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Ajanta caves
Identifier
006609
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the second century BCE, containing paintings and sculpture considered to be masterpieces of both "Buddhist religious art"and "universal pictorial art".
The Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are 29 caves, excavated in the south side of the precipitous scarp made by the cutting of a ravine. They vary from 35 to 110 ft (34 m) in elevation above the bed of the stream. The monastic complex of Ajanta consists of several monastic halls of residence and stupa monument halls cut into the mountain scarp. The monastic halls are of various sizes and shapes, the maximum being about 52 feet (16 m) high. They are often square-shaped, some have simple facades, others ornate; some have a porch and others do not. The facades of many are decorated with carvings, and walls and ceilings were often covered with paintings. Ajanta was used a kind of college monastery. In their prime the halls were intended to afford accommodation for several hundreds, teachers and pupils combined.
A description of the experience
