Free Essays-Tourism-Ajanta Caves-tryst with Buddha

Ajanta Caves-tryst with Buddha

-K.Devi Padmanabhan

When people kill their own brethren without any remorse, commit adultery and indulge in corruption, drown themselves in intoxicants, it is time for us to imbibe the essence of Lord Buddha’s teachings.    

     

Gautam Buddha was born on the Full Moon day of Vaisakh in 563 BC at Lumbini to King Subhodana and Queen Maha Maya of Kapilavastu. It was on the same day 36 years later that Lord Buddha achieved enlightenment under a bodhi tree in Gaya.  This day of the year also marks the death anniversary of Gautam Buddha (who attained Parinirvana at the age of 80). In Sikkim, Buddha Purnima is called “Saga Dasa” and “Vaishakh Pooja” in the Thervada tradition. On this day, Buddhists reaffirm their faith in the five basic principles of Buddhism called Panchsheel. They are not to kill, not to steal, not to lie, not to drink any intoxicant, and not to commit adultery.

Prince to Preacher

              Prince Siddharth married Princess Yasodhara at the age of sixteen. He had a son named Rahul. One day, Prince Siddharth went out of the palace and saw a feeble old man, a diseased person, a dead body and a dignified hermit. This made him understand the futility of materialistic life. These different faces of life made the 29 year old Sidharth to renounce his family and kingdom to attain enlightenment. Sidhartha became Lord Buddha- the enlightened one from then on. Buddhism flourished and spread to all parts of the world. Buddhist followers went to all parts of the land to preach the message of love and compassion. The imprints of Buddhism and their symbols are living testimony to the glorious past.

      

Discovery of the Caves

             It was poetic justice that in 1819, British army officers in pursuit of a hapless tiger, chanced upon the horse-shoe shaped rocky caves above the ravines of Waghora river, near Ajanta Village in the Deccan region (now in Maharashtra). Perhaps the soldiers forgot all about their hunting escapades and were shell-shocked seeing such artistic wonders carved and painted in 30 odd caves on the other side of the river. These caves were as old as 2nd BC to 6th Century AD.   The caves were the monsoon retreats or Varshavasas of Buddhist monks. Ajanta Caves is perhaps the most beautiful and awesome depiction of Lord Buddha and his ideals of non-violence and compassion in the most astounding art forms. No wonder UNESCO has declared it as a World Heritage site. Of the thirty caves in Ajanta five are chaityas or prayer halls and the rest are viharas or monasteries.

              The two hour drive from Aurangabad through Maharashtra State Highway-8, is a forgettable experience. But things change after Ajanta Village which is 12 Kms before the Ajintha Leni- i.e., Ajanta Caves, in Marathi. After the hairpin curves and the drive upwards, serenity prevails as there are no human inhabitations for quite a stretch of land. The climb to the caves from Camp Station is a bit arduous. But the treasure chest awaiting the eyes and soul are worth the climb. Actually the Caves are situated 76 metres above the Waghera River. When it was built, each of the 30 caves had separate flight of stone steps from the riverside.

              When we enter Cave 1, a soothing feeling of calmness and serenity engulfs us. Glorious idol of Lord Buddha in a blessing pose makes us bow our heads in reverence. The frescoes of Bodhisatva Padmapani and Bodhisatva Vajrapani are wondrous form of art which have survived the test of time and ravages of Nature. Till now the colours are distinct and features sharp enough for any connoisseur to stare at them in delight. The stone carving on a pillar of four deer with a single head is a thing of joy to behold. It is done so exquisitely that each deer gets separate identity with just one head. Beautiful murals depicting Jataka tales of Maharaja Sibhi and others are also there.

              The caves can be broadly divided into two phases of Buddhism. Six caves - Cave no. 9 and 10 which are Chaithyagrihas and Cave no. 8, 12, 13 and 15 which are Viharas - belong to Hinayana Phase of Buddhism. In the Hinayana phase Lord Buddha is revered in the form of Stupa, throne or other symbols. The earliest among them dating back to 2 BC is in Cave no. 10. In the later Mahayana phase Buddha is worshipped in human form.

Miracles and Temptations

              The paintings depicted in the Caves are also of two phases. The  earliest  ones belonging to 2 BC are seen in Cave no. 9 and 10. The second phase of paintings seemed to have been done around 5th-6^th Century AD. These paintings depict previous births of Lord Buddha as Bodhisatvas known as Jataka tales. Some depict the important miracles performed by Buddha like manifesting himself into 1000 Buddhas at Sravasti, Buddha preaching at Tusita Heaven, subjugation of Nalagiri the instigated elephant, Mara the evil force trying to tempt Buddha with his daughters and other royal gifts etc,.

              The huge stone carving of Lord Buddha in Parinirvana in Cave 26 is tinged with melancholy. Below the huge image on stone of reclining Buddha are many forms of Bhikshus crying. The rest of the caves is untouched as work was not started.

Development of Buddhist Locations

            The Ministry of Tourism and Culture has provided significant amount for the upgradation  of infrastructure at Buddhist’s places, which include Rs. 7.68 crore for the development of Bodhgaya, Rajgir, Nalanda in Bihar and development of Lower Krishna Valley Buddhist circuits in Andhra Pradesh at the cost of Rs. 8.00 crore during 2005-06.  Apart from the above, loan assistance of Rs. 395.63 crore from Japan Bank Industrial Construction (JBIC) for Phase-II of the Tourism Infrastructure Development of Buddhist locations in the Buddhist Circuit of UP at Sarnath, Kushinagar, Kapilvastu, Sravasti and Sankisa has been approved.