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Recollecting the Indosphere     

Sandip Hor seems fascinated by the beautiful art on display in these ancient caves

Historians and scholars have accepted that centuries before Jesus Christ was born, virtually the whole world was under the cultural influence of the ‘Indosphere.’ This refers to the vast cultural, philosophical and spiritual influence that originated from the Indian subcontinent, which spread out across Asia, and reached as far as East Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and even parts of the Middle East and Africa.

Over many centuries, Indian civilisation had a profound impact on the regions it touched by influencing religion, language, art, architecture and governance. The expansion continued until around the 10th century AD when Islamic and European ascendency emerged.

Artistic expression of India’s three prominent religions – Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism – contributed to the creation of the Indosphere. And some of the artistic exhibits from that era still exist in the cave temples of India such as the Ajanta and Ellora complex in Maharashtra.

Ajanta, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located about 95 kilometres away from Aurangabad and comprises 30 mountain caves, which were excavated between the 3rd century BC and 6th century AD. Each cave contains extraordinary paintings and sculptures that are recognised by global art connoisseurs as being some of the greatest artistic renditions of human civilisation.

Following the traditional Buddhist monastic architecture, the caves were designed as either a chaitya (which is a place of worship) or vihara (where monks lived, studied and meditated). However, both were lavishly embellished with paintings, statues and carvings, as well as huge figures of Lord Buddha in different positions – e.g. sitting, standing and sleeping.

Unlike the Ajanta caves, which were carved into a sheer rock face, the Ellora Caves line a two kilometre long ridge. These were excavated between the 6th and 9th centuries AD; and in addition to Buddhist architecture, they include temples and monasteries that are associated with Jainism and Hinduism.

WHERE TO STAY While modest accommodation such as hotels and government guest houses are available close to the cave locations, most visitors stay in Aurangabad where the choices are plentiful. The Ambassador Ajanta Hotel sits on five hectares of lush greenery, and is close to the airport, railway station and shopping district.

WHERE TO GO The Ajanta paintings mainly illustrate the life of Lord Buddha and narrate stories from Jātaka tales about his previous incarnations.

Famous historian William Dalrymple writes that nowhere in this world has Lord Buddha come more dramatically to life than in Ajanta. The most famous paintings are the Boddhisattva Padmapani and Vajrapani in cave number one, along with that of the flying apsara (celestial nymph) in cave number 17.

The huge sculptures at Ellora meanwhile, particularly that of Hindu God Shiva and his consort Parvati, also command attention. And the Kailasa Temple inside cave number 16 is Ellora’s star attraction. Covering twice the area of the Parthenon in Athens, this 8th century AD Hindu shrine is marked by architectural scholars as an engineering marvel of all time due to its scale, intricate design and construction excellence.

It remains the world’s largest monolithic temple, and is illustrated with various panels depicting stories from the Ramayana and Mahābhārata.

Around the 8th century AD when Buddhism began declining in India, Ajanta gradually lost its devotees and was abandoned. The cave remained shielded by the surrounding forest for almost a millennium until it was accidentally rediscovered by British soldier, author and adventurer Captain John Smith in the 19th century.

During that period, the Ellora caves gained prominence. Unlike the paintings and sculptures at Ajanta, which show signs of damage and deterioration due to years of neglect, the art in the Ellora Caves appears to have withstood the effects of time.