India Guide
Maharashtra
Ajanta
Hewn from the near-vertical sides of a horseshoe-shaped ravine, the caves at AJANTA occupy a site worthy of their spectacular ancient art. Less than two centuries ago, this remote spot was known only to the Bhil tribespeople; the shadowy entrances to its abandoned stone chambers lay buried deep under creepers and jungle. The chance arrival in 1819 of a small detachment of East India Company troops, however, brought the caves' obscurity to an end. Led to the top of the precipitous bluff that overlooks the gorge by a young scout, the tiger-hunters spied the facade of Cave 10 protruding through the foliage.
The British soldiers had made one of the most sensational archeological finds of all time. Further exploration revealed 28 colonnaded caves chiselled out of the chocolate-brown and grey basalt cliffs lining the River Waghora, with immaculately preserved paintings writhing over their interior surfaces. In addition to the rows of stone Buddhas and other sculpture they enshrine, Ajanta's excavations are adorned with swirling murals, depicting everything from battlefields to sailing ships, city streets and teeming animal-filled forests to snow-capped mountains. These paintings are regarded as the finest surviving gallery of art from any of the world's ancient civilizations.
Despite its remoteness, Ajanta receives an extraordinary number of visitors. To enjoy the site in anything close to its original serenity, avoid coming on a weekend or public holiday. The best seasons to visit are either during the monsoon, when the river is swollen and the gorge reverberates with the sound of the waterfalls, or during the cooler winter months between October and March. At other times, the relentless Deccan sun beating down on the south-facing rock can make a trip around Ajanta a real endurance test. Whenever you go, take a hat, some dark glasses, a good torch and plenty of drinking water. Flash photography of the paintings is strictly forbidden, but the caretakers usually turn a blind eye to visitors who discretely take pictures using digital cameras.