The Treasures of Awesome Ajanta:

Saturday, March 23, 2024:

The Treasures of Awesome Ajanta:

It was the last day of our travels in the Deccan and we wanted to make the most of it. After a very restful night, we awoke to shower, pack up and get down to Madhuban restaurant for breakfast. Llew’s tummy was behaving better but he still stayed light with just toast and tea while I had a mushroom and cheese omlette, rice kheer (yes, for breakfast), fresh fruit and watermelon juice. Llew checked out swiftly while I walked outside to get some pictures of our lovely hotel. Not too long after, we were in the car with Raju taking us to see the final item on our agenda—the Ajanta Caves.

Exploring the Ajanta Caves:

The journey to the Ajanta Caves from Aurangabad was a long and very dreary one. You pass by basically rural countryside for miles on end. It takes two hours to reach the base and when you get there, there is another short journey in store—this time by the small mini-buses run by the State Tourism Department which take you up the hills for a 20-minute ride for the cost of Rs. 25 per person, one way.

Once at the base, you will walk from your parking pot to the mini-bus parking lot through a tiny market place filled with shops. Be prepared to be accosted by persuasive vendors who urge you to come to their shops to take a look at their wares. It was already the off-season when we were there (it is already far too hot for most people) and they are hungry for customers. We managed to dodge them and get into our mini-bus and, about 20 minutes later (after purchasing tickets from the driver), we arrived at the base for exploration of the Ajanta Caves.

The Caves at Ajanta are entirely Buddhist. There are 26 caves in total and they curve beautifully and naturally around a bend in the Waghora river (which was dry when we were there). While in full spate, ie. during and just after the monsoon, it must be wonderfully green and gorgeous at this site. Here too, we had to purchase tickets and could use toilets and other facilities for the area is far better served than the Ellora Caves. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation runs a fully-staffed restaurant at this venue. Once again, you can expect to be accosted by vendors selling everything from small, cheap souvenirs to pictorial accounts and guides to the Caves.

Among the 29 caves, the ones that are most important and should not be missed are Caves 1,2,16,17,19, and 26. The Caves consist either of viharas (monastries) or prayer halls (chaityas). However, in Cave 1 itself, you will be treated to the biggest attraction of Ajanta, the large scale paintings on the wall—frescoes, really—that depict various deities of the Buddhist tradition. There are details in these paintings, but it is very difficult to see them—for one thing, there is a great deal of natural deterioration after more than 2000 years (they were built around 400-300 BC) and it is also extremely dark inside the caves. Tour guides use their flashlights to throw light on the subjects as they try to explain the significance of each of the painted tableau. But it is a challenge to discern them clearly. It is interesting to note that these paintings are in a very limited color palette—shades of rust, dark red, a bit of orange, some yellow and a lot of brown. They add to the antiquity of the subjects, of course. Some figures are large and some are tiny. You must make sure you do not miss surveying the ceiling as the paintings up there are in a far better state of preservation than the ones on the walls. There is evidence of interaction between Persian visitors and members of these Buddhist courts in the paintings on the ceiling which clearly depict bearded men in flowing foreign robes socializing with Indians. There are heavily painted geometrical discs that are also in good shape—you see these designs on many tablecloths in India even today

The monasteries show the same typical design that we found in Ellora. There are niches that are entirely carved or pianted along the sides while the central deity is always given pride of place in a large niche, usually flanked by guardian deities. Some of the caves are more ornate than others, their carving more elaborate, or more detailed. One of the Caves has two massive elephants in profiled bas-relief guarding the stairs that lead up to the caves. Quite striking indeed. You will come across chaityas or prayer halls that have stupas at the far end—either carved with figures of the Standing or Seated Buddha or left plainer.

Cave 29 is most certainly the piece de resistance. It portrays a gigantic Reclining Buddha (the Buddha on his death bed) and being that it is at the entrance, it sets the tone for what is a truly stupendous artistic achievement—for the entire semi-circular cave is thickly carved along the sides with representations of the Buddha or scenes from the life of the Buddha. It is all jaw-droppingly amazing and I simply could not fathom how such treasures remained hidden for centuries. It was only in the 1840s, that a British official, who happened to be a tiger hunt in the area, wandered by mistake into the area and fell upon the caves. They were then revealed to the world in all their glory—and what a find it was!

In many ways, it is good that Cave 29 is the last cave—because it leaves the visitor open-mouthed. Truly, after this Cave, everything else would simply pale into insignificance. By this time, also, the visitor is tired and visually satiated. So, it is good that one then has to find one’s way back to the mini-bus base across a narrow bridge that is part of a short walk back.

bus was waiting for us when we arrived at base. We bought our tickets and 15 minutes later, were at the Ajanta parking lot, trying hard, once again, to doge the persistent shopkeepers who tried to lure us to their shops. We merely bought ourselves a cold drink, used the toilet facilities and got into our car to start the long drive back to Bombay.

Drive Back to Bombay:

It was 3.00 pm by the time we were ready to start our journey back to Bombay. We hoped to get back by 11.00 pm but actually reached home at 12 midnight as we had traffic near Kalyan-Bhiwandi and had a hard time finding the CNG that Raju needed to fuel up our car. For a very long time—what seemed like at least two hours—we were on a spiffy new highway called the Mumbai-Nagpur Highway. It took us past Nasik, Igatpuri, etc. and offered a stunning sunset before it disappeared behind the inky Western Ghats. But once we headed nearer to Greater Bombay (from around Kalyan-Bhiwandi), the traffic got intense and chaotic with large, looming trucks inhibiting visibility. We stopped in that genera area for food as suddenly (after what seemed like miles on the highway with no food courts), a number of modest restaurants materialized, each more gaudily lit than the next. We ate pau bhaji (me) and puri bhaji (Llew) washed down with creamy lassis before we hit the road again. Finding CNG was a huge challenge and caused poor Raju a great deal of stress. Finally, when we did come across a gas station that sold it, the line of cars leading up to it were at least half a dozen strong. This delayed us even further, but we were not in a hurry—after all, we were just going home to crash in our beds. It was Raju we felt sorry for—poor man! Just imagine the tension of knowing you were driving on reserve with no sign of fuel around for miles!

Eventually, when we arrived at BKC, we realized we were at home stretch and about half an hour later, we were safely deposited in front of our building. It was just midnight and we were far more exhausted than we could believe. We thanked Raju for his services, tipped him handsomely and took the elevator upstairs to do just that—crash in our beds! We’d had an incredible trip, but it was good to be back home!

Thanks for following me on this amazing exploration of Incredible India! We feel deeply privileged that we have the opportunity to traverse this country at leisure, to bite into it, as I were, one little chunk at a time, and to marvel at its ancient mysteries.

Until next time, may the road rise up to greet you!