AJANTA CAVES

The caves are located in a horseshoe-shaped escarpment on the Waghora River, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast of Aurangabad(Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar). The caves were carved out of a massive basalt cliff, and they range in size from small cells to large halls.

caves were built in two phases. The first phase, dating from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE, consists of 12 caves, mostly viharas (monasteries). The second phase, dating from the 5th to 6th centuries CE, consists of 17 caves, mostly chaityas (prayer halls). The paintings in the Ajanta Caves are some of the finest examples of Buddhist art in the world. They depict scenes from the life of the Buddha, as well as Jataka tales, which are stories about the Buddha's previous lives. The paintings are done in a style known as "dry fresco," which means that they were painted on top of a dry plaster surface rather than into wet plaster. This technique allowed the artists to use a wider range of colors and to create more detailed paintings.