Ajanta
The 29 caves at Ajanta (built 2nd c. BCE--6th c. CE) are among the most famous Buddhist sites in India. These caves were cut from solid rock-working down from the ceiling, so that no scaffolding was needed-and often reproduce the architectural forms found in contemporary conventional buildings. The caves are built along a curve in the Waghora River in central Maharashtra, with the oldest caves in the middle, and the later ones at the two ends. This image (from besttourism.com) shows how the caves stud the hillside, the big one at center has carved ribs that mimic wooden roof beams.
The caves are famous for their paintings, some of which show Jataka stories, and some of which show scenes from contemporary courtly life. These paintings are remarkable not only because they were painted by Buddhist monks, but because the caves in were virtually pitch black without lights. The level of decoration far surpassed the need to convey a message through story, and seems to have been done from the desire to create beauty, as this painted pillar shows.
Here is a decorative medallion. Though the paintings are often called "frescoes," a true fresco has color absorbed into a wet surface (often plaster), whereas Ajanta's walls were coated with a mixture of clay, cow dung, and rice husks, and the paint applied to the dry surface. The paintings have gradually degraded since they were discovered by a British hunting party in 1819, partly through misguided restoration attempts, but also by the increased humidity caused by large numbers of visitors.
This image (Cave 1) depicts Padmapani ("lotus-hand" ) the bodhisattva of compassion. He is also named Avilokateshvara, and this compassionate quality can be seen in the figure's gentle demeanor. Padmapani and Vajrapani (see below) flank the doorway to the central shrine in Cave 1, and represent the aspects of a perfect Buddha-infinite Compassion, and absolute transcendent Wisdom. These images are usually dated in the 6th century CE, when iconic portrayals of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were well established, and given their subject matter, these two are clearly Mahayana images.
According to one interpretation, the monkey on the Bodhisattva's shoulder represents the distractions of worldly life, which the Bodhisattva himself has clearly transcended.
This image of the bodhisattva Vajrapani is the companion piece to that of Padmapani shown above (Padmapani is on the left-hand side of the doorway, and Vajrapani on the right).
The bodhisattva Vajrapani ("bearing the thunderbolt"), also called Manjushri, symbolizes the perfect wisdom that allows one to distinguish truth from falsity. He is usually dressed as a prince (crown) and carries a sword representing the that separates truth from falsity.
Infinite Wisdom and compassion are the primary characteristics of a perfect Buddha. These images are usually dated in the 6th century CE, when iconic portrayals of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas had become well established, and given their subject matter, these are clearly Mahayana Buddhist images.
This image from Cave 17 shows the Buddha begging for food at his former home, standing before his wife Yashodhara and his son Rahula. Hierarchy of scale ("making more important things bigger") clearly shows their differing spiritual status.
One story associated with this image has Yashodhara prompting Rahula (as a prince's son) to ask for his inheritance. The Buddha replied that the only thing he could give him was his begging-bowl. Tradition reports that Rahula eventually became a Buddhist monk, but this story shows Yashodhara was unhappy with her husband's choice.
In the second story--which has a far different message--the Buddha had avoided begging for food at his home, since this could have been seen as an attachment. Yashodhara argued that by avoiding them he was depriving them of the opportunity to gain religious merit by feeding him, which he was giving to everyone else, and thus he was not being truly impartial. Persuaded by her argument, the Buddha came to beg alms from them.