Ajanta Caves And Paintings A Photo Tour

Best of Ajanta Caves. 

Lost And Found Ancient Indian Treasure- Ajanta Caves!

Of the many wonders of ancient India, Ajanta Caves is one such monument that will make you proud of Indian Art, Architecture, History and Heritage. Surrounded by dense forest, this World Heritage Monument chiseled out of a horse shoe shaped cliff, 76 m in height, comprises of 30 caves and was forged in two phases- early 2nd century BC and in the 6th century AD. The location with a serene and calm atmosphere was perfect for the teachings of Buddhism and also for meditation. Each cave had their own entrance with a stairway that led to the edge of Waghora river flowing at the bottom of the cliff.

These caves over a period of time were abandoned when Buddhism slowly faded away from India and became a hidden treasure engulfed by thick jungle. It was only in the year 1819 that an accidental chance let to these caves being brought back to life by a British officer, John Smith, of the Madras Presidency, who was on a hunting trail.

Of course, it is not just the grandeur architecture of these caves that draws us to visit them but also the unique mural paintings of ancient times that tell tales of a bygone era. The paintings in Ajanta are world famous and are on the theme of various Jataka stories reflecting Buddha's previous incarnations and events from the life of Buddha. The colors on the walls and ceilings were made from pebbles and vegetable oil from the hills, the colored pebbles were crushed, ground and then mixed with glue. This elaborate procedure for the paintings was definitely worth the effort. It is said that during those days, the entire cave with the paintings would look like it was decorated for a grand event.

Of all the caves, five caves (9, 10, 19, 26 and 29) are chaityagrihas (shrines) and the rest are virahas (monasteries.) Some of the caves are unfinished but still manage to draw your attention for the sheer location and its surroundings. To admire the beautiful sculptures and craftsmanship head to caves 4, 10, 19 and 26 and the mural paintings leave you spellbound in caves 1, 2, 9, 11, 16 and 17.

The entrance and pillars of most of the caves have imposing sculptures, the walls are embellished with paintings and the inner sanctum houses the massive sculpture of Gautama Buddha. Cave 1 is known for its ornamented paintings, Cave 2 for the beautiful geometric patterns with the ceilings and walls brightly painted, Cave 16 has some paintings that have inscriptions on them and cave 17 is also called as the zodiac cave based on a painting of a gigantic wheel. 

The stupas are built in such a way that natural light seeps in and illuminates the entire stupa during certain parts of the day. The precision with which this was achieved centuries ago is unbelievable. In this modern day and age will it be possible to built a monument as grand as this? Or did we have alien technology that helped us in carving out such colossal monuments.

Even if you are no history buff, the sheer magnitude of these sculptures and the intricacies in each of the paintings will make you fall in love with history and art. The calm and soothing effect in the caves guarantees you inner peace and you tend to forget everything around.

The details in the paintings are hard to miss even in their deteriorating state. The detailed depiction of the jewels, the facial expressions, the geometrical designs on the ceilings, the lavish palaces, village life, wildlife all are depicted in a beautiful fashion.

Of all the age old paintings only a few have survived the test of time. Thanks to the efforts of the ASI, the remaining caves and sculptures are preserved in a decent manner. Flash photography is strictly prohibited inside the cave premises.

After visiting the caves, the trek path takes you to the view point from where you can have a panoramic view of the caves. It was from here that the British officer spotted the Ajanta caves around 200 years ago.

Ajanta caves can be easily reached from Aurangabad by road and the total distance of 120 km can be covered in 2 to 3 hours. State transport buses frequently ply to and from Aurangabad and leave from Central bus terminal commonly known as Baba bus stand. The ideal plan would be to leave Aurangabad by 7 am and catch a view of the stunning caves with the sun rays falling on the caves making it a very neatly timed moment to click pictures. Once you get down from the bus, head to the interpretation center and pay for amenity charged at INR 10 per person. Then a 4 km shuttle bus ride takes you to the caves and here is where the entry tickets to the caves are sold. If you are carrying a camera specifically buy a ticket for your camera for INR 5. Please note that you would be asked to produce this ticket in caves 1, 2, 16 & 17.

The path from the ticket counter to the last one of the caves is a trek in itself and therefore, the authorities have made porter services available for the benefit of senior citizens and folks who find it difficult to walk the entire stretch.

In the vicinity are a lot of shops that can be checked out to buy souvenirs. They sell wooden statues of Buddha, figures from the mythological epics, coins to crystals. After the walk, to satisfy your hunger pangs head to the restaurant run  by MTDC that serves good food and specializes in Thalis and on a hot day you can treat yourself with a chilled beer.

There are a few stay options in Ajanta owned by both Government and private entities. However, it would be a good idea to do a day trip from Aurangabad. If you leave at 7 am, you can be back by 6 pm after leisurely spending considerable amount of time in the caves.

Note- The caves are open for public from 9 am and are closed on Mondays.

Ellora Caves. 

Tiger Nest - Humble Monastery That Put Bhutan On The World Map

The early morning mist, wet roads and an almost hidden narrow deviation from the highway crossing a few villages leads you to the parking lot of the most impressive trek of your lifetime. The Tiger's Nest trek. The view of the woods and horses grazing all around in the parking lot make you feel like the adventure has already begun. To reach the Takstang Monastery, you can trek all the way up or you can sit on the back of a horse for three fourth of the distance and then continue the rest of the climb on foot. We chose the more adventurous path - trekking all the way up to admire the beauty of the wilderness.

But before we could start the trek we joined a group of locals who lit a bonfire and were keeping themselves warm. The warmth from rubbing your palms and the bonfire gave us the much energy required to beat the cold and start the trek.

The trek path is well maintained and as you begin your trek you come across hydro powered prayer wheels spinning around at great speed. The path through the pine forests is steep but well worth it for the views of the Paro valley and of course the glimpses of the monastery captivating and recharging you to finish the trek. All through the trek path you find prayer flags fluttering and carrying the prayers to Almighty.

There are two cafes en-route the monastery. A stop at the main Cafeteria with a beautiful sit out and magnificent views of the monastery leaves you spellbound. This is the place where most of the trekkers end their trek and head back. The food offered is basic consisting of dal rice and noodles but considering the remoteness of the location it is a feast and the steep price is well worth it. Of course, the perfect place to enjoy the view with a hot cup of tea in your hand munching on some biscuits and witnessing this wonder of the world.

View From Cafe

After crossing the cafeterias, the path is much steep but with even better views of the Monastery. You finally reach the point where the horses end their journey and then begins the climb of rock cut steps leading you to the Monastery. The huge waterfall on the way, the sounds of which could be heard in the cafeteria takes your breath away.

It was thrilling to reach the monastery. Be it the dramatic location, the monstrous structure, the mythical stories, the adventurous trek, Tiger's Nest packs a powerful punch.  It is believed that Guru Ringponche flew up to the monastery on the back of a Tigress in order to subdue evil spirits in the vicinity and meditated in a cave here for three long months. It is one of the most sacred places for Buddhists in Bhutan as this is the birthplace of Buddhism in Bhutan. The monastery houses huge sculptures of various Buddhist gurus. Right next to the huge sculpture of Guru Ringponche is the cave in which he meditated. However, this is closed for public viewing and remains open only once in a year.

The most dramatic aspect of the monastery is the 'Tiger's Nest,' be sure to check out this cave located in between the Butter lamp room and Namsey Langhankha. This dramatic cave leads you to the edge of the mountain and throws open the view of Paro valley, this cave is where the mythical tigress rested long ago. However, please be cautioned that this place can only be reached by climbing down a couple of make shift wooden ladders. A slip here or there would result in broken bones and people hardly visit this place so getting help might be a distant dream.

A little before the entrance to the monastery is the Lion's Cave. This is where Yeshi Tsogyal, consort of Guru Ringponche meditated.

This monastery is nothing less of an engineering marvel. The master artisans and skillful carpenters of Bhutan have built such a wonderful monument centuries ago. And all of this was built without a blue print. It is believed that higher spiritual powers helped build this stunning monastery. A walk around the monastery witnessing this unbelievable wonder of the world that has survived a fire and still stands solid to tell the tales of history is mind blowing.

With a sense of calm, we started to climb down to the Valley.

Few things to keep in Mind:

• Mobile phones and cameras are prohibited inside the monastery premises and have to be deposited in the locker room. However, these lockers are not equipped with locks.
• It would be a great idea to leave a little early in the morning for the trek as the monastery visiting hours are from 8 am to 4 pm (during winter) and is closed for lunch from 1 pm to 2 pm. 
• One needs good amount of stamina for the trek. An average person would take anywhere between 2 to 3 hours to reach the monastery and it's quite a difficult trek.
• As it is a sacred site, please maintain decorum and respect the sanctity of the monastery .