flr has a hall with cells, sub-cells and sanctuary. 12

14 Alng with these, there is a statue f Buddha installed in bth sanctuaries. The statue shws that Buddha is teaching his disciples and fllwers. Paintings f Sravasti and Mara s Temptatin can als be fund here Cave 7 and Cave 8 Cave 7 has the dimensins f x 31.25m. The cave has a sanctuary alng with a hall with tw small verandahs. The ceiling f the hall is supprted by pillars having ctagnal shape and has eight cells. The sanctuary has a statue f Buddha preaching t his disciples. Paintings f Buddha under the presence and prtectin f Nagamuchanda is als there. Cave 8 has the dimensins f x 24.64m. It is an incmplete mnastery and is cnsidered as ne f the earliest caves. Sme prtins f the cave were ruined due t a landslide. Cave 9 and Cave 10 Cave 9 is a chaitya griha having the dimensins f x 8.04m and belngs t Hinayana sect f Buddhism. The cave has a dr with tw side windws, and a central hall. The aisles in the hall are separated by 23 pillars. The hall als has a stupa fr wrshipping. 13

15 Cave 10 has the dimensins f 30.5 x 12.2m having tw aisles n each side which are divided by 39 ctagnal pillars. There is als a stupa where the fllwers used t wrship. The paintings in the caves depict the stries f Sama Jataka and Chhaddanta Jataka. One f the paintings belng t 2 nd century BC while the ther belngs t 4 th t 8 th century. Cave 11 and Cave 12 Cave 11 is a mnastery having the dimensins f x 1735m. The cave has a hall with lng bench and six cells. The verandah in the cave is pillared and has fur cells. The statue f Buddha can be fund in the sanctuary. An incmplete stupa can als be fund in the cave. Cave 12 is a Hinayana mnastery having the dimensins f 14.9 x 17.82m. The hall has twelve cells arranged n its side. The first wall f the hall has cllapsed. An inscriptin n the wall tells that a merchant named Ghanamadada gifted this cave during the perid f 2 nd century BC t 1 st century BC. Cave 13 t Cave 15 Cave 13 is a Hinayana mnastery having a cllapsed façade and a square hall. Rck-cut beds can be fund in the three cells. These cells are lcated n each side f the hall. Cave 13 is ne f the earliest caves that was fund during excavatin. Cave 14 can be fund abve cave 13 and is a mnastery whse dimensins is x 19.28m. It is an early Mahayana Vihara which has sala bhanjikas n the crners f the drway. Cave 15 is a mnastery that belngs t Hinayana sect f Buddhism and was built in 5 th century AD. The dimensins f the cave is x 15.98m. The cave has a verandah, a hall and a shrine having many images f Buddha. Cave 15A and Cave 16 14

16 Cave 15A is the smallest cave in Ajanta. It has a central hall with three cells, ne n each side. There was an inscriptin n the frnt wall. The chaitya windw in the hall is built accrding t vedica pattern. Cave 16 is a mnastery f Mahayana sect f Buddhism. There is a painting in which it is shwn that Princess Sundari is very happy when she came t knw that her husband, Nanda, is ging t becme a mnk. Nanda was the half-brther f Buddha. Cave 17 Cave 17 is a mnastery that belngs t Mahayana sect. The caves has many paintings n the drs, walls, and ceiling. The ceiling has the paintings f musicians and maidens while paintings f Buddha, ltus petals, gddesses and ther paintings were made n the dr. One painting shws King Simhala fighting with gresses wh ate humans. Anther painting shws the flying gds with their apsaras. There are seven statues f Buddha seating with the future Buddha. Each statue is seated under a Bdhi tree. Cave 18 and Cave 19 Cave 18 is rectangular in shape having the dimensins f 3.88 x 11.66m. The hall has tw pillars having mulded bases and ctagnal shaft. Cave 19 is a chaitya griha whse dimensins is x 7.09m. 15

17 The stupa in the cave has a large statue f Buddha. There are tw images f Yakshas that and each lies n either side f the arch. The walls in the hall are painted with the images f Buddha sitting in different pstures. Cave 20 Cave 20 is a mnastery that belngs t Hinayana sect f Buddhism. The verandah f the cave has carved clumns and bracket figures. There is a hall in the cave having n clumns. Peple can g t the shrine thrugh an antechamber attached t the hall. The antechamber has tw chambers ne n each side. Cave 21 Cave 21 is a mnastery whse dimensins is x 28.3m. There is a hall with twelve cells ut f which fur cells have pillared prches. Anther feature in the hall is the twelve pillars. Alng with this, the cave has sanctuary and a pillared verandah. The sanctuary has a statue f Buddha which depicts that he is preaching t his disciples. Cave 22 Cave 22 is lcated n the left side f cave 21. The cave is a vihara having a cllapsed verandah and a hall. The hall has tw incmplete cells n left and right side. A Buddha figure can be fund inside the shrine. Cave 23 Cave 23 is a mnastery having the dimensins f x 22.52m. The mnastery has a hall with cells n its sides. Other structures fund in the cave are a sanctuary, antechambers and a verandah. 16

18 The cnstructin f the cave culd nt be finished but still the pillars inside are welldecrated. The cave als has images f naga depicted as drkeepers. Alng with this, pilasters r rectangular clumns can als be fund in the cave. Cave 24 and Cave 25 Cave 24 is a mnastery having the dimensins f 29.3 x 29.3m. The cave has a hall with a pillared verandah and a sanctuary. There is a chapel utside the verandah which is als pillared. There is a statue f Buddha having the psture f pralamba-padasana. Cave 25 is a mnastery having the dimensins f x 12.24m. The cave has a curtyard, a hall, and a pillared verandah. There are tw cells n the left f the verandah but n cells are there in the hall. Anther feature f the cave is that there is n shrine in the cave. Cave 26 Cave 26 is a prayer hall f Mahayana sect. in which a large statue f Buddha is installed. The statue shws the death f Buddha and belw it are the statues f fllwers wh are murning fr him. Abve the statue f Buddha are statues f heavenly beings wh are rejicing as Buddha is cming back. There is als a stupa in the cave having a statue f Buddha. Cave 27 t Cave 29 Cave 27 has tw streys ut f which ne is partially cllapsed. The cave is a mnastery having a hall with fur cells. Other structures in the cave are a sanctuary and an antechamber. There is a statue f Buddha in the sanctuary. The statue depicts that Buddha is teaching his disciples. Cave 28 is a mnastery and has nly a pillared verandah. Nthing much is excavated in this cave and als it is nt fully cnstructed. Cave 29 is a chaitya griha having the dimensins f 22.8 x 12.84m. The cave is lcated between cave 20 and cave

19 5. Ajanta Caves Hw t Reach? Ajanta Caves Ajanta caves can be easily reached frm Aurangabad and Jalgan cities. Aurangabad is 99km away frm Ajanta caves while Jalgan is nly 59km away. Aurangabad is wellcnnected t Indian cities by air, rail, and rad transprt. The apprximate distance f Aurangabad frm varius cities is as fllws: Aurangabad t Mumbai By air 265km By rail 253km By rad 327km Aurangabad t Jalgan By rail 273km By rad 161km Aurangabad t Hyderabad By air 433km By rail 508km By rad 540km 18

20 Aurangabad t Bhusaval By rail 272km By rad 164km Aurangabad t Nagpur By air 426km By rail 621km By rad 487km Aurangabad t Pune By air 212km By rail 426km By rad 230km Aurangabad t Manmad By rail 52km By rad 114km By Air Aurangabad has an airprt which is 10km frm the city and its name is Chikkalthana airprt. The airprt is well cnnected t Mumbai, Jaipur, Udaipur and Delhi. Peple can reach Aurangabad thrugh flights and hire a cab r take a bus t Ajanta caves. 19

21 By Train Aurangabad is well-cnnected t majr cities f India thrugh railway netwrk. Many trains f lng and shrt rutes have stppage here and peple frm varius cities can cme t Aurangabad by train and then take a bus r taxi t visit Ajanta caves. 20

22 By Rad Aurangabad bus statin prvides buses t many majr cities. The bus stand is lcated n Jalgan rad in frnt f Lemn Tree htel. The buses cnnects Aurangabad t Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, and ther majr cities. 21

23 Lcal Transprt Turists can mve arund Aurangabad thrugh aut rickshaws and lcal buses. Besides these, there are varius agencies in the city frm where turists can bk taxis fr a fixed perid f time and mve in and arund the city. 22

24 6. Ajanta Caves Nearby Places Ajanta Caves Ajanta caves is very ppular amng the turists and many f them cme frm varius places in India and abrad t visit the caves and knw abut their histry. Besides these, there are many ther places which the turists can visit nearby Ajanta caves. Sme f these places are as fllws: Kailasanatha Temple Kailasanatha Temple is a Hindu temple lcated in cave 16 f Ellra caves. The temple was built frm a single rck and depicts the Kailash parvat r Kailash hill where Lrd Shiva resides. The temple has a pyramidal structure and has images f many deities. The temple als has an image in which Lrd Vishnu has taken an incarnatin in the frm f a man-lin and fighting with a demn. Bibi ka Maqbara Bibi ka Maqbara is als knwn as Taj f Deccan. It was built by Aurangzeb in the memry f his wife Rabia ul Daurani als knwn as Dilras Banu Begum. The mausleum was built with white marble n a square platfrm. 23

25 There are fur minarets, ne each at its fur crners. A museum is als there n the rear side f the mnument which has items used in Mughal perid. Aurangabad Caves Aurangabad Caves are situated between Satara and Sihyachal muntain ranges. These caves have the temples which were built in between 6th and 8 th centuries. The temples in the caves were built n the basis f Buddhist architecture. There is a ppular shrine that is based n Sutsama Jataka. 24

26 Daulatabad Frt Daulatabad Frt is situated n a 600 feet high hill. The cnstructin f the frt is based n the frts cnstructed n grund and hills. Three walls, knwn as kts, surrund the frt s the frt is cnsidered as ne f the mst pwer frts. Bhadra Maruti Temple Bhadra Maruti Temple is lcated in a twn called Khuldabad. It is a Hindu temple where peple assemble especially during the festival f Hanuman Jayanti and Ram Navami. The idl f Hanuman is installed here in sleeping psture. On Saturdays, peple cme frm Aurangabad cme here n ft t perfrm puja. 25

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