Ajanta Caves facts for kids

A view of the Ajanta Caves from afar.

Another view showing the entrance to one of the caves.

The Ajanta Caves are a group of about 30 amazing caves found in the Indian state of Maharashtra. These caves are very old and were carved into a huge rock cliff. They are one of the most visited places in India, often explored along with the nearby Ellora Caves.

In 1983, the Ajanta Caves were named a UNESCO World Heritage site. This means they are very important to the world's history and culture. The caves are in a beautiful valley, about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the town of Ajanta.

Buddhist monks lived in this valley for a long time. They were there from around 200 BCE (Before Common Era) to about 700 CE (Common Era). These monks used some of the caves as temples for worship. Other caves were used as homes or monasteries where they lived and studied. All the caves are close to a river that only flows during the Monsoon season.

Many of the most important caves at Ajanta are famous for their beautiful paintings. These paintings show stories from the life of Buddha and Buddhist teachings.

If you want to visit the caves, the closest train station is in Jalgaon, about 77 kilometers (48 miles) away. Most tours start from the city of Aurangabad, which is about 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the south. These tours often visit both the Ajanta and Ellora cave systems.

What are the Ajanta Caves?
- Who Built the Ajanta Caves?
  - Monasteries and Temples
Amazing Art and Paintings
- What Do the Paintings Show?
  - Styles of Painting
- Sculptures in the Caves
Discovery and Preservation
- Protecting a World Treasure
Images for kids
See also

What are the Ajanta Caves?

The Ajanta Caves are a series of rock-cut caves. This means they were carved directly out of a large rock cliff. They are located in a horseshoe shape around a small river. The caves were created in two main periods. The first period was around the 2nd century BCE. The second period was much later, from the 5th to 7th centuries CE.

Who Built the Ajanta Caves?

Buddhist monks and artists created these caves. They used simple tools to carve out the rock. It must have taken many years and a lot of effort to make such detailed caves. The caves served different purposes for the monks.

Monasteries and Temples

Many caves were viharas, which were monasteries or living quarters. Monks would live, study, and meditate in these caves. They often have a large hall with smaller rooms for the monks.
Some caves were chaitya-grihas, which were prayer halls or temples. These halls usually have a stupa, a dome-shaped structure, at one end. The stupa was a place for worship.

Amazing Art and Paintings

The Ajanta Caves are most famous for their incredible paintings and sculptures. These artworks are some of the best examples of ancient Indian art.

What Do the Paintings Show?

The paintings mostly show stories from the Jataka tales. These are stories about the previous lives of the Buddha. They teach important lessons about kindness, generosity, and wisdom. The artists used bright colors, often made from natural minerals and plants.

Styles of Painting

The paintings at Ajanta are known for their detailed and lifelike style. They show people, animals, and plants in a very natural way. The artists used a technique called fresco-secco. This means they painted on dry plaster, not wet plaster like traditional frescoes. This allowed them to work more slowly and add more detail.

Sculptures in the Caves

Besides paintings, the caves also have many beautiful sculptures. These include statues of the Buddha in different poses. There are also carvings of gods, goddesses, and other figures from Buddhist stories. The sculptures are often found on pillars, walls, and around the entrances of the caves.

Discovery and Preservation

The Ajanta Caves were forgotten for many centuries. They were hidden by thick jungle until they were rediscovered in 1819. A British officer named John Smith found Cave 10 while hunting. He saw the entrance to the cave and explored it.

Protecting a World Treasure

Since their rediscovery, efforts have been made to protect and preserve the caves. The paintings are very delicate and have faced challenges from time, weather, and human activity. Today, special care is taken to make sure these ancient artworks last for future generations. Visitors must follow rules to help protect the caves, like not touching the paintings.

Images for kids

Cave 19, Ajanta, a 5th-century chaitya hall.
Panoramic view of Ajanta Caves from the nearby hill
Cave 9, a first-period Hinayana-style chaitya worship hall with stupa but no idols
Name and date inscribed by John Smith after he found Cave 10 in 1819
Cave 24; the Ajanta Caves were carved into a massive rock on the Deccan plateau
Cave 4: a monastery, or vihara, with its square hall surrounded by monks' cells
Painted ceiling depicting Life circle of Lord Buddha
Buddhist monks praying in front of the Dagoba of Chaitya Cave 26
Ajanta Caves panorama with cave numbers. The caves are numbered from right to left, except for the later discovered cave 29, located high above Cave 21. Also, cave 30 is located between caves 15 and 16, nearer the river bed (cave invisible here). Chaitya halls are boxed (9, 10, 19, 26), and minor caves are indicated by a smaller type.
Front of Cave 1
The frieze over the frontage of Cave 1 front shows elephants, horses, bulls, lions, apsaras and meditating monks.
Colonnades with high-reliefs in the veranda
Cave 4: The Buddha in a preaching pose flanked by bodhisattvas
Ajanta Cave 10 dedicatory inscription
The vihara brick monastery facing the caves at Ajanta. The cells were built around a stupa set on a central platform.
a detail: original left, copy by Lady Herringham (1915) right
Dancing girl in Ajanta fresco; a 2012 photograph (left) and Robert Gill's 19th-century copy
Copy of an Ajanta painting, in Musée Guimet, Paris. Part of a mural probably relating the conversion of Nanda, Cave 1.
Reproduction of The Adoration of the Buddha, cave 17, Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur, India
Upper part of the so-called "Persian Embassy Scene", with detail of the foreigners.
A foreigner in Sasanian dress drinking wine, on the ceiling of the central hall of Cave 1, likely a generic scene from an object imported from Central Asia (460–480 CE) The men depicted in these paintings may also have been Bactrians, at that time under Hephthalite rule.
Cave 17: many foreigners are included as devotees attending the Buddha's descent from Trayastrimsa Heaven
Cave 12 plan: an early type of vihara (1st century BCE) without internal shrine
Cave 1 plan, a monastery known for its paintings
Cave 6: a two-storey monastery with "Miracle of Sravasti" and "Temptation of Mara" painted
Cave 16: a monastery featuring two side aisles
Cave 10: a worship hall with Jataka tales-related art (1st century BCE)
Cave 9: a worship hall with early paintings and animal friezes (1st century CE)
Cave 19: known for its figures of the Buddha, Kubera and other arts (5th century CE)
Cave 19: another view (5th century CE)
Cave 2, showing the extensive paint loss of many areas. It was never finished by its artists, and shows Vidhura Jataka.
Cave 17 verandah doorway; eight Buddhas above eight couples
Section of the mural in Cave 17, the 'coming of Sinhala'. The prince (Prince Vijaya) is seen in both groups of elephants and riders.
Hamsa jâtaka, cave 17: the Buddha as the golden goose in his previous life
Cave 13
Sibi Jataka: the king undergoes the traditional rituals for renunciants. He receives a ceremonial bath.
The Bodhisattva of compassion Padmapani with lotus
The Vajrapani
Kinnara with kachchapa veena, part of Bodhisattva Padmapani painting in Cave 1.
Ajanta Cave 1 Group of foreigners on the ceiling
Cave 2 fresco above the right door shows Buddha in Tushita heaven
A scene from Vidurapandita Jataka: the birth of the Buddha
The artworks of Cave 2 are known for their feminine focus, such as these two females
The Miracle of Sravasti
The most intact painting in Cave 6: Buddha seated in dharma-chakra-mudra
Painting showing the Mahayana devotional worship to the Buddha
Buddha in the upper level, deer below and apsaras above (artificial lighting)
Bhagwan Buddha
Cave 7 plan (Robert Gill sketch, 1850)
Cave 7: Buddhas on the antechamber left wall (James Burgess sketch, 1880)
Buddhas on the antechamber's right wall
The shallow corridor before the shrine
Buddha statue on the porch of Cave 9
The apsidal hall with plain hemispherical stupa at apse's center
Pillar paintings
Cave 9: fresco with Buddhas in orange robes and protected by chatra umbrellas
Cave 10, condition in 1839
The Buddha in long, heavy robe, a design derived from the art of Gandhara
Later painting with devotional figures, on pillars and ceiling
Paintings of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on the arches
Cave 13
Cave 14
Cave 15
Cave 15A
Interior of cave 15A
The conversion of sensuality-driven Nanda to Buddhism, left corridor
Palace scene fresco, right corridor of Cave 16
The Buddha in asceticism stage, getting sweet milk-rice from Sujata
Manushi Buddhas painting in Cave 16
Cave 16: king paying homage to the Buddha
Vessantara Jataka: the story of the generous king Vessantara
Shaddanta Jataka: six-tusked elephant giving away his tusks
Painting depicting "Darpana Sundari", a lady with a mirror
The Buddha in Cave 17 sanctum
Musician with Alapini Vina (far left), next to Indra.
Cave 19 plan suggests that it once had a courtyard and additional artwork
Nagaraja in ardhaparyanka asana, with his wife holding lotus and wearing mangalasutra
The nave has 15 pillars with Buddha reliefs
Buddha paintings in the side aisle of Cave 19
The Buddha on Lion throne
The sanctum has two Nagarajas on the side as guardians.
The Buddha of Cave 21
Cave 22: inside hall
Cave 23: inside hall
Sophisticated pillars of Cave 24 with embedded loving couples; evidence of parallel work
Cave 26 plan as completed. The etchings suggest the original plan was more ambitious.
The sculptured dagoba (stupa) in the worship hall. It has 36 carved panels.
Cave 26, left aisle wall: Mahaparinirvana of Buddha, or Dying Buddha
Buddhist vihara cell structure at the recently excavated brick monastery at Ajanta
Coin of Western Satrap Visvasena (293–304), found in the excavations at the monastery
Coin of Byzantine Theodosius II (402–450), found in the excavations at the monastery
Terracotta plaque of Hindu goddess Mahishasuramardini found on the site
Cave 2, ceiling: foreigners sharing a drink of wine
Cave 1, ceiling: another Persian-style foreign group, one of the four such groups (one now missing) at the center of each quadrant of the ceiling
A servant from Central Asia, Cave 17.
Cave 17: foreigners attending the Buddha
Cave 17: foreigners on horses attending the Buddha
Lady in blue dress with tiara, of possible "Persian origin"."