A prince bringing offerings to Vajrapani, the Bearer of Thunderbolt, in Cave 1.
In ancient times, monks headed to the Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India for their monsoon retreats while merchants and pilgrims made stopovers to rest there. The caves were abandoned in 5th century AD and were not discovered until some 1,400 years later. Civilisations came and went and eventually, the caves were forgotten. Thick undergrowth flourished and camouflaged the caves.
In 1819, a colonial British officer named Captain John Smith, on a tiger-hunting party, stumbled upon the caves. With mankind’s rediscovery of the splendour of Ajanta, news spread and attempts were made to put Ajanta in the limelight again as well as unveil its treasures – fine mural paintings – to the world.
Save 30% for ads-free and full access now!
Gallery: Benoy K. Behl
A prince bringing offerings to Vajrapani, the Bearer of Thunderbolt, in Cave 1.
A wall painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani in Cave 1. Behl said this is one of the most graceful paintings in Ajanta. "Padmapani means Bearer of the Lotus and he brings before us the Peace of the Spirit, " he said.
Kinnara in Cave 1. A kinnara is a paradigmatic lover, a celestial musician, half-human and half-bird in Buddhist and Hindu mythology, who sings.
Abhishek (Mahajanaka Jataka, Cave 1).
A ceiling painting depicting an elephant (right) in Cave 1.
A cave mural of Pandit from Banaras (Campeya Jataka) in Cave 1.
Hermit's sermon (Mahajanaka Jataka) in Cave 1.
A ceiling painting showing men wearing socks in Cave 1.
A relief of Kirtimukha on pillar, in Cave 1. Kirtimukha is the name of a swallowing fierce monster face with huge fangs, and gaping mouth. It is a very common iconography of Hindu temple architecture and Buddhist architecture in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
A ceiling painting in Cave 1.
Ascetic (Mahajanaka Jataka) in Cave 1.
A dancing scene (Mahajanaka Jataka) in Cave 1.
King Mahajanaka and his mother.
"I photographed the paintings in all the caves at Ajanta. The ones with the most paintings are Caves 1,2, 9,10,16 and 17, ” said Benoy K Behl.
