THE CAVE PAINTINGS AT AJANTA

 

 The Ajanta caves, located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, consist of 30 rock cut caves. This UNESCO World heritage site consists of Chaitya halls or shrines, dedicated to Lord Buddha and Viharas.

According to historian Walter M Spink these caves were constructed in two phases .The first phase lasted from 100 BC to 100AD. The caves  IX,X,XII,XIII and XV built during this phase were under the patronage of the Satavahana dynasty(230 BC-220AD) .This phase is also called the Hinayana phase because the paintings were influences by the Hinayana or the lesser vehicle of Buddhism ,thus the Buddha is only  depicted symbolically .

The Second Phase was in 600 AD, in which the caves were constructed under the patronage of the Vataka dynasty .This phase is also called the Mahayana phase because in line with the tradition of the higher vehicle of Buddhism, the paintings directly depict the Buddha.

These Paintings form the largest collection of early Indian frescoes that have survived till date. While the surrounding temples and artwork disappeared, Ajanta stood the test of time because it was covered by forests and remained unknown for 16 centuries .It was only in 1819 that a British officer accidently discovered it, while on a hunting expedition.

The paintings and the style in detail

The most famous paintings from the first phase are in caves IX and XII .The painting style in these caves is easy and natural. The paintings are not compartmentalised but are spread out over large areas. These paintings show the mastery that the Indian artists had attained centuries ago.

The most important caves paintings from the Mahayana phase are in caves I, XVI and XVIII .The dry frescoes there, were painted on a particular type of dry plaster unlike the wet plaster used by the Italian Renaissance painters. Moreover the paintings appear to be works of accomplished painters .According to Spink, these painters may have ‘painted in palaces and temples, thus the great familiarity that the artists show with the details of a wealthy court.’

The Cave number one, has paintings which are ‘devotional and ornamental’ in nature. ‘The Jataka tales, the life of Buddha and his veneration’, form the major themes of these paintings. The various Bodhisattvas depicted include Vajrapani (protector and guide, a symbol of Buddha’s power), Manjusri (manifestation of Buddha’s wisdom) and Avalokitesvara (symbol of Buddha’s compassion).

The second cave has painting on the ceilings and the walls, with dimensions of seven feet to five each. These caves depict the noble and the powerful women in ‘prominent roles’. The paintings suggest that, the patrons may have been women. This cave also has paintings which narrate the various Jataka tales in order to edify the devotee .The devotees were supposed to walk through the cave and ‘read the paintings’, which were used as a medium of communicating   Buddha’s teachings about ‘life through successive rebirth’. 

An interesting thing noticed in cave II is that it contains Chinese calligraphy and has a unique use of colours like brilliant white, deep purple-brown etc., which show that the Chinese monks residing there also contributed to the art form.

However most of the works have been eroded due to decay and human interference. Lot of paintings have been damaged due to the negligence on the part of early British historians like Gill and Griffiths, who sprayed varnish onto them to bring out the colours, however, over time the paintings, and have become yellow and dirty.

The other caves with considerable number of paintings are cave IX and X, which altogether contain over 300 paintings.

Colour schemes and the depiction of characters

The colours mainly used, were vegetable dyes. Various pebbles found in the vicinity were also crushed to make colours like red ochre, yellow ochre, brown ochre etc. The commonly used colours were reds, vivid pale blue, good bluish green, grey, brown and Whites. 

The figures often have dark skin which is taken as the normal skin type like the Egyptian paintings; some faces are also painted as reddish brown. The King was usually painted pale and yellow while the queen was bluish black in colour.

Gautama Buddha ,the prince is shown with an expression of pity on his face and also has quite expressive features .All the people around him have ‘expressive features ,fine proportions, aquiline noses ,long heavily lashed eyes and small chins.’ The ‘grandeur and dignity’ of these figures is equal to that of the Egyptian pharaohs.

There are also some animals depicted on the caves .These paintings are remarkable because they have been composed in such a unique mixture of light and shade, that only in 17^th century Italian art  could  they be paralleled.  

Now one of the major questions that come forward is whether inscriptions in place of paintings would have been equally effective?

To answer this question, I would like to say that one of the major advantage of paintings is that even people who not learned can admire its beauty and gain information from them. There is another religious aspect ,which stands to substantiate the need for such paintings .One of the inscriptions in the caves talks about how ‘those who have an image of the conqueror made in this life become possessed of beauty ,fortune and good qualities and blazing like the sun in their faculties ,they become a delight to the eyes’. Thus the need for the glorification of the Deity’s image and edifying all devotees increases  the  effectiveness of these paintings over inscriptions.

Sources for the paper

One of the major sources of information about the cave a painting at Ajanta, is Professor Walter M Spink; professor emeritus at the University of Michigan. Dr.  Spink is a professor of history and is a world authority on the Buddhist rock cut caves. ‘Ajanta: History and development’, is a six volume book that he co –wrote in collaboration many authors. Prof. Spink helped to establish the time period of the later phase and various other historical facts about the caves .

Thus the Ajanta cave paintings serve as excellent means of communication, as they still successfully communicate Buddha’s message, even 2000 years after they were painted .These paintings stand testimony to the fact that paintings are a timeless and powerful means of communication which  can convey the message to any person ,in any later era .