Must see caves - Ajanta caves

Ajanta Caves, India 

Ajanta, Maharashtra, India  (site model)

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Ajanta, a UNESCO world heritage site, is famous for its Buddhist rock-cut cave temples and monasteries with their extraordinary wall paintings. The temples are hollowed out of granite cliffs on the inner side of a 20-meter ravine in the Wagurna River valley, 105 km northeast of Aurangabad, at a site of great scenic beauty. About 30 caves were excavated between the 1st century BCE and the 7th century CE and are of two types, caityas ("sanctuaries") and viharas ("monasteries"). Although the sculpture, particularly the rich ornamentation of the caitya pillars, is noteworthy, it is the fresco-type paintings that are the chief interest of Ajanta. These paintings depict colorful Buddhist legends and divinities with an exuberance and vitality that is unsurpassed in Indian art. [Adapted from Encyclopedia Britannica]

Ajanta caves	Walkway	Scenes form Jataka tales	Fragment of a painting
Dark Buddha			Ajanta caves
Miracle of Sarasvati			Ajanta caves
Bodhisattva Padmapani	Antechamber ceiling	Cave 4 sculptures	Cave 4 tempera
Cave 4			View of Ajanta caves
Buddha in padmasana			Cave 6 Buddha
Buddha's attendants	Buddha	Cave 7 sculpture	Cave 7 Buddha
Cave 7 Miracle of Sarasvati	Cave 9	Cave 10 stupa	Cave 10 pillar and wall
Cave 10 pillar and wall	Cave 10 tempera	Resting tourist	Cave 11 Buddha
Cave 12	Monks' bedchambers, cave 13	Waterfall	View of Ajanta caves
Cave 16 Buddha	The dying princess	Scenes from the Jataka tales	Scenes from the Jataka tales
Pillar detail	Above cave 17 entrance	Ceiling outside cave 17	Above cave 17 entrance
Cave 19 exterior	Cave 19 exterior	The Naga king and queen	Cave 19 exterior
Cave 19 stupa	Pillar Sculpture	Walkway	Transportation
Cave 20	Teaching Buddha	Wheel of something	Cave 21 (Cave 22)
Waterfall	Cave 26	Reclining Buddha (more)	Cave 26 Stupa
The temptation of Mara	Cave 26 sculpture	Cave 26 sculpture (more)	Jalgaon bookshop