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Ajanta Caves near Aurangabad, India

Jan 31, 2010Shanti Mahadevan

Ajanta Caves are one of the most magnificent Buddhist caves and are situated at a distance of approximately 100 km from Aurangabad and 40 km from Jalgaon city of Maharashtra State, India. Since 1983, Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s greatest historical monument. Most visitors explore the Ajanta Caves in conjunction with Ellora Caves that is nearby.

History of Ajanta Caves

Ajanta Caves are a series of 29 Buddhist cave temples and were carved in the 2nd century out of a horseshoe-shaped cliff along the Waghora River. In ancient times each cave was accessed from the riverfront. Now a terraced path connects the caves. These caves are numbered from east to west from 1 through 29. Of these 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29 are chaitya-grihas (prayer halls) and the rest are viharas (monasteries). The aim behind the construction of Ajanta Caves was to provide a shelter and praying place for Buddhist monks who were spreading the principles of Buddhism in the world.

Rediscovery of Ajanta Caves

A viewing platform across the Waghora River provides an excellent view of Ajanta Caves. The area is beautiful and this was why the Buddhist monks chose this site for their spiritual pursuits. They used the caves as prayer halls and monasteries for nine centuries. Thus these caves that were excavated around 200 BC were abruptly abandoned and fell into oblivion in 650 AD in favor of Ellora, until they were rediscovered by a British tiger-hunting party in 1819.

Some British soldiers were out hunting in the Deccan Plateau, and one of them saw a horseshoe rock from a height. The cave’s entrance increased his curiosity and thus the hunting party ventured across the ravine of the Waghur River. They discovered the caves against which were bush, earth, shrubs and stones. They informed the Government about their finding and the archaeologists began to excavate them.

Of the 29 caves, five were temples and 24 were monasteries and supposed to have been occupied by some 200 monks and artisans. All the rock-cut caves had paintings right from 2nd century BC on ceilings, inner walls and verandahs, and they are some of the most beautiful masterpieces of world art.

The caves have also been found to be ornamented with scenes that depict semi-mythological history. Some are based on Greek and Roman compositions. Some others resemble Chinese style. But however, the majority of them are based on Indian style. The paintings show heavy religious influence and centre around Buddha, Bodhisattvas, incidents from the life of Buddha and the Jatakas.

Paintings in The Dark Caves of Ajanta

It was believed that the Buddhist monks painted and sculpted in Ajanta caves. Perhaps the Hindu craftsmen of the lower caste had accepted Buddhism. They scooped caves from the 1st century A.D. and evolved practical ways of working in the dark. The torch stick was smeared with vegetable oil and used for lighting. This apart large mirrors were used to reflect sunlight in to the caves whose walls were prepared for painting.

How Paints Were Made

The colors used in the wall paintings were made from pebbles and vegetables found on hillside. Different colors of pebbles were crushed, ground and mixed with glue. And the main colors used were ochre, yellow ochre, brown ochre, black, white, lapis lazuli (blue) and red. Green was made by mixing lapis lazuli with Indian yellow ochre.

Technique of the Indian Wall Painting

The Indian wall painting in Ajanta Caves was a layer of clay mixed with cow dung and powdered rice hunk which was first applied to the chipped rock surface. When dry, a second coat of lime plaster was applied with a trowel. The lines were then drawn in pink, brown or black colors filled with big brushes made from the hair of squirrels’ tail.

Why Ajanta Caves Were Scooped in the Deccan Plateau?

Expert scholars, learned men, pilgrims, and tourists from the world have visited the Ajanta Caves. And in unison every one wondered why the caves were scooped out on this horseshoe rock in the middle of the Deccan Plateau.

Late Prof. D.D. Kosambi who was a great scholar suggested that all the caves in the Western Ghats from Shudhaghar through Karla to Ajanta are located on the crests of an ancient trade route - from Arabian Sea in to the Deccan. This may be one of the reasons for the carving in the Ajanta rocks as there were Mandis or trade centers of Deogiri and Jalgaon nearby.

The second reason may be the texture of the granite rock which was in layers. This could be easily cut with what-ever instruments were available to the craftsman at that time.

The third reason is that Buddhist monks preferred to live in seclusion. But they went for alms to villages, towns and trade centers, and always returned to the ravines and gorges to be away from the crowds.It is best to view the caves in the reverse to avoid crowds.

Timings

Timings are from 9.00a.m. to 5.30p.m. (IST). Closed on all Mondays.

Getting There

By Air: Aurangabad is the nearest airport for Ajanta Caves and can be reached from New Delhi and Mumbai.

By Rail: Jalgaon is the nearest railway station is Jalgaon and connects to many cities in India. From Jalgaon, one can take a taxi to Ajanta.

By Road: Taxis and auto-rickshaws are available at Aurangabad airport and Jalgaon railway station.

The First Planned City of India is dotted with Gardens, Boulevards

Jan 27, 2010Raj Kaushik

The best thing about Chandigarh, arguably the only planned city in India, is that it is different from other Indian cities which are developed haphazardly with slums and encroachments jutting out every here and there.

Bounded by rivulets on its two sides, Chandigarh is nestled in the foothills of Shivalik range of the Himalayas. It has an aesthetic landscape where nature seems to blend with the man-made buildings and infrastructure.

There are trees planted along all avenues with boulevards snaking under the plantation. The boulevards separate the roads from the clusters of identical two-storied flats. The flats are built around large parks to provide clean environs to the residents.

Chandigarh – City of Gardens

There are gardens all around rendering sobriquet of ‘city of gardens’ to Chandigarh.

There are two Botanical Gardens in the city and a third one is under development. The first is located between Sukhna Lake, a man-made lake which boasts of the longest channel for rowing in Asia (it was venue for an Asian Rowing Championship) and Rock Garden where figurines created out of waste are a major attraction.

The other garden is located in Punjab University. The gardens are set up to promote research, education and awareness about floral heritage among the citizens of Chandigarh. The third, being developed, is spread into 176 acres of land and will have 15 botanical sections.

There is a Medicinal Garden where 75 varieties of medicinal trees jostle for space with 55 species of therapeutic shrubs. The garden is spread in over 40 acres of land.

The city boasts of a Bamboo Valley where trees of silver oak and mango share space with other flora. National Mission of Bamboo Application (NMBA) of India has set up some bamboo structures in the valley to promote use of bamboo in the construction industry.

Rose Garden of Asia

Chandigarh hosts the largest Rose Garden of Asia where 17,000 plants representing some 1600 varieties of roses have been planted. The garden celebrates a ‘festival of gardens’ around Valentine’s Day every year.

Besides these, the city also has a Terraced Garden, a Topiary Park where animal figures are created out of bushes and creepers, a Hibiscus Garden and a Garden of Fragrance where different aromatic plants flourish.

Poetry on Rocks

But the biggest attraction in the city is Rock Garden where shapes of animals, birds, men and women are placed on slopes built from cement slurry, clinker and broken crockery. The shapes created out of shards of bicycles, tricycles, pottery, electric molds, bangles, glass, sanitary fittings, steel scrap and hundreds of other waste materials stand in different postures depicting different facets of life.

There are bands of musicians holding flute, drum and other instruments. There are followers of Backus, the God of wine, pouring drinks into their glasses. And there are rural women walking with multiple water pots balanced on their heads.

The human, animal figures and fossil images in the Garden show how life finds its replication in nature. Developed by Nek Chand, a former Road Inspector of Public Works Department (PWD), the Garden is divided into three phases.

Besides the figures, the Garden proudly showcases cascading falls, high fortresses and majestic gorges. Nek Chand (86) has created similar Gardens in many other countries including United States of America and Germany.

Apart from the Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake, a 3 kilometre long artificial water body which was created by Corbusier out of a seasonal stream and Sukhna sanctuary are major sources of attraction in Chandigarh. Hundreds of people turn up at the lake to enjoy rowing sailing, kayaking, water skiing and yachting every day. The Sukhna sanctuary hosts exotic birds like Siberian duck, crane and storks.

According to 2001 census, Chandigarh houses around one million people. Bounded by Panchkula (Haryana) and Mohali (Punjab), the city accommodates governments of Haryana and Punjab States. Besides being a Union Territory (UT), it is home to the UT administration.

• How to Reach Chandigarh: The city is around 240 kilometres from New Delhi and connected to it by an 8-lane national highway. The airport in Chandigarh, being integrated with upcoming Chandigarh International Airport, has flights connecting to New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Jammu, Goa and Srinagar.
• When to visit: Chandigarh has a moderate climate and can be visited at any time of the year.
• Where to Stay: The city has good five star as well as budget hotels.