Ajanta caves are situated near Ajanta village in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra. These caves are magnificent example of initials Buddhist art of vastu, art of paintings and sculpture. Ajanta is among the finest examples of some of the earliest Buddhist architecture, cave paintings v, v. ..and sculptures.
These caves have two types of structures namely:
- Chaitya halls or shrines, dedicated to Lord Buddha, and
- Viharas or monasteries, used by Buddhist monks for meditation and the study of Buddhist teachings.
Cave No. 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29 are Chaityas, whereas the remaining Caves are viharas. Based on the work done in than, caves can be divided in two types i.e. (1) Caves NO. 1, 2, 10, 16 and 17 have excellent wall Paintings depicting Buddhist religion. These caves have attained the highest rank in wall painting. With time, people had forgotten Ajanta caves. In 1819 A.D. John Smith, a British officer, rediscovered these caves. Human interference and time have greatly damaged them. Ajanta caves are world-famous for their extremely rich blending of art, paintings; sculpture and architecture.
