AJANTA PAINTING
- February 7, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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AJANTA PAINTING
Subject: Art and Culture
Context : After Independence, the Viceroy’s House became the RashtrapatiBhavan,and efforts were made to showcase Indian art — such as the paintings in the Ajanta caves, which had emerged as a supreme example of the Indian tradition — and, thus, infuse the building with the spirit of the land.
Concept:
- Ajanta is a series of rock-cut caves in the Sahyadri ranges (Western Ghats) on Waghorariver near Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
- There are a total of 29 caves (all buddhist) of which 25 were used as Viharas or residential caves while 4 were used as Chaitya or prayer halls.
Time of Development
- The caves were developed in the period between 200 B.C. to 650 A.D.
- The Ajanta caves were inscribed by the Buddhist monks, under the patronage of the Vakataka kings – Harishena being a prominent one.
- Reference of the Ajanta caves can be found in the travel accounts of Chinese Buddhist travellers Fa Hien (during the reign of Chandragupta II; 380- 415 CE) and Hieun Tsang (during the reign of emperor Harshavardhana; 606 – 647 CE). .
Painting
- The figures in these caves were done using fresco painting.
- The outlines of the paintings were done in red colour. One of the striking features is the absence of blue colour in the paintings.
- The paintings are generally themed around Buddhism – the life of Buddha and Jataka stories.
- UNESCO Site: The caves were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.