Ajanta Village - Revision history

Pdewan: /* Ajanta Caves */

2017-03-17T15:39:05Z

‎Ajanta Caves

Pdewan: /* Ajanta Caves */

2017-03-17T15:37:11Z

‎Ajanta Caves

Pdewan: /* Ajanta Caves */

2017-03-17T15:11:34Z

‎Ajanta Caves

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2017-03-17T15:11:00Z

‎Ajanta Caves

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2017-03-17T15:10:07Z

‎Ajanta Caves

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2017-03-17T15:06:48Z

‎Ajanta Caves

Pdewan at 14:58, 17 March 2017

2017-03-17T14:58:40Z

Pdewan: /* See also */

2017-03-17T14:57:58Z

‎See also

Pdewan: /* Ajanta Village */

2017-02-12T20:00:48Z

‎Ajanta Village

Pdewan: Created page with "{| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|
This article has been extracted from
THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.
OXFORD, AT THE CLAR..."

2014-05-04T23:33:03Z

Created page with "{| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%"> This article has been extracted from <br/> THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.<br/> OXFORD, AT THE CLAR..."

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{| class="wikitable"
|-
|colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%">
This article has been extracted from <br/>

THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.<br/>

OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.
</div>
|}
[[Category:India|A]]
[[Category:Places|A]]
''Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts.Many units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value. ''

=Ajanta Village=

Village in the Bhokardan taluk of Aurangabad
District, Hyderabad State, and a jagir of the Sir Salar Jang family,
situated in 20 degree 32' N. and 75 degree 46" E. Population (1901), 2,274. The
place, which is situated on the summit of the ghat or pass to which it
gives its name, has stone fortifications constructed by the first Nizam in
1727. It is, however, still more celebrated for the Buddhist caves
situated in the Inhyadri Hills, 4 miles north-west, which first became
known to the British in 1819.

The defile in which the caves are
situated is wooded, lonely, and rugged, the caves being excavated in a wall of almost perpendicular rock, about 250 feet high, sweeping round
in a hollow semicircle with the Waghara stream below and a wooded
rocky promontory jutting out of its opposite bank. The caves extend
about a third of a mile from east to west, in the concave scarp composed
of amygdaloid trap, at an elevation of 35 to 110 feet above the bed of
the torrent. The ravine, a little higher up, ends abruptly in a waterfall
of seven leaps (sat kund), from 70 to over 100 feet in height. From the
difficulty of access, the Ajanta caves were but little visited until in 1834
Mr. Fergusson's paper on the rock-cut temples of India created a general
interest in these remarkable works of art.

Twenty-four monasteries (viharas) and five temples (chaityas) have
been hewn out of the solid rock, many of them supported by lofty
pillars, richly ornamented with sculpture and covered with highly
finished paintings. The following brief description is condensed chiefly
from notes by Dr. Burgess. The five chaityas, or cave-temples for public
worship, are usually about twice as long as they are wide, the largest
being 189/2 feet by 164/4. The back or inner end of the chaityas is almost
circular; the roofs are lofty and vaulted, some ribbed with wood, others
with stone cut in imitations of wooden ribs. A colonnade hewn out of
the solid rock runs round each, dividing the nave from the aisles.

The columns in the most ancient caves are plain octagonal pillars without
bases or capitals, with richly ornamented shafts. Within the circularend
of the cave stands the daghoba (relic-holder), a solid mass of rock, either
plain or richly sculptured, consistingof a cylindrical base supporting a
cupola (garbha), which in turn is surmounted by a square capital or ' tee '
(toran).

The twenty-four viharas, or Buddhist monasteries containing
cells, are usually square in form, supported by rows ofpillars, either
running round them and separating the great central hall from the aisles,
or disposed in four equidistant lines. In the larger caves, a veranda cut
out of the rock, with cells at either end, shades the entrance ; the great
hall occupies the middle space, with a small chamber behind and a
shrine containing a figure of Buddha enthroned. The walls on all the
three sides are excavated into cells, the dwelling-places (grihas) of the
Buddhist monks.

The simplest form of the vihara or monastery is a
veranda hewn out ol the face of the precipice, with cells opening from
the back into the rock. Very few of the caves seem to have been com-
pletely finished ; but nearly allof them appear to have been painted on
the walls, ceilings, and pillars, inside and out. Even the sculptures have
all been richly coloured. Twenty-five inscriptions— seventeen painted
ones in the interior, eight rock inscriptions engraved outside— com
memorate the names of pious founders in Sanskrit and Prakrit.

One monastery has its whole facade richly carved ; but, as a rule, such
ornamentation is confined in the monasteries (viharas) to the doorways
and windows. More lavish decoration was bestowed upon the temples
(chaityas) ; the most ancient have sculptured facades, while in the more
modern ones the walls, columns, entablatures, and daghoba are covered
with carving.

The sculptures show little knowledge of art, and consist
chiefly ol Buddhas, or Buddhist teachers, in every variety of posture,
instructing their disciples.

'The paintings,' writes Dr. Burgess, 'have much higher pretensions,
and have been considered superior to the style ol Europe in theage

when they were probably executed. The human figure is represented in
every possible variety of position, displaying some slight knowledge of
anatomy ; and attempts at foreshortening have been made with surprising
success.

The hands are generally well and gracefully drawn, and rude
efforts at perspective are to be met with. Besides paintings of Buddha
and his disciples and devotees, there are representations of streets,
processions, battles, interiors of houses with the inmates pursuing their
daily occupations, domestic scenes of love and marriage and death,
groups of women performing religious austerities ; there are hunts, men
on horseback spearing the wild buffalo ; animals, from the huge elephant
to the diminutive quail ; exhibetions ol cobras, ships, fish, &c. The
small number of domestic utensils depicted is somewhat remarkable, —
the common earthen waterpot and lota, a drinking cup, and one or two
other dishes, a tray, an elegantly shaped sort of jug having an oval
body and long thin neck with lip and handle, together with a stone and
roller for grinding condiments, being all that are observable. The same
lack of weapons of war, either offensive or defensive, is also to be
noticed. Swords, straight and crooked, long and short, spears of various
kinds, clubs, bows and arrows, a weapon resembling a bayonet reversed,
a missile like a quoit with cross-bars in the centre, and shields of different
form, exhaust the list.

There is also a thing which bears a strong resem-
blance to a Greek helmet, and three horses are to be seen yoked abreast,
but whether they were originally attached to a war-chariot cannot now be
determined. The paintings have been in the most brilliant colours —
the light and shade are very good ; they must have been executed upon
a thick layer of stucco. In many places, the colour has penetrated to a
considerable depth.'

Of the date of these paintings it is difficult to form a very definite
estimate, nor are they allof the same age. The scenes represented are
generally from the legendary history of Buddha and the Jatakas, the
visit of Asita to the infant Buddha, the temptation of Buddha by Mara
and his forces, Buddhist miracles, the Jataka of king Sibi, legends of the
Nagas, hunting scenes, battle-pieces, the carrying off of the relics of
Ceylon, &c.

The cave-temples and monasteries of Ajanta furnish a continuous
narrative of Buddhist art during 800 years, from shortly after the reign
ol Asoka to shortly before the expulsion ol the faith from India. The
oldest of them are assigned to about 200 B.C. ; the most modern cannot
be placed before the year a.d. 600.

For many centuries they enable us
to study the progress of Buddhist art, and of Buddhistic conceptions,
uninfluenced by Hinduism. The chief interest of the latest chaitya,
about A.D. 600, is to show how nearly Buddhism had approximated to
Brahmanism, before the convulsions and which it disappeared. The
liberality of the Indian Government had enabled Major Gill to take up
his residence in Ajanta, and to prepare a magnificent series of facsimiles
from the frescoes.

These unfortunately perished in the fire at the
Crystal Palace in 1860, but reductions of two of the more important of
them, and of eight detached fragments, exist in Mrs. Spiers life in
Ancient India. More recently the matchless art series of Ajanta has
been made available to the Western world by Mr. Griffiths.

[John Griffiths, Indian Antiquary, vol. ii, p. 150; vol. iii, p. 25;
J. Fergusson, History ol Indian Architecture (cd. 1876); J. Burgess,
Bauddha Rock Temples of Ajanta (1879), and Cave-Templei 0) W
India (1881); J. Griffiths, The Paintings in the Buddhist Care Temples
of Ajanta (1896-7).]

@@ Line 156: / Line 156: @@
 =Ajanta Caves=
 [http://soc.culture.bangladesh.narkive.com/6fPicCkC/great-lives-great-places-anti-hindu-budsdhists-great-works-of-ajanta-caves    Bangladesh Narkive]
-[[File: Ajanta Cave.jpg| The path to the Ajanta Caves <br/> Photograph by [http://oknation.nationtv.tv/blog/supawan/2016/09/21/entry-1    Supawan K.| OK Nation] |frame|500px]]
+[[File:Ajanta Cave.jpg| The path to the Ajanta Caves <br/> Photograph by [http://oknation.nationtv.tv/blog/supawan/2016/09/21/entry-1 Supawan K., OK Nation] |frame|500px]]
 The cave temples of Ajanta are situated about sixty two miles north of

@@ Line 156: / Line 156: @@
 =Ajanta Caves=
 [http://soc.culture.bangladesh.narkive.com/6fPicCkC/great-lives-great-places-anti-hindu-budsdhists-great-works-of-ajanta-caves    Bangladesh Narkive]
-[[File: Ajanta Cave.jpg| The path to the Ajanta Caves <br/> Photograph by [http://oknation.nationtv.tv/blog/supawan/2016/09/21/entry-1  Supawan K.| OK Nation]|frame|500px]]
+[[File: Ajanta Cave.jpg| The path to the Ajanta Caves <br/> Photograph by [http://oknation.nationtv.tv/blog/supawan/2016/09/21/entry-1    Supawan K.| OK Nation] |frame|500px]]
 The cave temples of Ajanta are situated about sixty two miles north of

@@ Line 156: / Line 156: @@
 =Ajanta Caves=
 [http://soc.culture.bangladesh.narkive.com/6fPicCkC/great-lives-great-places-anti-hindu-budsdhists-great-works-of-ajanta-caves    Bangladesh Narkive]
-[[File: Ajanta Cave.jpg| The path to the Ajanta Caves <br/> Photograph by [[http://http://oknation.nationtv.tv/blog/supawan/2016/09/21/entry-1  Supawan K.| OK Nation]]|frame|500px]]
+[[File: Ajanta Cave.jpg| The path to the Ajanta Caves <br/> Photograph by [http://oknation.nationtv.tv/blog/supawan/2016/09/21/entry-1  Supawan K.| OK Nation]|frame|500px]]
 The cave temples of Ajanta are situated about sixty two miles north of

@@ Line 156: / Line 156: @@
 =Ajanta Caves=
 [http://soc.culture.bangladesh.narkive.com/6fPicCkC/great-lives-great-places-anti-hindu-budsdhists-great-works-of-ajanta-caves    Bangladesh Narkive]
-[[File: Ajanta Cave.jpg| The path to the Ajanta Caves <br/> Photograph by [http://http://oknation.nationtv.tv/blog/supawan/2016/09/21/entry-1  Supawan K.| OK Nation]|frame|500px]]
+[[File: Ajanta Cave.jpg| The path to the Ajanta Caves <br/> Photograph by [[http://http://oknation.nationtv.tv/blog/supawan/2016/09/21/entry-1  Supawan K.| OK Nation]]|frame|500px]]
 The cave temples of Ajanta are situated about sixty two miles north of

@@ Line 156: / Line 156: @@
 =Ajanta Caves=
 [http://soc.culture.bangladesh.narkive.com/6fPicCkC/great-lives-great-places-anti-hindu-budsdhists-great-works-of-ajanta-caves    Bangladesh Narkive]
-[[File: Ajanta Cave.jpg| Ajanta Cave <br/> Photograph by [http://www.oknation.net/blog/home/user_data/file_data/201609/21/867387b1.jpg   Supawan K.| OK Nation]|frame|500px]]
+[[File: Ajanta Cave.jpg| The path to the Ajanta Caves <br/> Photograph by [http://http://oknation.nationtv.tv/blog/supawan/2016/09/21/entry-1  Supawan K.| OK Nation]|frame|500px]]
 The cave temples of Ajanta are situated about sixty two miles north of

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {| class="wikitable"
 |-
 |colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%">
-This article has been extracted from <br/>
+This section has been extracted from <br/>
 THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.<br/>
@@ Line 13: / Line 14: @@
 ''Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts.Many units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value. ''
-=Ajanta Village=
 Village in the Bhokardan taluk of Aurangabad

@@ Line 153: / Line 153: @@
 India (1881); J. Griffiths, The Paintings in the Buddhist Care Temples
 of Ajanta (1896-7).]
 =See also=
 [[Ajanta: An overview]], detailed research on the Caves and the Art

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:00, 12 February 2017
Line 153:		Line 153:
	India (1881); J. Griffiths, The Paintings in the Buddhist Care Temples		India (1881); J. Griffiths, The Paintings in the Buddhist Care Temples
	of Ajanta (1896-7).]		of Ajanta (1896-7).]
		+	=See also=
		+	[[Ajanta: An overview]], detailed research on the Caves and the Art
		+
		+	[[Ajanta Hills (or Inhyadri)]]
		+
		+	[[Ajanta Village]]

Ajanta Village - Revision history

Pdewan: /* Ajanta Caves */

Pdewan: /* Ajanta Caves */

Pdewan: /* Ajanta Caves */

Pdewan: /* Ajanta Caves */

Pdewan: /* Ajanta Caves */

Pdewan: /* Ajanta Caves */

Pdewan at 14:58, 17 March 2017

Pdewan: /* See also */

Pdewan: /* Ajanta Village */

Pdewan: Created page with "{| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"| This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLAR..."

Pdewan: Created page with "{| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|
This article has been extracted from
THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.
OXFORD, AT THE CLAR..."