AJANTA(Introduction)

The best example at Ellora is the Kailasa temple, hewed out of rock. Huge trenches were dugged to the north and south and one on east. Here the most famous sculpture is Ravana shaking Kailasa.

The rock-cut caves of Ajanta are in the form of a gigantic rugged horseshoe-shaped. There are total 30 Chaitya and Vihara caves. Some of them are unfinished, they are cave no. – 3, 5, 8, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29. These caves contain very beautiful doorways, sculpted figures carved on doorways, naga guardians as well as river goddesses. Five of them are the prayer halls and the rest are monasteries, made by the cutting of the ravine. Their floor levels are not uniform and there is no symmetry probably due to their excavation in different times.

There are two phases in which Buddha is depicted in Ajanta caves:

• Hinayana Phase
• mahayana Phase

Cave numbers 9, 10, 12, 13, and 15A were excavated during Hinayana phase. Of these, cave no. – 9 and 10 are the Chaitya grihas and cave no. - 12, 13 and 15A are Viharas. 15A was re-discovered in 1956, and is still not officially numbered. In this phase the Buddha was revered symbolically and was enshrined in the form of a stupa.

The second phase is popularly known as Mahayana phase (excavation started on the site after over three centuries). This phase is also known as Vakataka phase after the rule of the vakatakas. The caves created during the Mahāyāna phase are numbered as- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29. These caves have direct depiction of the Buddha through paintings and carvings, which is more encouraged than the previous phase. There were three chaitya-grihas excavated in the Vākātaka or Mahāyāna phase that are caves 19, 26, and 29. . Caves 19 and 26 have an object of worship in the stupa, fronted by an image of the Buddha in standing and seated positions.

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