An Introduction to the Ajanta Caves · With Examples of Six Caves by Singh, Rajesh Kumar -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Front Flap Copyright Table of Contents Front Matter Acknowledgements General Information A Note to the Reader Chapter I: Introduction

Introductory What Were the Caves Called by the Makers of Ajanta?

Caityagriha vs. vihara: A dubious classification Kandara, shailagriham, and layanam Mandapa Stupaviharam, munirajacaityam, caityamandiram or caityagriha

Political Background

The Satavahanas

Patronage The chronology of the Satavahanas The Satavahana period caves of Ajanta

The Vakatakas

The chronology of the Vakatakas The Vakataka period caves of Ajanta About the conflicts between Rishika and Ashmaka

Buddhism of Ajanta

The erroneous constructs of the Hinayana and Mahayana The mainstream Buddhist schools Is there a Mahayana at Ajanta?

The Samgha at the Samgharama of Ajanta The Original Layout of the Fifth-Century Mandapas

Chapter II: Cave 1

Sequence of Excavation

460–61 CE: The planning Late 463 CE: The beginning of excavation 464–mid-465 CE: The porch and the interior front aisle

Late 464: Excavation of the main doorway

Late 465–early 469 CE: The hall and porch colonnade

The window types and aisle-doors Late 465 CE: The excavation of the windows 466–68 CE: The hall The pillar decorations

Early 469 CE: The interior colonnades Late 469 CE: The porch colonnade

470 CE: The cross-axis abandoned and shrine antechamber begins

The plan for pillared-chamber-with-inner-cellsabandoned for simple cells Excavation of the antechamber The shrine doorway

471: The shrine and the right pillared pavilion on the front court

The shrine The right pillared pavilion on front court

475–77: The final years

475–76: The paintings on the facade and the porch 476 CE: Upgrading of cell doorways and excavation of the left pillared pavilion 476–77: The shrine images and painting activities in the cave

Narrative Wall Paintings

Maitribala Mahasudarshana Shibi-Kapota Udrayana Sudhana Shankhapala Janaka Kalyanakarin Sumagadha Mahoshadha Maravijaya Mahapratiharya Campaka Nagakumara Prabhasa

Chapter III: Cave 2

Sequence of Excavation

Early 465 CE: The beginning 466 CE: The ‘conversion’ of the dormitoryinto a temple 467–68 CE: The hall 469 CE: The cells, pillars, and carved decorations

More about pillars and pilasters The shrine antechamber Paintings

475–477 CE: The porch-end pillared pavilions, shrine, etc.

475: The shrine Evidence of worship activities

Narrative Wall Paintings

Bhuridatta Prabhasa Kshantivadin Maitribala Hamsa Shibi-Kapota Bhagavatprasuti Mahapratiharya Bodhisatva King in a Mountainous Landscape Rúru Vidhura Purna

Devotional Wall Paintings

Bodhisatva King in a Mountainous Landscape One thousand Buddhas Yaksha temple of Manibhadra and Purnabhadra

The shrine’s left wall: painted version of a yaksha temple The shrine’s right wall: painted version of another yaksha temple

Yaksha temple for Hariti and Pancika or Kubera

Hariti chapel, left wall: unidentified scene Hariti chapel, right wall: unidentified scene

Chapter IV: Cave 9

Art and Architectural Features

The layout Architecture

Narrative Wall Paintings

Pandara Mahagovinda Shasha Kunala Udaya Kashyapa Elapattra

Chapter V: Cave 10

Art and Architectural Features

The layout The facade The vault

Chapter VI: Cave 16

Sequence of Excavation

Varahadeva, the patron 460–61: The planning Late 462: The elephant gate, Nagendra shrine, and tunnelled staircase 463: The cistern, facade, porch, and maindoor

Early 463: The cistern, facade, and front court Late 463: The porch and main door

464, 465, 466: The hall 464: The front aisle and ‘hall-windows’

The front aisle The ‘hall-windows’

466: Plans for a shrine and the ‘conversion’process

Early 466: The porch floor and aisle-doors lowered - the first time

The aisle-doors The porch floor and aisle doors re-cut downwards

Late 466: The ceiling decorations and ribbed capitals inthe front aisle

467: The excavation of cells

The interior cells The porch-end cells

468: The shrine begins; decorations on the pilasters, main door, shrine pillars; addition of the square bases; the porch columns defined with capitals and adhishtana

The shrine begins The carvings of main door, porch pilasters, shrine pillars The interior floor lowered for adding the square basesbelow axial pillars The porch floor lowered – the second time, to add the adhishthanas The porch pillars and capitals defined with 3.5 volutes

469: The painting work and the a+ modedoor fittings

The A+ mode door fitting in some interior cells

475–77: Upgrading the cells to the 'D' mode door fittings, the donative inscription, and the shrine Buddha

477: The pralamba-padasana posture The shrine door The dedicatory inscription

478–80: Intrusive paintings and dedicationof the main image

Narrative Wall Paintings

Devavatara Sutasoma Vartakapota Vishvantara Bisa Kumbha Hastin Mukapangu Nanda Mahapratiharya Mahasamaja Bhagavan

Chapter VII: Cave 17

Sequence of Excavation

Upendra[gupta II], the donor 463: The tunnelled staircase and facade

The tunnelled staircase The facade

464: The cistern, narrower porch, higher floor, and main doorway

The cistern The porch

The columns The main doorway The narrower porch The higher floor level

465: The front aisle and ‘hall-windows’

The chronology of the hall-windows, aisle-doors, and aisle-windows The front aisle The hall-windows

466: The aisle-doors, simha dvara theme,lowering of the porch floor, and the ideaof adding square bases below interior axialpillars

The aisle-doors The idea of the simha-dvara (lion gate) The lowering of the porch floor The idea of adding square bases below the interior axial pillars

467: The interior capitals, the forward cells, and the lone semi-circular step

The hall partially done The interior capitals: 4.5 volutes The lone flying gandharva on a left pillar The cells: porch and front aisle

More about the porch-end cells The lone semi-circular step

468: The carved decorations, centralinterior cells, and shrine

The carved decorations on the axial pillars Carved decoration on the main door The central cells on interior side walls The shrine antechamber The shrine

475 CE: 3.5 ribs on the porch capitals 477: The dedication of the image and worship activities

Narrative Wall Paintings

Simha Avalokiteshvara Samsaracakra Shuddhodana Udayin Dhanapala Rahula Sumati Mahasamaja Shibi Rúru Riksha Mriga Shaddanta Mahakapi Hastin Bodhi Sarvadada Hamsa Vishvantara Indra Vanara Sutasoma Sharabha Shasha Matriposhaka Matsya Shyama Mahisha Simhala

Spink ’s Research

‘Defining Features’ Types of Doorways and Door Fittings Time Chart

Further Readings General Plan of the Ajanta Caves Back Cover

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