Ellora and Ajanta: caves as monuments to ancient art

March 2007

I’ve never been particularly fond of caves.  I get more than a little claustrophobic the further I venture in, the darker it gets, and the smaller and more enclosed it becomes.  However... the Ellora and Ajanta caves, not far from Aurangabad, represent a whole different league of caves.  These ‘caves’ are temples hewn – by hand, as they were constructed long before any kind of powered or mechanized tool was available – out of the plentiful basalt rock formations in the area.  

The scale of the excavations and the precision and artistry of the carvings are extraordinary – truly awe inspiring.  Many of the caves were surprisingly bright and airy, with open fronts and high ceilings.  And the less open caves, the ones we needed to enter to truly appreciate, were well enough lit, thanks to the modern invention of electricity, that I was able to venture inside without trepidation.

 

The Ellora Caves

 

We visited the Ellora caves first.  There are over a hundred of them, but only 34 are open to the public –12 Buddhist, 17 Hindu, and 5 Jain temples – all constructed between 600 and 1000 CE (AD).  They’re of varying size and style, from the simpler Buddhist caves to the highly decorative Hindu caves.  The most famous one is cave #16, which consists of a huge three-storey high temple, completely covered with highly decorative and intricate sculptures both inside and out, and all hewn from one massive rock.  It has the distinction of being the largest carved monolith in the world.  And... it was excavated, and carved, from the top down, which meant that thousands of tons of rock had to be removed from the site over the decades it took to create it.  

It's hard to imagine that this huge space was created by excavating and carving a single massive rock.

We visited the Buddhist caves first.  I found myself drawn to these simple and undecorated temples – they felt serene and peaceful.  I could easily imagine sitting and meditating there in silence, my spirits uplifted by the tall, graceful columns and the clean uncluttered space around me.  By contrast the Hindu temples, with their riots of sculptured forms, cacophonies of deities – men with animal’s heads, animals with men’s heads – elephants, lions, monkeys, peacocks, dancing girls and all manner of flowers and geometric designs, I felt so bombarded by visual stimuli that I couldn’t imagine finding a clear path and quiet to inner peace and serenity.  

 

The difference between the Buddhist and Hindu temples was also evidenced by the level of noise (or lack thereof) in them.  The Buddhist temples seemed to engender a quieter atmosphere (even the habitually noisy Indian tourists were quieter in the Buddhist temples).  

The Hindu temples were much rowdier and noisier.  Children ran about and shouted, chasing one another around the columns.  Adults talked in loud voices, which sounded like they were arguing about something, but were more likely just conversing, albeit with gusto.  

 

But perhaps the most striking difference between the Buddhist and Hindu temples at Ellora was a marked difference in care.  Whereas the Buddhist temples were clean and well kept, and had been carefully screened to keep out the bats, the Hindu temples were unkempt, and had not been screened.  They were therefore full of bats, and the unmistakable odour of bat shit that discourages, at least for me, any serious contemplation of the divine.

 

Interestingly these observations engendered, for me, a different appreciation of the Hindu religion.  I realize that whereas I have little difficulty relating to the monotheistic Buddhist and Muslim religions, I feel at a complete loss when it comes to the Hindu religion.  Although part of the problem is the pantheistic nature of Hinduism, I think more of it for me is the fantastic nature of the myriad gods and goddesses.  All the weird and wonderful, grotesque and gorgeous, spectacularly colourful, golden and glittering images put me in mind more of a Salvador Dalian cosmic comic book than a credible system of belief. I just can’t take it seriously.  But then maybe it isn’t meant to be taken seriously…?  

 

Getting to the Ajanta Caves – through a shopping mall 

 

Following our day at the Ellora caves we jumped on a bus to go to Jalgaon, where we could once again access the marvellous India Rail system, and continue our journey north.  We planned to stay one night in Jalgaon, and from there take a local bus to get to the Ajanta caves.  About half way to Jalgaon, we were told the bus wasn’t in fact going to Jalgaon.  Yet another unanticipated event that required some fast thinking.  

We consulted our trusty guidebook and found out that there was a baggage storage room at the Ajanta caves, so we could go there, check out bags, check out the caves, and get back to Jalgaon before sunset.  We also found out that that there was a special bus that went to the caves from a T-junction that our bus was just about to pass through. We went up to the front of the bus and asked the driver to let us down at the T-junction.

 

So there we were at a rather desolate looking spot, marginally ‘enhanced’ by a new shopping mall.  We could see the road to the caves: it stretched out for miles across an endless flat landscape. It would be a very long hot walk.  But of course there were several rickshaw drivers there, so we thought, no problem, one of them will take us.  But no, they only wanted to go to Jalgaon, where they could be sure of another fare, likely coming right back here to the mall.  One of them offered this advice: “Sir madam you can go to the caves on the green bus only. There you can buy a ticket.”  He gestured vaguely in the direction of a ticket booth in front of the mall.  

 

The fellow manning the ticket booth told us that the ‘green bus’ left from the “backside” of the mall.  He then instructed us, in no uncertain terms, that we must walk through the mall to get to the bus.  So, dragging our luggage behind us, we traipsed through the maze of what turned out to be a collection of tourist shops and cafes, a sort of “outdoor mall.”  

A young lad selling post-cards attached himself us, pretending to assist us by showing us the way to the bus, but mostly trying to sell us his post-cards, which unfortunately we didn’t want. As we trudged through the mall we were hailed and harassed by every shop-keeper and café-owner in the place – “come look my shop, no charge for looking,” “have lunch here – there is no food at the caves,” “buy some water, a hat, bananas, some bracelets”…

                                           

We soldiered determinedly on, looking neither left nor right so as not to encourage any would-be sellers, and finally came to the “backside” of the mall, where we caught a glimpse of our destination: the green bus.  But before we got to the bus, there was another gate, and another ticket booth.  The fellow at this booth informed us that he was selling tickets for the bus.  The tickets that we had bought at the first booth were not, as we had assumed, for the bus.  They were an “amenities fee” that entitled us to walk through the mall to get to the bus.  We had just paid 7 rupees each (20 cents) for the privilege of being harassed by every shop-keeper in the place.  And furthermore, it was clear that we were meant to repeat the procedure, and pay another 7 rupees each, on our way back!  Only in India. ‘Incredible India’.

 

But perhaps the biggest joke – on us of course – was that green bus actually left from the parking lot of another, older, and somewhat smaller “shopping mall” where all of the shops were closed.  And once we got to the Ajanta caves we found, in addition to the luggage room mentioned in our guide book, a good café-restaurant and lots of touts selling trinkets, guidebooks, and postcards.  So the shop-keepers in the 7-rupee-to-transit mall were not telling the truth – well, actually lying – when they told us that there was ‘no food at the caves’.  Fortunately we’ve learned not to believe everything – or anything – we hear.  Here.

 

The Ajanta Caves 

The Ajanta caves are much older than the caves at Ellora, ranging from 200 BCE (BC) to 650 CE (AD).  There are fewer of them (28), and they are all Buddhist.  They are also set in a less expansive, and more scenic landscape, set close together along the bend of a small, now dry, river, and just below the grass topped crest of the hill into which they are carved.  

 

The Ajanta caves contain some of the oldest and most beautiful examples of ancient Indian art – both sculptures and paintings – in the world.  

The Ajanta caves apparently served as retreats for monks, especially during times of monsoons. Many of the caves contain small cubicles, some with raised rock slab “beds”.  One bed has a “built in” (ie. carved out) “pillow” at one end.  I wondered if this might be the aetiology of the many rock hard beds and pillows we have encountered in the hotels in India!  Too bad we’re not monks.

 

The interiors of many of the caves were hauntingly beautiful, with their tall, slender columns, lofty ceilings and filtered light.  They reminded me in a way of the Gothic churches of Europe, their soaring ceilings lifting one’s spirit up, and inviting contemplation of the divine.  I found Cave 26 particularly stunning, with its columned hallway leading to a large stupa adorned with a carved seated Buddha.  There was just enough light for a photo, and no one around to tell me I wasn’t allowed to take one.

We explored as many of the caves as we could in the several hours we were there.  It’s one of those places that truly deserves so much more time.  It’s also one of those places that’s impossible to even adequately describe, let alone describe well.  Impossible to convey the sense of wonder and awe that I felt as I wandered into these ancient sacred caves, experienced the scope and majesty of the works, and felt the presence of the thousands of spiritual souls who came here to mediate and pray. 

 

Before we left I sat for a spell to rest and feel the energy of the place.  I was rewarded by a visit from a sweet little green bird with an orange cap and a very perky tail.  It felt to me like a little messenger bringing me assurances of the eternal nature of life, beauty, hope and peace.  

 

Getting to Jalgaon

 

After visiting the caves, we wandered back along the dry river-bed to the entry point, collected our bags, and hopped on the green bus.  Back at the shopping mall we noted that the attendant was again taking tickets from the tourists for the privilege of walking through the mall.  We avoided that trap, and took a more direct route, sans shop-keepers and touts, to the T-junction.  There a number of rickshaws drivers vied with one another for our attention  - “come, come, I take you to Feludar, there you get bus to Jalgaon”.  But we were pretty sure we could get a bus right from the junction.  

 

Luckily there were four guys sitting on the raised curb of the junction’s “island,” and one of them spoke enough English to volunteer the information that the Jalgaon bus actually stopped here.  Furthermore, as he was going there himself,  he offered to make sure we got on it, even if it was full.  He was as good as his word.  Within a half-hour we were in our own seats on the bus to Jalgaon.

 

For more information on the Ellora caves go to:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellora_Caves

 

For more information on the Ajanta caves go to:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajanta_Caves