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From : BABA Mail
The Magnificent and Ancient Ajanta Caves
According
to archaeologists, construction of the Ajanta caves in Maharashtra,
India, began about 2200 years ago. Over hundreds of years of work and
more than 30 monuments were laboriously cut into the rock face of the
mountains. According to speculation, the use of the caves stopped around
1000 AD for unknown reasons, letting a thick jungle canopy grow around
them, hiding them away for many generations.
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No
human eye saw the caves again until centuries later, when, in 1819, an
Englishman by the name of John Smith was hunting a tiger when he
discovered a hidden doorway to one of the temples. We know this because
he unfortunately left his name on the wall of the temple - and a date,
which can still be seen today.
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But
although that first English discoverer did not go immediately public
with his discovery, the existence of the caves became known, and soon
after Indian and European tourists started pouring into the ancient site
- after much digging and cleaning, that is (the caves were home to many
species of animals for centuries).
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Experts
have dated the caves from the second century BC - 200 years before the
birth of Christ. Their function seems to be ritualistic, used as prayer
halls. Much use of Roman design is evident in the columns and arches of
the caves. The hard rock face of the caves was apparently chiseled with
rough tools and even bare hands.
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It seems that the first hallowed caves were dug during the time of The Sātavāhana Empire, which dates back to about 230BC.
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Almost
every surface but the floor is covered in paintings - literally. They
have lost much of their former glory, of course, but efforts are being
made to restore them. Poems are also painted on the walls - 547 of them -
which tell stories of Buddha's previous lives.
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To create them, a chisel was used to make room for plaster on the walls which was spread on the surface. Before it dried, the painter would paint on it, soaking it into the plaster so it became part of the surface. This method has been proven to survive for over 2000 years. |
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No
one knows why the caves were deserted, and we may never know the answer
to this mystery. But they continue to draw many visitors who marvel at
the art of the ancients that came before them.
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Sa
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