Ajanta cave

Ajanta cave is situated in Aurangabaad district( Maharashtra ). There are 30 rock cut Buddhist cave. The date of these cave are 2nd century BC. To about 480 or 650 BC. It is discovered by an army officer in the Madras regiment of the British army in 1819AD. It is the group of 30 rock cut cave. Out of these cave no. 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29 are Chaittyagriha, and remaining caves are vihaara. The early excavations belongs to the Hinayana phase of Buddhism. These caves are datable to the pre- Christian era. The cave no. 10 is earlier from them 2nd century BC. The new excavation could be noticed again during the period of vakatak. The contempories of the imperial Gupta's. The caves were caused to be excavated by Royal patronage and the feudatories under the vakatakas as illustrated by the inscriptions found in the caves. Varahadev the minister of vakatak king Harisena (AD. 475- 500) dedicated cave 16 to the Buddhist sangh. While cave 17 was the gift of a prince. A solitary rashtrakut inscription in cave no- 26. The world famous paintings at ajanta also fall into two broad phases. The earlier is noticed in the form of fragmentary specimen in caves no. 9 & 10 which are datable to 2nd century BC. The second phase of paintings started around 5th- 6th centuries AD. and continued for the next two centuries. The specimen of these exemplary paintings of vakataka period could be noticed in cave no. 1, 2, 16 and 17. The variation in style  and execution in these paintings also are noticed, mainly due to different authors of them. A decline in execution in also noticed in some paintings as indicated by some rigid, mechanical and lifeless figures of Buddha in some later period paintings. The main theme of the paintings is depiction of various jatak stories different incidents associated with the life of Buddha and contempory events and social life also. These are the some picture related to ajanta cave.