Lecture 6

Cave Architecture

ART AND
CULT URE

AMIT
VARIDHI
KILHOR
 Architecture Caves:
During the Gupta period, architectural
development of the caves remained
constant. However, the use of mural
paintings on the walls of the caves
became an added feature.

Some of the finest examples of mural

paintings can be found in the caves of
Ajanta and Ellora.
The Buddhist Caves in Ajanta are approximately 29
rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments dating from the
2nd century BCE to about 480 CE in the Aurangabad
district of Maharashtra state in India.
The caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures
described as among the finest surviving examples of
ancient Indian art, particularly expressive paintings that
present emotions through gesture, pose and form
They are universally regarded as
masterpieces of Buddhist
religious art. The caves were built
in two phases, the first starting
around the 2nd century BCE and
the second occurring from 400 to
650 CE.

Ajanta Caves have been a

UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Ajanta caves were inscribed by the Buddhist monks, under the
patronage of the Vakataka kings – Harishena being a prominent
one. The figures in these caves were made using fresco painting
technique and demonstrate considerable naturalism. The colours
were obtained from local vegetation and minerals. The outlines of
the paintings were done in red colour and then the inside was
painted. One of the striking features is the absence of blue colour
in the paintings.

Cave No. 16 is one of the most elegant specimens of cave

architecture.
Ajanta

The most famous cave site is Ajanta. It is located in Aurangabad

District of Maharashtra State. Ajanta has twenty-nine caves.
It has four chaitya caves datable to the earlier phase, i.e., the second
and the first century BCE (Cave Nos. 10 and 9) and the later phase,
i.e., the fifth century CE (Cave Nos. 19 and 26). It has large chaitya
viharas and is decorated with sculptures and paintings.
Ajanta is the only surviving example of painting of the first century
BCE and the fifth century CE.
The paintings in the Ajanta caves
predominantly narrate the Jataka
tales. These are Buddhist legends
describing the previous births of
the Buddha.
These fables embed ancient
morals and cultural lores that are
also found in the fables and
legends of Hindu and Jain texts.
Mural paintings survive from both the earlier and later
groups of caves. Several fragments of murals preserved from
the earlier caves (Caves 10 and 11) are effectively unique
survivals of ancient painting in India from this period, and
"show that by Sātavāhana times, if not earlier, the Indian
painters had mastered an easy and fluent naturalistic style.
Four of the later caves have large and relatively well-
preserved mural paintings - have come to represent Indian
mural painting to the non-specialist
The paintings are generally themed around Buddhism – the
life of Buddha and Jataka stories.
Of the 29 caves, five were developed during the Hinayana
phase while the remaining 24 were developed during the
Mahayana phase of Buddhism.

Reference of the Ajanta caves can be found in the travel

accounts of Chinese Buddhist travellers Fa Hien and Hiuen
Tsang.
 Technique of Painting

The paintings were done using Fresco method.

It involved a three-step technique:

• A layer of clay, mixed with cow dung and rice husk

was applied on the surface of the rock.

• A coating of lime plaster was then applied on the

top of it.

• Colours and pigments were then applied on the

moist surface. This allowed the pigments to seep in
and create a lasting image on the rock surface.
Ellora
Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Aurangabad district of
Maharashtra, India. It is one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes
in the world, featuring Buddhist and Jain monuments with artwork dating from the
period 600–1000 CE.

Cave 16 features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, the
Kailash temple, a chariot-shaped monument dedicated to Lord Shiva.

It is a group of 34 caves – 17 Brahmanical, 12 Buddhist and 5 Jain. These set of

caves were developed during the period between 5th and 11th centuries AD
(newer as compared to Ajanta Caves)
The Hindu and Buddhist Caves were predominantly
constructed by Rashtrakuta dynasty and Jain Caves by
Yadava dynasty.

Cave No. 16 is Kailasha Temple dedicated to Lord

Shiva. It was developed under the patronage of
Rashtrakuta king Krishna I and was carved out of a
monolith, and even has a courtyard.

In Cave No. 16, there is also a sculpture on the wall of

Kailasha temple depicting Ravana shaking Mount
Kailasha. It is considered one of the masterpieces of
Indian sculpture
The Dashavatara temple, or Cave 15, is another
significant excavation.

large sculptural panels between the wall

columns on the upper floor illustrate a wide
range of themes, including the ten avatars of
Vishnu.

Other notable Hindu caves are the Ravan ki

Khai (Cave 14) and the Nilkantha (Cave 22),
Notable among the Buddhist caves
is Cave 10, a chaitya worship hall
called the 'Vishvakarma cave', built
around 650 CE.

It is also known as the "Carpenter's

Cave", because the rock has been
given a finish that has the
appearance of wooden beams
At the north end of Ellora are
the five Jain caves belonging
to the Digambara sect, which
were excavated in the ninth
and early tenth centuries.
These caves are smaller than
the Buddhist and Hindu caves
but nonetheless feature highly
detailed carvings
Bagh Caves:

Located on the bank of Baghni River in Madhya

Pradesh, it is a group of nine Buddhist caves
developed around 5th-6th century AD.

It is architecturally very similar to the Ajanta caves. Most

significant cave here is Rang Mahal. Paintings in Bagh
caves are more materialistic rather than spiritualistic.
Udayagiri caves (not to be
confused with Udayagiri-
Khandagiri Caves in
Odisha)
It is located in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. Created in early
5th century AD under the patronage of Chandragupta II, it
is famous for having numerous sculptures on the hill walls.

The sculpture of Varaha or Boar incarnation of the Vishnu

is notable. The caves have one of the earliest Hindu
sculptures. It also has caves dedicated to Shiva, Narasimha
(half-lion, halfman), Narayana (resting Vishnu) and Skanda.
The Udayagiri Caves are twenty rock-cut caves near Vidisha,
Madhya Pradesh from the early years of the 5th century CE. They
contain some of the oldest surviving Hindu temples and
iconography in India. They are the only site that can be verifiably
associated with a Gupta period monarch from its inscriptions. One
of India's most important archaeological sites, the Udayagiri hills
and its caves are protected monuments managed by the
Archaeological Survey of India.
The site has important inscriptions of the Gupta dynasty belonging
to the reigns of Chandragupta II (c. 375-415) and Kumaragupta I (c.
415-55)
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