The Positive and Negative Spaces of Ajanta Caves

December 11-12, 2013

When I first heard about the paintings of Ajanta Caves, I had an updated version of Lascaux on my mind. You know, natural shelters in rock, which have rough and organic interior surfaces painted with images of, well, in this case, Buddhist motifs. Even though I had later seen some photos online, nothing, I tell you, nothing prepared me for experiencing the mind-boggling architectural sophistication that is Ajanta. Hewn out of the solid volcanic rock of the Deccan Plateau in South India, these 30 caves consist of verandas, courtyards, ambulatories, colonnaded walkways, apses, antechambers, shrine rooms, sanctums, stupas, and so forth. Many are two stories or more.

The caves are unbelievable feats of engineering, excavated in one piece from top to bottom. All of the elements named above, including statuary and shrines, bar-reliefs, every detail from pillars to doorjambs and window frames, are carved from single, solid rock! No kidding, they are purely constructed by the removal of material. From an artist’s point of view, this is dealing with negative space as much as positive space. Think of what’s not there in order to see what is there. 

Now add to this the fact that in many of the caves, every surface, nook and cranny, was carefully plastered and sanded to a smooth sheen, then exquisitely painted with refined colors to depict scenes of Buddha’s life, Jataka tales, bodhisattvas, entourages, and decorative patterns.

A testimony of skill and artistry, and considered to be the beginning of classical Indian art, no wonder Ajanta Caves is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

All this is nestled in a peaceful wending river valley with flowering trees. It must have been quite a place of devotion for the monastic community who lived here intermittently between the 2^nd century B.C.E. to 5^th or 6^th century C.E.

Today, access is by road midway along the cliff, but in its day, one can imagine the serene seclusion of the site, accessed only by stairways leading from the valley floor up to the caves.

Of the thirty caves, five are chaityas or temples housing a stupa. These are Caves 9, 10, 19, 26, and 29, with Caves 9 and 10 being the oldest, dating to 2^nd century B.C.E.

According to inscriptions, this Cave 10 was excavated with the sponsorship of Vasisthiputra Katahadi, Kanahaka of Bhada, and monk Dharmadeva. The paintings on the pillars, ceiling, and walls, rare extant examples of ancient Indian painting, were created by various devotees. Traces of Buddhist themes, designs, and Jataka Tales survive, but little remains of the chaitya’s full glory. This temple originally had a wooden interior, probably a reproduction of the interiors of freestanding wooden structures of its time. The stupa is the largest one at Ajanta. 

Beside the chaityas, the other caves are viharas, which were monasteries with a central colonnaded gathering hall facing an inner sanctum, flanked by rows of small simple cells that were monks’ quarters. These caves were created at a later date. By scholar Walter Spink’s account, they were excavated predominantly during the Vakataka Dynasty, under King Harishena’s rule, circa 475-500. Other scholars, however, believe the viharas were built over a much longer time span than 25 years.

This later period of 5th to 6th century architecture is marked by elaborate detail, such as seen in Caves 1 and 2 (images to follow below). My favorite is Cave 26. 

Cave 26 is similar to the above Cave 19, but far more richly carved and decorated. It is also larger. This chaitya consists of a central hall with colonnaded walkway or side aisles and beautifully carved walls. An inscription dated 450-525 C.E. attributes the founding of it to a monk named Buddhabhadra.

I really love this graceful sculpture of Buddha in parinirvana, carved into the side wall of Cave 26.

Upon entry into the left aisle, one encounters it. Here is another view of it looking back towards the entrance. Also carved here is Mara’s assault on Buddha.

The below right side aisle is also amply carved.

Cave 1 shown below is famous for its extensive and refined paintings which date circa 6th-7th centuries. Literally every inch of its interior was originally painted. The structure consists of a large gathering hall with fourteen cells on the sides, a vestibule, and inner sanctum with antechamber. Its ceiling is a massive expanse for a hypostylar hall of this type, and it is ornately decorated with colorful flora, fauna, figures, and geometric designs. As mentioned earlier, the wall paintings depict Buddha’s life, Jataka tales, bodhisattvas, and royal entourages.

The below detail shows Buddha in his preaching mudra (hand gesture). While the carved deer facing each other on the base of the throne does not show the typical frontal view of an 8-spoked wheel of dharma (teachings) between them, this is likely a reference to Buddha’s first sermon at Sarnath, also known as the First Turning of the Wheel.

Here is the famous Ajanta painting of Vajrapani, a bodhisattva who represents Buddha’s power. He is usually one of the three protectors pictured on temples or monasteries. The other two are Manjushri, bodhisattva of transcendent wisdom, and Padmapani also known as Avalokiteshvara, bodhisattva of compassion.

Vajrapani’s elaborate headdress reminds me of the ones I saw on bodhisattvas in Tabo Monastery’s inner sanctum shown here in a previous post. Ajanta predates Tabo by about 300-400 years.

And here is the other renowned image, Padmapani, the bodhisattva of compassion who is featured on the other side of the inner sanctum at Cave 1.

Really richly painted, one can only imagine how vibrant and clear all the images were over 1400 years ago when they were freshly made! And what an impact they must have made on those living here in quiet seclusion contemplating the teachings so beautifully and abundantly expressed.

I really appreciate that the artists dedicated themselves to creating fine work everywhere. The vast ceiling of Cave 1 is painstakingly executed with the same level of refinement and delicacy found in the wall paintings. Despite being rather high, and considering that most viewers would not be able to discern the details in low lighting, the artists did not slacken their skills.

I like the grace of this delightful small ceiling panel. It probably only measures 5 x 8 inches at most. Everything from its lyrical design to colors and brushwork, its play on symmetry, form, line, composition, contrast, is so well done. And this is just one example of excellence from an entire ceiling that covers easily an estimated  70 x 70 feet, 1400 square feet in total area! That is a lot of space to paint on this level.

I also found it interesting that similar to the ceilings of later 10th century Indo-Tibetan monasteries, the imagery is non-religious. At Lhalung Monastery, for example, where I visited and wrote about here, the coffered ceiling of its Golden Temple is entirely painted in geometric designs. Perhaps artists followed a precedent set here at Ajanta.

Ajanta Cave 2 is the other one well-known for its well-preserved murals. I’ll only show a few details here to give an idea of it. Truly, one has to go to Ajanta in person to experience the eye-popping ancient wonder of it!

The Vakataka Dynasty, Buddhist devotees who predominantly sponsored the creation of the Ajanta Caves, overlapped with the great Gupta Empire. According to UNESCO World Heritage website, the “decoration attained at this time an unequalled splendor…the statuary is numerous…the wall painting, profuse and sensitive, constitutes, no doubt, the most striking artistic achievement of Ajanta. Under the impulse of the Gupta dynasty, Indian art in effect reached its apogee…The refined lightness of the decoration, the balance of the compositions, the marvelous beauty of the feminine figures place the paintings of Ajanta among the major achievements of the Gupta and post-Gupta style and confer on them the ranking of a masterpiece of universal pictorial art.”

I’ve highlighted some of the best caves at Ajanta, though many were left unfinished. It is said by scholar Walter Spink that this was due to the political interruption and unrest that followed when Vakataka King Harisena suddenly died in 500 C.E.

What followed was relatively quick and permanent abandonment of Ajanta Caves not long afterwards. When social and political conditions favored once again the sponsorship and excavation of devotional caves, new ones were created at Ellora about 106 kilometers away. Yes, I went there, too! Coming soon will be incredible photos from this site!

The unfinished Cave 24 was fascinating to see because it gave insight on how the caves were excavated. This is a view looking down what would have been the left side aisle of the vihara. The columns are only partway hewn and the depth of the floor is still to be determined, whereas the ceiling appears smooth and complete. This is strong evidence that building a cave at Ajanta was indeed done from top to bottom.

Talk about positive and negative space! It’s so plain to see here what has to still be taken away in order to “build” the remaining architecture. The columns and their capitals are in process here, as is the floor of the main hall.

Chisels marks can clearly be seen on this column in-the-making.

When you think about this being the early state of Ajanta caves before they are completed into their finely carved and painted glory, it’s humbling. So much ancient skill and artistry, so much vision and dedication!

All photos © 2013, Eva Lee.