ajanta paintings

Paintings of Ajanta Caves

(2nd century BC to 6th century AD)

S. Swaminathan([email protected])

Introduction

Ajanta is a great art treasure.Its caves are a fine example of rock-cut architecture.

They contain some exquisite sculptures, and more importantly,

paintings of unrivalled beauty.

In these caves can be seen the development of Art

from early phase of the pre-Christian era, reaching classical perfection,falling off into mannerism and then to baroque ornamentationand, finally, lapsing into artistic decline

Ajanta is a storehouse of information about the period:

costumes,textile design,Jewellery,musical heritage,social order,court etiquette,ideas of beauty and morality,customs and its sense of wit.

The paintings tell us about the technical aspects of their art:

preparation of the ground,execution of the painting itself,with sense of perspective, space division, colour-overlay, preparation of the pigments,harnessing of the visual and tactile senses,pacing of the narrative.

The Ajanta paintings are the earliest surviving paintings of

India, religious or secular

The spirit of Ajanta influencedthe religious art of the whole of Asia

In fact, the Ajanta painting tradition is truly an indigenous religious art tradition.

The Buddha and His disciples were Indians. The Indian artist, while depicting Buddhist themes, did not feel the need to make a translation from foreign to familiar terms

Location of Ajanta

The caves of Ajanta are situatedin the district of Aurangabadin the state of Maharashtra. Ajanta is about 100 km from Aurangabad and about 60 km from Jalgaon.

An extended stay at Aurangabad would be rewarding,

as the equally important monuments of Ellora are

only about 30 km away.

The possible explanation forthe monastic establishment at Ajanta

is its proximity to the ancient trade routes.

Ajanta

Mumbai

Aurangabad

It is about 100 km from Aurangabad

Mumbai

Period of Excavation

First PhaseHinayana period (2nd - 1st centuries BC)

The earliest caves (Nos. 8, 9, 10, 13 & 15A)were excavated during the rule of the Satavahana-s, who had their capital at Pratishthana.

During their rule there was brisk trade and commerce within the land and with the Mediterranean world,

which brought in enormous riches.

Second PhaseMahayana period (4th – 6th centuries AD)

The second phase was of greater artistic activity at Ajantaand the remaining caves were excavatedduring the rule of the Vakataka and the Chalukya dynasties from the 4th to the 6th centuries AD.

Patronage

The rulers, the Satavahana-s, the Vakataka-s and the Chalukya-s, were themselves Hindus, but allowed Buddhism

to flourish in their territory.But there was no direct royal help

during almost the entire period.But the rich mercantile community,

organising itself into guilds, had provided the requisite patronage.

The entire Ajanta chapter is a tribute to the religious tolerance

of the Hindu rulers.

Re-discovery

The precious caves remained abandoned till 1817

when they were discovered by a company of British soldiers.

Soon pioneer archaeologists were attracted to the caves that were lost to civilization for more than 1200 years.

James Burgess and William Gill made copies of some of the paintings and exhibited in London in 1866.Unfortunately almost all of these perished in a disastrous fire.

Later some copies were made by Griffiths and Lady Herringham, and published in 1896 and 1915.

Under the patronage of the Nizam, the then ruler of Hyderabad, Yazdani edited and published two volumes on the paintings in 1933.

Rahula and Yashodhara meet the Buddha, Cave 17

Reproduction by Herringham

Mural

Layout of the Caves

The caves, lying deep inside the Sahyadri Hills, are hollowed out on the deep face of a horseshoe-shaped hillside with the Waghora river

flowing through it.

Layout

2

17

6

1

16

9

10

23

27

19

The caves are aligned in a horseshoe form.

There are a total of 29 caves.

The caves are numbered not on the basis

of period of excavation, but on their physical location.

The general arrangement was not pre-planned, as they sprang up sporadically in different periods.

Views of the Caves

Here are some enchanting views of the caves

Undoubtedly suited for uninterrupted meditation and contemplation

A narrow pathway connects the caves to go on a pilgrimage

to the highest achievement of Indian Buddhist art

Rock-cut Architecture

The caves of Ajanta offer an instructive field for the study of the evolution of

rock-cut architecture.

It is unique in the sensethat it can be viewed

as an enterprise of a sculptor.

The cave architecture, at Ajanta and elsewhere, betrays the strong influence

of wooden construction.

The team was probably drawn from the profession of carpenters, with goldsmiths and ivory-carvers

joining hands with the sculptors.

The evolution of rock architecturetook place during two periods: the Hinayana period

of the pre-Christian era and the later Mahayana period.

Hinayana period (2nd - 1st centuries BC)

During the first phasethe sculptural activitywas limited.

Mahayana period (4th century onwards)

In the second phase sculptural compositions filled the facade, the shrines, etc.

Side by side with the excavation of new caves the existing Hinayana caves

were suitably modified.

Mahayana period – facade embellished

Chaitya-s – TemplesVihara-s - Monasteries

The caves of Ajanta are divided into

The entrance hasa prominent

arched windowto light

the interior

Relief sculpturesadded in

Mahayana period

Chaitya-Facade

Arched roof

Vaulted nave

Pillaredaisle

Stupa

Chaitya - Interior

Interior consists ofa long vaulted navewith a pillared aisle

on either side

Far end is semicircular

with a stupa at its centre

Hall

Shrine

Cells

Entrance

Vihara - Plan

It hasa congregation hall

with cellsfor the monks

on the inner sides

Later a shrinewas excavatedat the far end

A colossal statue of the Buddha is seen in the sanctum

On the left to the entrance is the famous painting of Padmapani

Vihara - Interior

Cave 2

Vihara - Interior

Sculpture

During the first phase, the Buddha was not shown in the human

form, but only through symbols,

such as,the Wheel, the Bodhi Tree and the Feet of the Buddha. But during the Mahayana period sculptures and paintings of the Buddha and the Bodhi-sattva-s,

were added.

The sculpture of Ajanta belongs

to the great art-tradition of contemporary India.

Sculpture from the 4th century AD, is remarkable for

its grace, elegance, restraint and serenity.

Maha-pari-nirvana, Cave 26

Naga King and his consort

Cave 19

However, the general character of the sculpture of Ajanta tends towards a certain heaviness of form, and is considered inferior

to the Gupta images.

Hariti Shrine, Cave 2

Sculpture at the EntranceCave 17

Every one of the sculptureswas plastered and painted.

But most of the plasteris now lost.

Themes

Jataka Stories

The subjects of the paintings are mostly fromthe jataka-s, Buddhist mythological stories of the previous lives of the Master

Jataka Stories

This is a scene from the story of King Shibi, who offered his own flesh to save a pigeon.

A Scene from Shibi Jataka, Cave 1

Episodes from the life of the Buddha form the next important

theme.

Life of the Buddha

Life of the Buddha

Gautama was meditating under the Bodhi tree to attain enlightenment.

Mara, the Evil Spirit, made many attempts to dislodge Gautama from His resolve.

Mara sent his three most beautiful daughtersto distract Him.

When this failed, Mara summoned his demons

to dislodge Gautama. But Gautama was calm and unmoved.

Mara’s Episode, Cave 1

On the way to Her parent’s houseMayadevi gave birth to Siddharta in Lumbini grove of shaala trees.

Brahma, Indra and other gods descendedto pay their respects to the new-born.

Life of the Buddha

A Scene from The Birth of the Buddha, Cave 2

Solo PicturesReligious

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, Cave 1

There area few compositions

of divinities,but these are notpart of any story.

Solo PicturesSecular

A few of the solo-pictures do not seem to have any religious import.

Lady doing her make-up, Cave 17

The paintings in the last category are decorative and secular.

They fill up all the available space on the ceilings, pillars, etc.

Decorative

Hilarious themes

Mythical birdsClown

Geometrical design

Animals

Floral design

Composition

Composition of the paintings over the period

is an interesting study.

Earlier phase (2nd - 1st centuries BC)

The Raja with his Retinue, Cave 10

Narration arranged isin the form of long canvass,

at eye level,progressing from episode to episode

Later phase (4th century AD onwards)

Later the paintings overspread the entire surface of the

wall. In these paintings narratives proceed

from scene to scene and from act to act

harmoniously. The scenes are not separated into frames that might

disturb the concentration

of the viewing devotees.


An interesting feature of the narration,

from the earlier times,is that a strict chronology of events

was not followed. In many panels scenes are

grouped according to the location of the

scenes. The composition of Matriposhaka Jataka,

is typical of this period.

Bodhisattva born as Matri-poshaka, a white elephant, lives in a forest

taking care of his blind parents.Once the elephant rescues a man, and

requests him not to divulge his presence to any

one.

Matri-poshaka JatakaCave 17

Scene 1

Matri-poshaka Jataka, Cave 17

The ungrateful person, who was rescued by Matri-poshaka, gives out his whereabouts to the king.

Scene 1

Scene 2 The captured elephant is being led to the city.

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3The king supervises feeding the elephant,

but the elephant refuses to eat. Before the brooding elephant some food in a large

vessel and sugarcane are lying about.

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Scene 4

The released animal is walking majestically towards the forest.

Scene 1

Scene 2

Scene 3

Scene 5

Scene 4

The happy reunion.

Many panels suggest that the Ajanta artists used specific conventions for separating scenes and acts

from each other using suggestive punctuation

marks.


Maha-janaka Jataka, Cave 1

In a palace scene pillars may separate the scenes

A gateway may mark the end of an

act

Painting Technique

Indian wall-paintings are done on dry wall, called fresco secco

In the Westpainting is doneon a moist wall,

called fresco buono

Indra’s Descent, Cave 17

Last Supper, da Vinci

It might have taken centuriesfor the Indian artist

to develop the technique of preparing the wall for painting, and

also to select suitable pigments with an appropriate binder.

The importance of thesemay be seen from the fact that

the Ajanta paintings have withstoodthe ravages of time

with remarkable resilience.

We have no clue to the technique of preparing the wall.

But the treatises which were written later based on the Ajanta

experience give us an idea.

For example, Vishnu-dharmottara (7th

century) explains the process of

preparing the base plaster and the finish coat, called

‘vajralepa’.

Preparation of Wall

It consisted of powdered brick, burnt conches and sand, mixed with a molasses and decoction of Phaseolus

munga.To this were added

mashed ripe bananas or tree resins and the pulp of bilva fruit.After drying it was ground down and

mixed with molasses and water until became soft for coating.

Preparation of Wall – Base Plaster

Buffaloskin was boiled in water until it became soft.

Sticks were then made of the paste and

dried in the sunshine. When colour was mixed with this,

it made it fast, andif white mud was mixed with

it, it served as a perfect medium

for coating walls.

Preparation of Wall – Finish Coat

Pigments used

Most pigments were minerals available locally:red ochre, vivid red, yellow ochre, indigo blue, chalk white, terra verte and green

Only Lapis lazuli was imported

Lamp-black was the only non-mineral

Painting Sequence

A preliminary sketch in iron ore was drawn while the surface

was still slightly wet,followed by an under-painting

ingrey or white.

On this surface the outline was filled in

with various colours, proceeding from

underpaintingto the appropriate colours

of the subject.

Painting Sequence

Finally, when dry, it was finished off

with a dark outline for final definition and

a burnishing process to give lustre to the surface.

Painting Tradition

The paintings of Ajanta are the earliest representation of Indian painting tradition

available to us. Even the earlier paintings at

Ajanta, of the 2nd century BC,

demonstrate a sophisticated technique,

achievable only after centuries of experimentation. Unfortunately we have no trace of suchexperimentation.

To get to know this great tradition one may turn to the treatises written

based on the Ajanta experiment.

Treatises were codified based on Ajanta experience

Brihat-samhita (6th century)Kama-sutra (6th century)Vishnu-dharmottara (7th century)Samarangana-sutra-dhara (11th century)

‘Six Limbs of Painting’according toKama-sutra,

a well-known treatise on erotics rUpabhedapramANAni

bhAvalAvaNya yojanam sAdRShyam vArNikabhangam

iti chitram shaDAngakam

rUpa-bheda differentiation pramANam proportionbhAva suggestion of mood lAvaNya-yojanam infusion of

grace sAdRShyam resemblancevArNika-bhangam application of

colour

‘Eight Limbs of Painting’according to

Samarangana-sutra-dhara,a treatise on Architecture

bhUmi-bandhana preparation of surface

varnika crayon workrekha-karma outline worklakshaNa features of facevarna-karma colouringvartana-karma relief by

shadinglekha-karma correctiondvika-karma final outline

Producing Depth &

Relief

From very early times, Indian artists have been using a variety of techniques to produce an illusion of the third dimension.

A Monastery, Shibi Jataka, Cave 17

Perspective

An example ofexpert rendering

in normalperspective

Multiple VisionA technique of painting scenes from different angles and merging them, similar to the modern technique called Multiple Vision.

Details of the farthest pavilionwould be lostin normal perspective

Three separate shots dissolvedto show action

in all the pavilions

Lustration & Renunciation, Cave 1

Multiple Vision

A Ceiling Painting, Cave 1

Kshaya vriddhi (‘loss-and-gain’)Fore-shortening

Two main techniques were employed

animnonnata - flat stylenimnonnata - relief by shading

Using Colours

Animnonnata

A flat style that uses dark colours for the subjects in the foreground against a background

of lighter shades, or vice versa

Shibi Jataka, Cave 1

Nimnonnata

Vartanashading

techniqueschoosing

judiciously tones and coloursUjjotana

a technique ofadding highlights

Vartana

There were three main variations

A high-relief techniqueto produce an illusion of the third dimension

Patraja (‘shading-like-the-lines-of-a-leaf’)

Illusion of depth is achieved by drawing lines to follow contours of the body

Binduja (dot-and-stipple method)

Illusion of depth is achieved by painting dots with variations in concentration of dots

Illusion of depth is achieved by executing tonal variation and avoiding hard-lines

Airika (a wash technique)

Children playing with a Hen, Cave 2

Ujjotana (adding highlights)

Highlights in the form of white patches added on the cheeks, the chin, the nose, etc to get a three-dimensional effect

A woman in a Palace Scene, Cave 1

Chaya-tapa (‘shade-and-shine’)

Bodhisattva Padmapani, Cave 1

A techniquethat produces

a chiaroscuro effect

Use of Blue Colour (Lapis Lazuli)

In the later period lapis lazuli, a blue, imported mineral came to be used as an effective medium for creating visual depth,contrasting with

warm red and brown tones

Simhala Avadana, Cave 17

Painting &

DanceUnique relation

in Indian art

The relationship between painting and dance is a remarkable unique Indian tradition

Vishnu-dharmottara (7th century AD)stresses the impossibility of attaining

a proper expression of feelingin painting

without the knowledge of dance

There are paintings from the earlier as well as the later periods of Ajanta art

that depict dance scenes.

Here is an unaffected dancer from pre-Christian era

Raja with his Retinue, Cave 10

Dancing had become highly stylised in the later period.

A dancer with full complement of accompanying musicians is from Cave 1.

The vibrant grace of pose and gesture invest her with

a swaying, flower-like rhythm and movement.

Tribhanga is a very important feature in the depiction of the human form.

The whole figure is structured around three main axes.

Tribhanga Pose

It gives the body an S-shaped rhythm, a fluency of line, which, together with the appropriate gestures of hands, conveys a wide range of expressions.

Tribhanga Pose

Painting &

SculptureAnother unique

relation

Most impressive is the way the two art-forms,painting and sculpture,co-exist at Ajanta,complementing each other.

Cave 6

The sculptures were fully painted, though most of the paint

has disappeared.

Entrance, Cave 17

Symbolismin Indian Art

The parts of the body should resemble, and be based on, similes drawn from plant or animal-life. Sensuous lips are ripe and full like the bimba-fruit;fingers likened to lotus-petals.

Here the allusion is not to the form

but to the content,

to the mood. It is a suggestion and not realistic likeness.

Bodhisattva Padma-paniCave 1

His divine face hasthe shape of an egg

Bodhisattva Padma-paniCave 1

His shoulders are like massive domed head

of an elephant, and arms like

its tapered trunk

His hands are supple like flower-bud

gomukha khanda (cow's-head)

simha-kati (body-of-a -lion)

Other Metaphors

pada-pallava (feet-like-leaves)

charana-kamala (feet-like-lotus)

Body Postures(sthana-s)

rijva-gata(Strict profile)

to parshva-gata(Frontal)

In Indian tradition the postures of the body were identified

and distinct terms were used to cover the entire range

It is possible that this was greatly influenced by the contemporary dance traditions.

Shankha-pala Jataka, Cave 1

A woman listening to a sermon is

an excellent study

The three women are in different postures;

another example of elegant poses

Mural Painting, Cave 17

Chempayya Jataka, Cave 1

This is particularly so with the depiction

of women shownin congregation

Draughtmanship

Drawings with a free flowing sweep of the brushto depict oval faces, arched eyebrows,aquiline noses, andfine sensitive lipsare aplenty on the walls of Ajanta

Shad-danta Jataka, Cave 17

A relaxed monkey,

consisting basically of

one masterlysweep of

brushstarting

beneath chinand

forming a curveoutlining head

and spineand terminating

beneath knee-cap

Portrayal of Women

Portrayal of Women

Women of Ajanta are the art connoisseur’s delight.The Ajanta artist has painted

the whole range of women characters:

ladies of court and their maids, dancers,

common women in their house-hold chores

The woman was the theme that gave full scope for expression of creative genius for the Ajanta artist.

The artist had succeeded in reproducing

the soft roundness of her breasts,

the curves of her hips,the turn of her head,

the gestures of her hands and

the slanting glance of her eyes.

‘Clothed in Nakedness’

It is intriguing thatmost of Ajanta heroinesare depicted naked, or in near nudity, while all the others in the same sceneare fully clothed


Janapada-kalyaniConversion of Nanda, Cave 1

Queen ShivaliMaha-janaka Jataka, Cave 1


Maya-devi, Siddharta’s MotherNativity of the Buddha, Cave 2


The Dying PrincessConversion of Nanda,

Cave 16

Nanda’s wife,the central figure,

is nakedwhereas all

the maids arefully clothed.


Many heroines of Ajanta are dark complexioned. Perhaps contemporary taste included black as an attractive complexionfor skin.

‘Black is Beautiful’

Consort of Padma-paniPadma-pani Panel, Cave 1


The Dying PrincessConversion of Nanda, Cave

16


Black ApsarasAdoration of the Buddha PanelCave 17



Shakti Pandara, Avalokitesvara Panel, Cave 1

A Village Woman attending CoronationVishvantara Jataka, Cave 17

Common People

Woman braiding HairVishvantara Jataka, Cave 17

Common People

We wonder why very sensuous women were painted at all

in these religious caves

Depiction of Movement

Vishnu-dharmottara says:"He, who paints waves,flames, smoke, … according to the movement of the wind, is a great painter."

Ajanta painters took great pleasure

in composing scenesinvolving movement

with great zest.

In the Scene when Indra and His entourage descent to worship the Buddha. the floating clouds, the swaying foliage and

apsaras and gandharvas flying swiftly through the air,

produce a fantastic movement

Indra’s Descent, Cave 17

A mad elephant was let looseon the Compassionate Oneby his envious half-brother.

Elephant on the rampage is shown in great dynamism

Subjugation of Nalagiri, Cave 17


This charging bull isanother example in depicting movement

Fighting Bulls, A painting on a pillar, Cave 1

Humour

The royal household is immersed in a religious discourse by Bodhisattva. Here is shown a servant stealing fruits.And a servant-maid has noticed the mischief.

Champeyya Jataka, Cave 1

Attendant

Hariti shrine, Cave 2

On the pedestal of Goddess Hariti is shown a class-room.While the students in the front rows are attentive to the teacher, the backbenchers are enjoying themselves by chasing a ram!

Musical Heritage

In Ajanta, we can study the development of our musical heritage.

We can see both the continuity and change over the period.

A variety of musical instruments have been depicted.

Musical Heritage

Musical Heritage

Queen Shivali arranges A programme of dancewith a full compliment of accompanying musicians in order to draw the king towards worldly pleasures

Small Drum

VerticalDrum

Cymbals

Flute

Flute

Dancer with Musicians, Maha-janaka Jataka, Cave 1

Musical Heritage

The abdicated king isgiven a royal send offwith musician formingpart of the procession

Mridangam

Flute

Conch

King abdicating, Maha-janaka Jataka, Cave 1

Kinnara playing Kachchapa Vina, Padmapani Panel, Cave 1

Musical Heritage

Musicians form the entourageWhen Indra descends To worship the Buddha

Musical Heritage

Descent of Indra, Cave 17

Cymbal

Cymbal

Flute

Drum

Contemporary Fashion

Ajanta is treasure-house

to study contemporary

fashion in textiles,

jewellery, etc.


The girl sports an upper-garment with rows of geese printed on it

The glorious tradition of ikkat,

a resist-dye method,where yarn is dyed

to produce a design, leading to today’s

Patola and Pochampalli,was initiated here.


The tailored dress of dancera proof of high degree

of sophistication inboth fabric design and

dress-making



Sophisticated ornaments can be seenon the dancer

Arsi, Thumb-ring setwith a Miniature Mirror

Karna-pushpam, Ear-rings of elaborate Design

Sharashri, Head-dress of Gold-beads

and Pearls

Hairdress

Ceiling Paintings

For reasons unknown, the Ajanta artist did not paint religious themes on the

ceilings. But expert workmanship is

evident. These drawings have taken

the texture of a carpet, brilliantly woven, captivating the eyes and filling the senses.

In lighter vein

Geometrical

Flowers Animals/Birds

One of the themes is the huge concentric circle enclosed in a square, with number of flowery bands within it.

Cave 2

Hariti shrine, Cave 2

Ceiling Painting

Main hall, Cave 17

Another popular theme consists of a number of

rectangular panels filled with decorative motifs

framed by smaller rectangles with representations

of fruit and floral forms.

Ceiling Paintings

Animals & Birds

Reclining BullsCave 17

Cave 1

Ceiling Paintings

In Lighter Vein

Cave 1

Cave 2

The most intriguing and least expected in a religious shrine are the scenes depicting a king in his harem

and friends enjoying each other's companywith wine!

Persian Harem, Cave 2

Friends drinking, Cave 2

Phases of Ajanta Art

In most forms of art one may discern a gradual and natural progression.

A lack of experiencein making and employing tools,

in narration, etc, is generally the beginning.

This is often called archaic style.

Then follows a mature phase, a phase of quiet dignity without excesses; and the artists prefer

studied dignity and what they call 'good taste'.This is the classical phase

Repetition of ideas, called mannerism

is perhaps the next stage to be followed

by over-ornamentation,a style known as baroque.

It is then the decline

By sheer chance, the development of style from the beginning to its final decline

can be witnessed within the physical limits of Ajanta.

In this respect Ajanta has no parallel.

Pre-Classical Period (2nd-1st Centuries BC)

Classical Period (4th-5th Centuries AD)

Period of Mannerism (5th-6th Centuries AD)

Baroque Period (Mid-6th Century AD)

Period of Decline (End-6th Century AD)


Pre-classical Period (2nd-1st centuries BC)

The earliest paintings of Ajanta of the 2nd-1st century BC cannot be classified as archaic.

Pre-classical Period

These paintings present lively men and animals.

They belong tothe transitional period that was to carry them on to the classical phase.


Shown here is a king with his retinue going towards a temple.

Raja with Retinue, Cave 10

The composition is characterised by restricted use of colours, mostly brown in

various tones. Most characters are shown in the three-fourth profile, a monotony avoided in the

later periods.

Shad-danta Jataka, Cave 10

Only a line sketch of this grand composition,

belonging to the same period is availableto appreciate the lost glory.



Classical Period (4th-5th centuries AD)

Classical Period

This style means perfect mastery of the subject.

Everything is idealised, realism is only for creatingthings of beauty and perfection.

There is a dignity and nobility, and allowsno exaggeration, no excess, no overstatement and no dramatisation.

Votaries with offerings, Cave 2

Calm, unobtrusivemodelling and the gentle,

swaying movementof the characters

bear the stampof the classical period.

A wash technique,called airika

creating an illusion of

depthis employed

here

Classical Period

The Prince is informing his wife of his impending exileand is offering wine

to steady her.

The posture of the couple andthe sombre colours,make the painful scenestriking.

Belonging to the classical period, the scene brings out the emotional atmosphere effectively.

Visvantara Jataka, Cave 17


Period of Mannerism

(5th-6th centuries AD)

Vidhura-pandita Jataka, Cave 2

Period of Mannerism

A departure from classicism can be seen

in monotony in the sitting posture and in the overcrowding.


Baroque Period (Mid-6th century AD)

Baroque is a style of over-ornamentation and exaggeration.

Baroque Period

Action takes place in a maze of pillars in royal pavilions.

The eye-slits are stretched out of proportion.Men look effeminate and

women exaggeratedly feminine. Both men and women wear

excessive ornaments.

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, Cave 1

Baroque Period

The Bodhisattva is heavily bejewlled and His eyes elongated out of proportion.


Baroque Period


Period of Decline (End-6th century AD)

Artistic standards were in the decline from the end of the 6th century.

Period of Decline

Mercifully this phase did not last long, for the Ajanta caves were soon

abandoned forever, for reasons unknown.

The poses are now exaggerated with heavy heads, elongated eyes, thin legs, superfluous hand gestures, etc.The composition is too crowded. The execution becomes careless

Period of Decline

Women in a Palace Scene, Cave 1

Two Buddhas, Cave 10

The figures of the Buddhas came

to be enclosed in separate cubicles

Period of Decline

Miracle at Shravasti, Cave 2

This presentation of figures of the Buddhas,

lacks refinement and finish.

Period of Decline

An Unidentified Scene, Cave 1

In place of shapely palms and Sensitive fingers,they are stiff and simplified.The face lacks expression.

Period of Decline

Inspirationat Home

The paintings of Ajanta, in style, in type and in technique, exerted their influence on Indian art for centuries to follow.

The paintings in the Bagh caves in Ellora, in Sittannavasal, are perpetuation of the refinement of the great murals of the Ajanta caves.

Bagh in Madhya Pradesh

SittannavasalIn Tamilnadu

Inspiration Abroad

With the spread of Buddhism to Indian AsiaBuddhist mural decoration initiated at Ajanta diffused into these parts.

The paintings of Sigiriya in Srilanka, of Bamiyan, of Turfan in China and of Horyu Kondo in Japanare regional variation of the Ajanta idiom

Sigiriya, Srilanka Turfan, China

The end of the Ajanta epoch

The creative period of Ajanta endedas mysteriously as it had begun.

Some of the unfinished caves,which were quite obviouslyabandoned unexpectedly,

show that the emigration took placeover a comparatively short span of

time.

Ananda Coomaraswamy says ..The frescoes of Ajanta preserve an infinitely precious record of the golden age of Indian painting.

This is the picture of a halcyon age, where renunciation and enjoyment are perfectly attuned, an art at once of utmost intimacy and reserve.

Every gesture springs in godlike fashion directly from the natural dispositions of the mind ……….

Thank you….

Contact me through: [email protected]

Find my details at: www.pudukkottai.org/swaminathan

S. Swaminathan

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.pudukkottai.org/swaminathan

Conceived and presented by

S. Swaminathan([email protected])

www.pudukkottai.org/swaminathan

with assistance fromR. Murugapandian & M. V. Kiran

Feb, 2005

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.powershow.com/view.php?id=2799096&t=Ajanta+Paintings

ajanta paintings

Education