The last photos from India - the Ajanta Caves

The Ajanta Caves, in the Aurangabad District (the same area where we saw the Ellora Caves) in Maharashtra, India are 30 rock-cut cave monuments created during the 1st BC and 5th century AD.  They contain paintings and sculptures considered to be masterpieces of Buddhist religious art.

I skipped this excursion, so there aren't too many pictures (I don't take good photos, but I take a lot of them!).  I have not succeeded in getting one of my fellow travellers to write about them. 

Keelin and Colin with a monkey and someone who wanted a photo.

These next two photos were taken at the house of our driver (who ferried us out to the country outside Aurangabad)...actually his sister's house.  They were a large extended Moslem family

The sleeping Buddha, carved into a wall at Adjanta, and for perspective,
see the photo below, where the Buddha dwarfs Claire

Outside Araungabad - A seriously fortified Daulatabad

Daulatabad was one of, or maybe the greatest, of Deccan forts. It was fortified with triple walls (nerdy friends: think of Minis Tirith in LOTR), moats, both dry and wet, cannon batteries, impregnable gates, and walkways and stairs that are nearly impossible to walk now on foot, let alone while riding a horse or an elephant. Daultabad also sat on a high hill that gave the defenders plenty of advance warning. Probably the best part of the visit to the fort was a) no western tourists; and b) all the young Indian student-tourists (mostly fron the universitiewanted to talk, and even trade email addresses.

Click all the images to enlarge.

---o0o---

Marathi, Maharashtra, India: The 34 Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain Carved Rock Caves At Ellora

Like most of the best archaeological sites we've seen around the world, the Caves of Ellora are a World Heritage Site. Marathi: (वेरूळ) is an about 20 miles from Aurangabad in the Maharashtra state (which also contains Mumbai). I'm not sure how far this is away from Mumbai, but the flight here was only about 35 minutes on a 737 (so it is within a couple hundred miles).





[Note: The photos are not great--you are not allowed to use flash in the caves...and remember these are caves! And then, halfway trough, my camera ran out of juice and I was reduced to using a phone-cam--click all photos to enlarge].

These fantastically sculpted caves are a mind-bending example of "cut from rock" architecture. Everything you see is cut from stone. The caves and sculpture were cut out with chisels and other hand tools from the face of solid stone in the Charanandri hills. The 34 caves were successively built by Buddhist, Hindu and Jain groups.

These caves (not the sort of caves we think of in the west) were temples and monasteries, carved out many years from around the 5th to 10th centuries (A.D.). There are 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12), 17 Hindu (13–29) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves, built in a row over six centuries. Some of the caves took 200 years to complete...

Amazingly, each succeeding set of caves builds on the tradition of the previous ones--probably not surprising when you think of the amazing stew of hundreds of religions and sects that still exist (and influence each other) here. You find Buddhas in the Hindu caves; there are Ganeshes in the Jain caves. Some of the caves have two, three, or four floors. Not only did they carve out the caves themselves, but they also carved elaborate sculptures, friezes and the like on many of the walls. They also carved out elaborately decorated and sculpted columns--some of which remind me of Roman and Greek columns.

A couple of hours drive away are the Ajanta Caves, where Claire, Colin, and Keelin traveled to today. I will try to get them to post about these along with their photos. I opted for a cool day poolside (and feel deliciously guilty about it)--it's the first day I've spent here no tromping around for many miles in the blazing sun. It's probably my only chill day of the entire trip! Already, I am eager for more. We have several excursions scheduled for Udaipur (where we fly via Mumbai) starting mid-day tomorrow

Restoration workers on bamboo scaffolding. Not only is it bamboo, but it is fastened together with what is little better than very thick jute twine!

---o0o---

Live from Aurangabad: Faces No. 149 - Four scratchboard portraits

click to enlarge

I drew...um, scratched...these faces on the plane ride this morning from Mumbai to Aurangabad. We had another brutal day of sleep. After going to bed after midnight, the four of us had to get up at 4 am to get on the plane. The plane was, of course, delayed, and we got into our hotel around am. This gave us an hour and a half to "freshen up" before our driver arrived to take us to the stunningly beautiful caves at the archaeological site, the Ellora Caves, about which more tomorrow.
===o0o===

Travelogue --On the road and in the air to Southern India

The Ellora Caves, which, of course, will be a focus of our archaeological explorations.

\







On Tuesday, All This Is That again becomes a travelogue for a couple of weeks, as I travel to India to visit Mumbai, Udaipur, Aurangabad, and Pune.  Some of my favorite posts on ATIT comes from my trips to NYC, Mexico, Great Britain, Florida, Turkey, and Greece. 

I'll try to start writing and posting photos Tuesday.  As always, I hope to rope in guest editors.  As always Pablo, will be providing political commentary...
---o0o---