The Ajanta Sculptures

"I doubt if you have ever conceived what rock sculpture is that it should have existed in India centuries ago to inform you.” - William Rothenstein, 1910.

Ajanta is a marvel of ancient craft and sculpture. It would not have been an easy task, carving entire saṃghārāmas or Buddhist monasteries out of the flood basalt cliff in the Indhyādhri range. The Cave-site as a whole can be considered a sculpted marvel. For the caves are not natural - they were hewn out of the rock - by digging and removing excess rock; carving and sculpting all the elements you see on the cave interior and exterior out of the rockface.

Ajanta has just simple layanas or residential caves but also grand maṇḍapas with Buddha temple. Inside and outside of these caves you find shrines, sub-shrines, Buddha images which are all part of the merit-accruing donorship that made Ajanta possible. The Buddhist saṃgha received dana or donations ritually from its devotees. Such donations were made by devotees to accrue merit . From lay-devotees, wealthy merchants, monks and royals, Ajanta was created through votive offerings. And the sculptures at Ajanta reflect the variety and ingenuity of the donors. It also showcases the artistry of the craftspeople who were commissioned to create the sculptures.