Rajesh Kumar Singh - An Introduction to the Ajanta Caves: With Examples of Six Caves

By the same author:

Anonymous (ed.), Ajanta: A Digital Encyclopaedia [CD-Rom] (New Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, 2004).

Rajesh Kumar Singh, The Early Development of the Cave 26-Complex at Ajanta, South Asian Studies 28.1 (London: BASAS and Routledge, March 2012), 3768.

Buddhabhadras Dedicatory Inscription at Ajanta: A Review, in Pratnakirti: Recent Studies in Indian Epigraphy, History, Archaeology, and Art, 2 vols, Professor Shriniwas S. Ritti Felicitation volume, ed. by Shriniwas V. Padigar and Shivanand V. (Delhi: Agam Kala Prakashan, 2012), vol. 1, pp. 3446).

Ajanta Cave No. 26: Oriented to the Sunrise of Dhamma Day (Asadha Purnima), and Inaugurated on 14 Asadha, 384 Shaka Era (27 June 462 CE)? in Buddhist Rock-cut Caves of India, ed. by Shrikant Ganvir, in press).

Numerating the Shailagrihas at Ajanta, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai (2009) 82, 12226.

Ajanta Cave 8: Historiography and Fresh Look on the First Mahayana Shailagriha, Jnana-Pravah Research Journal (2009) 12, 6880.

Some Problems in Fixing the Date of Ajanta Caves, Kala, the Journal of Indian Art History Congress, ed. R. D. Choudhury (Guwahati and Delhi: Indian Art History Congress and Sharda Publishing House), 14 (2009), 6985.

Role of Stella Kramrisch in Indian Art History, East & West (2003) 53.14, 12748.

Copyright collective work Rajesh Kumar Singh 2012
Copyright text Rajesh Kumar Singh, except where indicated otherwise
Copyright photographs Rajesh Kumar Singh

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, stored in a retrieval system, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission from the publisher and the author.

ISBN 978-81-925107-1-2

Text on the painted themes: Rajesh Kumar Singh (assisted by Sandeep Joshi and Snehal Tambulwadikar), based on the descriptions of the painted themes as given in the following publications, courtesy of Dieter Schlingloff and Monika Zin:

Dieter Schlingloff, Studies in the Ajanta Paintings, Identifications and Interpretations (Delhi: Ajanta Publications, 1988).

A Guide to the Ajanta Paintings, vol. 1, Narrative Wall Paintings (Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1999).

Ajanta: Handbook of the Paintings, 3 vols (New Delhi: IGNCA, in press), vol. 1.

Monika Zin, A Guide to the Ajanta Paintings, vol. 2, Devotional and Ornamental Paintings (Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 2003).

Photography: Rajesh Singh
Photo editor: Rajesh Singh
Text editor: Soma Bhattacharjee
Design: Rajesh Kumar Singh assisted by Kartikeya Singh
Design review: Purushottam Kumar

Printed and bound in India by
Concord Enterprise, Baroda (www.concordprinting.in)

Published by
Hari Sena Press Private Limited, Vadodara, India

eBook conversion: RS Technomedia, Delhi (www.rstechnomedia.com).

Cover: The Buddha handing over the alms bowl to son Rahula while
Yashodhara looks on in despair, Cave 17, Ajanta

Contents

An introduction to the

AJANTA CAVES

The site of the Ajanta caves

Waterfall at Ajanta

Saptakunda (Seven Tanks) at the source of the Ajanta waterfall

Map showing rock cut cave sites in India (source: Fergusson and Burgess 1880)

Acknowledgements

Primary research. Various permissions were availed by the author from the Archaeological Survey of India for on-site research and photo documentation from time to time. The author would like to thank the Director Generals office in New Delhi and the Office of the Superintending Archaeologist, Aurangabad Circle; in particular Dr V. N. Prabhakar, Dr Shivanand V., Dr D. Dayalan, Mr M. Mahadevaiah, and Shri Vilas Jadhav.

Secondary research. Prof. Dieter Schlingloff of Germany and Prof. Monika Zin of University of Munich permitted me to consult thier researches and identifications of the themes of the Ajanta paintings from the following sources inter alia: (1) Dieter Schlingloff, Studies in the Ajanta Paintings, Identifications and Interpretations (Delhi: Ajanta Publications, 1988); (2) A Guide to the Ajanta Paintings, vol. 1, Narrative Wall Paintings (Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1999); (3) Ajanta: Handbook of the Paintings, vol. 1 (New Delhi: IGNCA, in press); and (4) Monika Zin, A Guide to the Ajanta Paintings, vol. 2, Devotional and Ornamental Paintings (Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 2003). When I sent the final proof to Prof. Schlingloff he obliged me with numerous corrections, and also provided critical comments and important suggestions, not all of which I have been able to incorporate.

Prof. Emeritus Walter M. Spink of University of Michigan has shared a lot of information with me in the last fifteen years of my association with him. He has provided me with a lot of critical feedback, and also permitted me to reproduce his revised time chart (September 2012), defining features, and door modes from Ajanta: History and Development, 6 vols (Leiden: Brill, 20052012).

Map and ground plans. The maps and ground plans are reproduced or adapted from James Fergusson and James Burgess, The Cave Temples of India (London: W. H. Allen, 1880; repr. Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 2000).

Individuals. Shri Devendra Ingle, Asstt. Prof. M. J. College, Jalgaon has helped in a number of ways. Sayyed Abid, Sayyed Asak, Sayyed Rajek, and Sayyed Azhar of Hotel New K. P. Park, Phardapur, sponsored boarding and lodging during the authors three-month field tour in the summer of 2012. Soma Bhattacharjee has edited the typescript. Sandeep Joshi and Snehal Tambulwadikar assisted in drafting the text on painted themes. Sandeep Joshi checked the typecript and placed diacritical marks. Bipin Patel troubleshot many problems. P. Qazi helped on many fronts. Parents and Padma Singh provided invaluable support. To each one of the above the author would like to express deep gratitude.

Finally, I should like to dedicate the work to Rekha Rodwittiya, Surendran Nayar, and Shri Vilas Jadhav.

General information

Monument Status	World Heritage Monument
Location	203311 N, 75420 E
Indhyadri, Sahayadri range of Western Ghats (slopes), Deccan plateau, Maharashtra, India
Architectural type	Monolithic rock-cut architecture
Religion	Buddhism
Period	Earlier phase: circa late 3rd. c. BCEcirca 1st. c. BCE (reign: the Satavahana dynasty)