The caves of Ajanta consist of Viharas or Monasteries and Chaitya Grihas or monument halls cut into the mountains in two phases. The monasteries are of various sizes the tallest being of 52ft. there monasteries were used by the Buddhist monks for meditating and studying Buddhist teachings. They are mostly square shaped and projects didactic, devotional, and ornamental paintings from Jataka Tales and life of Gautam Buddha, contemporary people, kings, slaves, flowers, plants, fruits, birds and beasts. There are also the figures of yakshas, kinneras (half human and half bird) gandharvas (divine musicians), apsaras (heavenly dancers) seen in several wall paintings and sculptures and also art and architecture of the 3rd AD Gupta Dynasty. The 1st, 2nd, 16th and 17th caves can be rated as the greatest artistic works.
While on a hunting expedition a British army officer, John Smith, accidentally stumbled upon the Ajanta caves in 1819. Prior to this incident the caves remained under shadows for over a millennium. The enigmatic view of the U-shaped gorge and a waterfall gushing down to form a natural pool called Saptakund, from atop hill was the place from where John Smith first saw the caves.
The caves of Ajanta can be categorized into two phases- the Hinayana Phase in which Buddha was worshipped in symbolic form and Mahayana Phase in which the idol of Buddha was worshipped.
For its Exquisite wall - paintings and sculptures that speaks volumes of the Indian yore, Ajanta has been declared as a World Heritage Site.
The caves remain open on all days except Mondays and national holidays from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm.
Getting There:
The nearest airport is at Chikalthana which is 106 kms and is directly linked to Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur and Udaipur. Aurangabad is the closest railhead and directly connected to Mumbai, Delhi, Agra, and Bhopal. Aurangabad is connected to all major cities and towns by roads. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation runs ordinary and luxury buses from here to Mumbai (392 kms)
