The story of Ajanta's 'discovery is far {better documented than that of its creation. Soot deposits on the cave walls indicate that even when they fell into oblivion, nomadic or trio;' communities may have used them for shelter. No written records, however, and no pilgrimages recalled their existence; and it was a hunting expedition led by the British captain John Smith, from the Madras Army, that accidentally stumbled on them in 1819. They were named after a small village nearby.
Naturally, there followed a great flurry of archaeological and documentation activity, led by James Fergusson who presented the first academic paper on Ajanta to the Royal Asiatic Society in 1843. He argued that the caves be preserved, and some record made of the paintings within. It is fortunate that his arguments were convincing. In the years between their discovery and the first attempts at preservation, the caves were subject to increasing vandalism. A certain petty official had even gifted away pieces of sculpture — a group of five male heads eventually found its way to an auction at Sotheby's! Two extensive projects to copy the paintings began one after the other. An army officer, Captain Robert Gill, spent over 20 years making meticulous reproductions — most of which were destroyed in a fire. Another project initiated at the cost of Rs 50,000, was led by John Griffiths, head of the JJ School of Art at Bombay. Many Of Griffiths' reproductions were also published and become available to artists and art historians around the world. This was the second time paintings of Ajanta had an international audience. The History The Ajanta excavations were begun a under the Satavahanas. Although they were not particularly active patrons of Buddhism, the merchants who prospered under their rule were — and donated generously to the artists and monks in the caves. With the decline of the Satavahanas, work at Ajanta stopped. There is little more than speculative evidence to connect the two events; however, the Deccan witnessed a great deal of conflict in the next three to four centuries, which cannot have been conducive to artistic activity. Perhaps, too, the trade route along which Ajanta was situated fell into disuse, and the caves were abandoned because monks, being entirely dependent on alms, could not afford to live in complete isolation. Eventually, with the rise of the Vakatakas, stability returned to the region. This dynasty ruled from the 5th to 7th centuries AD, and was allied to the great Gupta Empire in northern India. Once again, a prosperous trading community could afford to donate to religion. The Vakatakas' own link with Buddhism was an additional boost — Ajanta's Cave 16 is a generous gift from Varahadeva, King Harishena's minister. Contact with the Guptas meant that the monks and artists of Ajanta learnt of the philosophies and aesthetics current in the subcontinents other Buddhist centres such as Sarnath, Bodh Gaya and Mathura. The last had a very strong influence on Ajanta's sculpture. For information on Ajanta Caves Maharashtra and Ajanta Caves tour and travel packages contact Swan Tours one of the leading travel agents in India.
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AuthorSwan Tours one of the leading travel agnets in India Archives
January 2018
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