. Ajanta The Ajanta caves are situated at a distance of about km north of Aurangabad in Maharashtra. Totally caves have been scooped out of volcanic rocks. Though chiefly famous for mural paintings, there are some sculptures too.
The Hinayana sect of Buddhism started the excavation of caves in Ajanta. The patrons were the kings who ruled the Deccan plateau during the period c. BCE to CE. Inscriptions speak of the patrons who range from kings to merchants.
First phase of the caves belong to the period from c. BCE to CE. The second phase started from c. CE to CE.
Paintings Ajanta caves are the repository of rich mural paintings. Paintings of the early phase are mostly in caves nine and ten, which belong to the period of the Satavahanas. The authors of Ajanta paintings followed ingenious techniques. First, Ajantha: Bodhisatva Ajantha Cave : Vihara Cells XI History - Lesson - - Cultural Development in South India The sculptural panel in the Krishna mandapa, where village life with cows and cowherds is depicted with beauty and skill, is yet another artistic wonder to behold.
Conclusion Rock-cut temples were common in the Pallava period. Th e structural temples and the free-standing temples at Aihole and Badami in the Deccan and at Kanchipuram and Mamallapuram provide testimony to the architectural excellence achieved during the period. Th e Deccan style of sculpture shows a close affi nity to Gupta art. Pallava sculpture owed a lot to the Buddhist tradition.
Yet the sculpture and the architecture of the Deccan and Tamil Nadu were not mere off shoots of the northern tradition. Th ey are distinctly recognizable as diff erent and have an originality of their own. Th e basic form was taken from the older tradition, but the end result unmistakably refl ected its own native brilliance. III.
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