Art Gallery : Ajanta Exhibition

Hello readers,

I am Bhavna Sosa, a student of the department of English MKBU. Our professor Dr. Dilip Barad Sir gave us task as a Sunday reading.

 

What is Ajanta Caves famous for?             

              

Ajanta caves, Buddhist rock-cut cave temples and monasteries, located near Ajanta Village,north central Maharashtra state , western India that are celebrated for their wall paintings. The temple are hollowed out of granite cliffs on the inner side of a70- foot ravine in the wagurna River  Valley  65 miles north east of Aurangabad.

       

                      UNESCO World Heritage Site

Ajanta cave

Here are some interesting facts about the Ajanta caves :

• The Ajanta caves have five Chaityas, which are basically prayer halls.
• Other caves are known as Viharas, which are monasteries with residents.
• Caves 8,9,10,12,13 and some bits of 15 are early Buddhist caves.
• The caves were first discovered in 1819, when Jon Smith a British official accidently stumbled upon the horse - shoe shaped rock while hunting a tiger.
• After studying the artefacts, if was concluded by historians and archaeologists that these caves had a connection with Vakataka dynasty.
• 20 caves were built during the Vakatak dynasty, during the reign of Harisens , and at the  end of his reign,these caves were abandoned.
• Inside the caves,you can see paintings depicting the life of Gautam Buddha and also stories from Jataka Tales.

Theme of the Ajanta paintings : 

They are found on the walls and ceiling at Ajanta . The paintings reflect different phases of Indian Culture from jain tirthankar mahaveer's birth to his ninvana in th 18th century A.D. Though the themes in these paintings are both secular and religious,they do depict some aspect of Buddhist life and rituals.

So here  I am going to share a brief experience seeing  khodidas Parmar art gallery : Ajanta Exhibition.

The art gallery is magnificent and has more over the full time dedication to real art. I loved that gallery so much as it always welcomes the new art. That gallery is really big and have more attention of the people who are looking for some  cool art. The Khodidas Parmar was also great painter and more over collection located there. I personally love that art.

Buddhisattva padmapani : 

Ajanta cave no.1 on the left side wall is a large picture of Buddhisattva Padmapani. In this picture, Lord Buddha holds the Padma in his soft fingers and stands in a calm and steady posture. Compassion is dripping from his vision . The lower eyelids give a glimpse of the mysterious peace and compassion for the world in the distance. The dedication on the crown gives glory to the beautiful face. Ornamental tiara and glittering garlands around the neck give more beauty to the face. The triangular style of standing  creates rhythm in the picture.  The drawing in the picture has become animate and effective. (Padma means Lotus and Pani means  hand.)

Boddhisattva Padmapani is perhaps the best known of the paintings in Ajanta Caves. Padmapani in Sanskrit literary translates into 'one who holds the lotus'.

Thank you!!!