The Ajanta Caves are located near Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India and contain 30 caves carved into basalt cliffs dating from the 2nd century BC to the 6th century AD. The caves include both chaitya worship halls and vihara living quarters for monks, with the latter making up most of the caves. The walls are adorned with well-preserved paintings depicting Buddhist religious scenes and stories, which are a significant artistic achievement. While tourism facilities have been developed and staff trained in conservation, further management is needed to control development pressures and analyze monitoring data to safeguard the site's heritage values into the future.
6. The incredible caves of Ajanta are dedicated exclusively to Buddhism. There are around 30 caves here and are divided into 'Chaitya-Grihas' (stupa halls) and 'Viharas' (dwelling halls). Around five of these caves (9, 10, 19, 26 and 29) are 'Chaitya-Grihas'. The rest of the caves are 'Sangharamas' or Viharas (monasteries). The caves 1, 2, 16 and 17 are important from the art point of view. They are great pieces of art compared to the contemporary art world .
12. The Wall-Paintings The walls of the caves are covered with mural painting suggesting a fair state of preservation from decay. The scenes depicted are mostly didactic, devotional, and ornamental. The themes are from the Jataka stories (the stories of the Buddha's former existences as Boddhisattva), life of the Gautam Buddha, and those of his veneration .
13. What are Murals ? Mural painting refers to paintings on walls, ceilings, or other large permanent surfaces. This style of painting can be traced back to prehistoric times such as the paintings on the Caves of Lascaux in southern France. The term Mural came into being with the Mexican muralista art movement. These caves are adorned with sculptures of animals, guards and deities, and paintings of courtly life and Buddhist tales. Amidst these are several sculptures of Buddha .
14. The Buddha before his wife Yashodhara and son Rahul. Scenes from the Jataka tales
15. Staffing and Training Needs โข 40 staff. Considered sufficient to monitor the site. โข The staff need training in conservation techniques, computer applications, photo documentation, GPS, GIS, cartography
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