Ajanta Paintings

Ajanta is the greatest center of arts of Gupta period, discovered by a British soldier in 1819. It is situated at the border of Khandesh, a region in Maharashtra. These Buddhist temples and monasteries form a majestic semicircle  amphitheatre.

Combination of three arts, architecture, sculpture  and paintings, Ajanta  is well known for its creativeness and artistic excellence.

Paintings on the walls and ceilings of the caves are the real beauty of Ajanta. Once most of the caves finished and unfinished were adorned with paintings. They are now faded. Paintings fall into different periods from BCE200-650AD. Caves 1,2,16 and 17 are a vivid record of the life of that period. Three main themes dominate the paintings:

Ceilings, though less known, are a wealth of artistic designs and patterns. It contains legends, beliefs and socio-political environment.

Ornamental paintings create impression of wooden painted rooms inside stone caves. It shows three levels of decorated beams intersecting at right angles. Thickest – decorated with motifs in squares., thinner- show variety of meanders and thinnest  show monochrome  geometrical patterns. Green, pink, yellow, brown, white and black colours  are used in paintings Background is mostly in darker tint alternatively on red and black ground. The result is a symphony of colours in full bloom

Paintings are decorative  and symbolic in nature. There are endless patterns – woven with flowers, creepers, fruits, birds, beasts, human and semi divine beings. All the paintings permeated with naturalness and grace. Artists bear stamp of perfect command over it. It gives a heavenly look to the caves. All cave ceilings  look alike at the first view. But there is difference in theme and tales with appropriateness of design and motifs. we shall see them, cave by cave. Most of the painting are gone in all caves but enough remains exist to show  arrangement of paintings.