Ajanta Paintings

Narrative Buddhist paintings were made at the caves of Ajanta in both the Early and the Later phase. The oldest surviving Buddhist paintings in India are found in Caves 9 and 10. These Early paintings are based on Jātaka Tales - stories about the previous existences of the Bodhisatva. To many, it might seem absurd, that the Bodhisatva appears in these stories as different animals like the monkey, elephant or deer, but he displays in each story eternal compassion for all beings.

The best preserved copies of the Later paintings from the 5th century CE are found in caves 1, 2,16, and 17. They also tell stories from the Jātakas. We also find certain stories from the Avadāna, which detail glorious deeds by Bodhisatvas - who as kings, merchants and princes perform acts of great moral merit. Events from Śākyamūni Buddha’s life are also depicted in the caves.

Major portions of the paintings are missing or damaged due to the ravages of time, vandalism and misled conservation efforts. Written sources of the stories have been a great help in identifying and understanding these paintings. Dieter Schlingloff and Monica Zin have been documenting and identifying the paintings of Ajanta.
Their work has been critical in creating a general understanding of the paintings at Ajanta.

These stories were perhaps commonly known to Buddhists who came to these caves.Through a few scenes, the painting unlocked whole epic tales in the minds of the viewer who knew the entire story in all its details, like the image of the Gautama Buddha conjures up the great tale of Prince Siddhartha and his journey to Enlightenment.

Even if you do not understand the stories, the beautiful figures and stunning geographies present in the paintings will transport you to another age where the ancient artists created these narratives.

You may not always find uniform form and style, aesthetic principles, or narrative structures across even a single wall in the caves in Ajanta. Multiple artist guilds seem to have been responsible for these paintings which often seem to be done by many artists who worked together to create them.

Detail from Māravijaya, Cave 1.

Line of ants, detail from Ṣaḍdanta, Cave 17.

The process of creating these paintings couldn’t have been easy. Though we see many different methods employed by the artists, a general pattern does emerge. Based on recent scientific studies undertaken by Manager Singh. The paintings are created using mineral colours on a smooth lime plaster. The walls in the cave were first chiselled to create a rough texture so that mud plaster can stick better to it. A rough mud plaster made perhaps from mud acquired from the river-side was mixed and applied to the walls. Then a smooth mud plaster made with fine clay like texture mixed with vegetable fibre and grain husks was then applied to the wall. On top of this a smooth coat of lime was applied. Once the lime dried, the outline of the paintings were made in red ochre and soot black. Finally colour was applied. Artists used mineral colours such as lapis lazuli, yellow ochre, terra verte etc which were mixed with animal glue. The sheen that characterises the paintings at Ajanta was perhaps achieved by smoothening the painted surface with a trowel. And the result is their endurance across the centuries, even after the jungle had moved into the caves, the paintings have survived. All it needs is the keen eye of the viewer to appreciate the intricate and painstaking work on display.

The rough chiselled surface (below) and smooth chiselled surface (above)

Final smooth chiselled surface.

Mud plaster is layered on the chiselled surface

Lime coat is applied and dried before line drawings are made.

Details where painting is done directly on stone surface.

Detail from a completed painting Udayin, Cave 17.