2. CAVES OF AJANTA INDIA

3. At a little more than 2 hours from the old town of Aurangabad the famous caves of Ajanta are: thirty two caves which all are not natural, but which was cut in the hills, thousands of years ago by workers who used only gravers, scissors and hammers. Carved in the basalt volcanic rock the craftsmen meticulously engraved the rock little by little, while cutting the columns on strategic sites and by creating several rooms inside the rock. The walls and the ceilings were marvelously decorated with applications of plaster and paintings colored.

4. General sight

5. The majority of paintings have more than 1500 years. Ten centuries before the birth of Leonardo da Vinci and the European Rebirth, these unknown artists knew already how to describe and put prospect, depth and realism in their paintings. The expressions and the emotions collected in the faces are as real as today after several centuries and can be admired.

7. The oldest cave goes back to 2 centuries before JC. Among them Viharas with monasteries is, the large ones and small rooms which led towards the principal room where the monks lived. Some of these rooms have beds cut in the rock with a cushion on which the monk could put back his head.

9. . Remainder of caves is constituted by temples similar to cathedrals Christian with ceilings decorated with beams out of wood which crosses in veins, with pillars of rocks decorated and in the central nave (where a Christian church a furnace bridge would have), a large statue of Buddha. It should be recalled that these temples of rock were cut many centuries before the Christian cathedrals and one can wonder whether these caves did not inspire the great architects of the Middle Ages rather than the Greek and Roman traditional temples.

11. It is surprising to think that the large Masters who created these wonders used only rudimentary tools. They bequeathed us something of universal of magic that today us let us can still admire. The centuries seem small drops of water in the walls of these caves.

12. Panel at the entrance of caves

13. Caves of Ajanta

14. One of the entries of the caves

16. 32 caves dug in the rock

17. One of the entries

18. Two elephants carved for a door

19. Rio Vaghora

20. A cave monastery

21. Interior

23. A great Buddha lying

27. A family admire the sculptures

28. Decorations preserved goods

32. Tetos abobodados

34. Fresques

45. A guard

46. END