And Ajanta. Today - a story about the temples of Ajanta.
On the sides of the hall, separated by colonnades, there are side passages intended for religious processions. The ceilings of the caves are supported by carved or painted columns, carved columns also decorate the entrances to the caves.
Ajanta became famous for her wonderful paintings. They have survived to this day only due to the seclusion and remoteness of the temple complex, while other ancient temples were destroyed by religious fanatics. But time and climate became another enemy of ancient paintings. As a result, of all the caves, only thirteen have preserved fragments of ancient painting.
The murals of Ajanta are a kind of encyclopedia of the life of India throughout a whole historical period - the 5th-7th centuries. Most of the paintings in Ajanta are illustrations of Buddhist legends.
However, along with strictly canonical images of the Buddha and bodhisattva saints, there are many images that are not related to the canons and show scenes from the life of ancient India with amazing vitality and truthfulness. This is explained by the fact that the painting of the cave temples of Ajanta was strongly influenced by the painting of a secular nature that has not survived to this day, which once adorned the palaces of kings and nobles.
The murals of Ajanta were created over the centuries by several generations of masters, so many characteristic features, trends and styles of the fine arts of Ancient India found their expression from them. The volume of paintings is simply amazing: for example, only in one of the underground halls, painting occupies more than a thousand square meters, and not only the walls, but also the columns and ceilings are painted. And so it was in all twenty-nine caves.
Indian masters seemed to strive to transfer all the richness and diversity of the outside world into the cramped world of the dungeons. They generously filled the walls and ceilings of the caves with images of trees, animals and people, trying to fill every centimeter of the surface with painting.
Along with paintings from the life of the Buddha, there are paintings of erotic content in the paintings of Ajanta. This close coexistence of religious and erotic subjects is traditional for medieval India and is present in almost all Buddhist and Hindu temples.
Moreover, erotic scenes often serve as illustrations of religious scenes from the life and teachings of the Buddha. What looks obscene to Europeans was never perceived as such in India, where all manifestations of human life were recognized as legal, including those that were tabooed elsewhere.
Researchers pay attention to the realism with which life is depicted in the palaces, villages and cities of India ser. I millennium AD, as a result of which the wall painting of Ajanta acquires the character of a historical document. Thus, in the scene "Buddha Taming the Mad Elephant" one can see what a shopping street in an ancient Indian city looked like: shops with goods, utensils, wagons, linen awnings on bamboo poles protecting the shops from the sun.
The fabulously rich and diverse world of Ajanta murals became known to the whole world only after 1819, when the long-forgotten cave temples of Ajanta were suddenly discovered by accident. In the 1920s, the paintings in the caves were carefully restored and have been protected ever since. "The pictorial decoration of the cave temples of Ajanta is on a par with the best monuments of ancient Indian culture and art," writes O.S. school for many generations of foreign masters. But first of all, these murals formed a solid basis for the development of Indian traditions of fine art. "
(VI century) and the temple of Vishnu (V-VI centuries) in Deogah.
During the Gupta era, cave architecture developed. An example of the magnificent unity of architecture,
sculpture and painting is a cave complex in Ajanta (IV-VII centuries). Among the buildings stand out chaityas and viha "ry - dormitories of Buddhist monks.
The rock ensembles of Ajanta are famous primarily for their painting. This type of fine art has been known in India since the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. e. However, since the picturesque layer is rapidly destroyed under the influence of a humid climate, the cave temples of Ajanta are perhaps the only surviving monument by which one can judge the paintings of the Gupta era. The murals of Ajanta belong to the 4th-7th centuries, so the murals made in the era of the Guptas are included in it only as an integral part. Painting has survived only in sixteen caves. Ceilings, walls and even columns were painted here.
The cave paintings are complex in content, there are many characters in the compositions, but there is no hint of transmission
Paintings of temples in Ajanta. 4th-7th centuries
India.
perspectives, volumes of figures are slightly outlined. Line, color and rhythm form the basis of the entire pictorial ensemble. The variety of colors is small, but their rich combinations and contrasts evoke an unusual emotional feeling. The colors on the paintings seem to glow in the dark. There is a feeling that the earthly and heavenly are harmoniously united in this temple.
The influence of the Ajanta complex on the art of India is enormous. The main stylistic and ideological features of this monument were also reflected in the sculpture of the Gupta era. The Gupta Buddha is an ideal image embodying the idea of achieving nirvana. This is how he appears in the famous statue from Sarnath (5th century). The divine Buddha sits on a throne, richly decorated with sculptures and ornaments. His figure is devoid of all the features of living human flesh. The Buddha sits in the lotus position, his hands folded in a gesture of teaching.
In the Gupta artistic culture, Buddhist art experienced its last flowering, for a long time giving way to the image of the gods of Hinduism.
INDIA VI-X CENTURIES
In the 6th century, after the decline of the Gupta dynasty, the country again broke up into small states, whose rulers in politics relied not only on military force, but also on the religion of Hinduism. The pantheon of this religion is extremely extensive. In the Middle Ages, temples were erected to the main Hindu gods - Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, who make up the Trimurti.
In the 7th century, in the south of India, a huge temple ensemble was erected in the port city of Mahabalipuram. This sacred complex was erected on a natural site located between the mountains and the ocean. Thus, the complex, as it were, connected two natural elements:
water and earth. The ensemble includes Hindu cave temples, eight small sanctuaries carved from solid rock, the famous Seaside Temple of Shiva, as well as the well-known rock relief "Descent of Haiti to the Earth."
In the architecture of the complex, monolithic temples-rathas dedicated to the epic heroes of the Mahabharata stand out. Such are the ratha of Arjuna, the ratha of Bhima, etc. These small temples of Mahabalipuram alternate with large figures of sacred animals carved from the rocks - elephants, lions and bulls. Animals “walking” and “resting” among the rathes seem to connect architectural forms with the coastal landscape.
In the temple complex of Mahabalipuram, sculpture not only adorns the architecture, but also serves as the center of the whole composition. Such is a huge (about thirty meters in length) on-
One of the most outstanding monuments of ancient Indian art is the complex cave temples of Ajanta. It was created in the era of the Gupta Empire - the last major state of Ancient India, which united the northern and central parts of the country in 320.
The complex of underground Buddhist temples of Ajanta was created over several centuries, in the years 200-650. It is a series of caves carved into the rocks and connected by a wide path. Temples (viharas) are located in five caves, monastic cells (chaityas) are located in the remaining twenty-four. A typical Ajanta cave temple consists of a large square hall with small cells arranged around it. On the sides of the hall, separated by colonnades, there are side passages intended for religious processions. The ceilings of the caves are supported by carved or painted columns, carved columns also decorate the entrances to the caves.
Ajanta became famous for her wonderful paintings. They have survived to this day only due to the remoteness of the temple complex - this allowed the unique murals to avoid the complete destruction that ancient temples were subjected to by religious fanatics. But time and climate became another enemy of ancient paintings. As a result, only thirteen of the thirty-nine caves have preserved fragments of ancient painting.
The murals of Ajanta are a kind of encyclopedia of the life of India throughout a whole historical period - the 5th-7th centuries. Most of the paintings in Ajanta are illustrations of Buddhist legends. However, along with images of the Buddha and bodhisattva saints, there are many images showing scenes from the life of ancient India. This is explained by the fact that the painting of the cave temples of Ajanta was influenced by the painting of a secular nature that has not survived to this day, which once adorned the palaces of kings and nobles. The scenes of court life are also present in the plots of Ajanta murals: princes - in luxurious apartments, surrounded by wives and servants, go to war or hunting, receive guests. These images today make it possible to reconstruct the urban architecture of India of that time, in most cases wooden: palaces, houses of wealthy citizens, gates - everything that was irretrievably lost and of which no material samples remained.
The murals of Ajanta were created over the centuries by several generations of masters, so many characteristic features, trends and styles of the fine arts of Ancient India found expression in them. The volume of paintings is simply amazing: for example, only in one of the underground halls, painting occupies more than a thousand square meters, and not only the walls, but also the columns and ceilings are painted. And so it was in all twenty-nine caves. Indian masters seemed to strive to transfer all the richness and diversity of the outside world into the cramped world of the dungeons. And for more than a thousand years, on the walls of gloomy caves, once lit by the fire of lamps and torches, among bizarre rocks and branchy trees, fussy little monkeys, bright blue peacocks, lions and fantastic fairy-tale creatures with human torsos, animal tails and bird paws have been living their lives. . The world of people and the world of celestial spirits, the world of Buddhist legends and the real world of "wonderful distant India" - all this is embodied with amazing art on the walls of the cave temples of Ajanta.
Along with paintings from the life of the Great Teacher - the Buddha, along with images of bodhisattvas, Buddhist monks and religious symbols, in the paintings of Ajanta there are paintings of frankly erotic content, from the point of view of a European - simply obscene, which could hardly meet the needs of the solitary life of monks. But this close coexistence of religious and erotic subjects is traditional for medieval India, and is present in almost all Buddhist and Hindu temples. Moreover: erotic scenes often serve as illustrations of religious scenes from the life and teachings of the Buddha. What looks obscene to Europeans was never perceived as such in India, where all manifestations of human life were recognized as legal.
The scenes depicted in the paintings of Ajanta, as a rule, are not plot-related. The paintings represent separate cycles, sometimes painted at different times, and the connection between these cycles is very arbitrary. Separate episodes are depicted in the most unexpected way in relation to each other, different scenes are not separated from each other by any frames, but imperceptibly pass one into another.
Researchers of Ajanta murals invariably pay attention to the realism with which life is depicted in the palaces, villages and cities of India in the middle of the 1st millennium AD, as a result of which the Ajanta wall paintings acquire the character of a historical document. Thus, in the scene "Buddha Taming the Mad Elephant" one can see what a shopping street in an ancient Indian city looked like: shops with goods, utensils, wagons, linen awnings on bamboo poles protecting the shops from the sun. And with amazing skill, people are depicted frightened by an angry elephant, fleeing in a panic and hiding in all directions.
Stone sculptures and reliefs are organically woven into the painting of Ajanta. The central entrance to one of the underground temples is decorated with special art. Above the entrance are eight Buddha figures in white and pink robes against a black background. Below them are eight images of happy couples in love. These images have spread all over the world and are probably available in any publication on the art of ancient India. In the semi-darkness of the niches on both sides of the entrance there are monumental sculptures of the goddesses of the sacred rivers Ganges and Jamna. One of the goddesses stands on a stone turtle, the other on a crocodile. Niches with sculptures are framed by a picturesque image of dense foliage.
The painting of the ceilings of the cave temples of Ajanta is designed to destroy the pressure of the rock, to raise the space above the head. This was achieved due to the amazing variety of ornaments used on the ceilings, an ornament made up of flowers, leaves, fruits, combined with images of birds and animals, forming a single diverse world. In some cases, painters tried to give the ceilings the character of coffered ceilings, visually increasing the height of the cave vaults with the help of ornamentation.
The fabulously rich and diverse murals of Ajanta became known to the whole world only after 1819, when the forgotten cave temples of Ajanta were suddenly rediscovered by chance. In the 1920s, the paintings in the caves were restored and have been protected ever since.
Ajanta (India) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
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India is an amazing country that keeps in its vastness a lot of unique sights, which have no equal anywhere else in the world. Speaking about India, first of all, it is worth mentioning its colossal spiritual heritage, which can be fully understood by visiting just one place.
We are talking about the unique Buddhist temple complex Ajanta - a man-made cave monastery, consisting of twenty-nine temples and adjoining cells of hermit monks. It is located in the very heart of the country, but at the same time, even in our time, it is difficult to access, because you need to walk more than ten kilometers from here to the nearest settlement, and almost one hundred and ten kilometers separate Ajanta from civilization. But those who dare to overcome such a distance will be richly rewarded.
How to get there
The road to Ajanta is not easy and will take you a lot of time, but do not refuse the trip, but just be prepared for some difficulties on the way to the beautiful. There is a direct train from Delhi to Aurangabad, also this city can be reached by train from Mumbai, and then by bus or even by rickshaw directly to Ajanta. By train, you can also get to the cities of Jalgaon or Bhusawala, which also have a bus service with Ajanta. But in any case, you need to remember that on Mondays this complex is closed to the public.
If you plan to spend a few days in Ajanta, then it is best to stay in Aurangabad, and to move around, rent a car, this is not at all a costly undertaking, especially if you are traveling in a small company. There you can book a tour or even a personal guide.
Search for flights to Mumbai (nearest airport to Maharashtra)
A bit of history
It is believed that the beginning of the construction of the monastery was laid back in the 2nd century BC, but the most active construction and finishing work was carried out in the 3rd-7th centuries of our era, when India was ruled by the powerful Gupta dynasty, later this period was called "golden" in the history of the state . But by the 13th century, Buddhism in India lost its position, and, accordingly, interest in the monastery weakened, the monks stopped coming here, and for several centuries the Ajanta caves were abandoned and almost no one knew about them.
Only at 19 they were talked about again after the British colonialists accidentally wandered into these impregnable places while hunting. A hundred years later, a large-scale reconstruction was carried out here and this historical site was included in the list of cultural values not only of India, but also of UNESCO.
If it were not for the impregnability of the monastery, it would hardly have retained its greatness to this day, because for a long time the destruction of Buddhist temples by fanatics took place in the country. But inexorable time made its own adjustments, because of which only in thirteen temples there was a unique painting that decorated every centimeter inside the halls.
Cave monastery complex
Standing on the edge of the canyon, in which the caves are located, one cannot deny oneself the pleasure of contemplating this joint majestic creation of nature and man for at least a few minutes. Looking at the scale of the monastery (it stretches for more than half a kilometer in length, and its height is about twenty-two meters), it is difficult to imagine how it was possible to erect such a monumental complex without having at its disposal super-powerful modern technology.
Having descended to the gorge itself, where the calm Vaghora River flows surrounded by basalt rocks, you are again surprised at the human genius that could arrange everything in such a way - a flat and spacious road was laid parallel to the shore, branches from which lead to all twenty-nine temples. The entrance to each cave monastery is framed by majestic columns lavishly decorated with unusual carvings.
This painting is of particular value, as it thoroughly illustrates the life of that time. On the walls, ceilings and numerous columns, scenes from the life of the villages and cities of ancient India are depicted in great detail, the palaces of the nobles are very colorfully depicted, the way they spent their time. In addition, there is a huge number of frescoes painted on religious grounds, and special attention is paid to images of an erotic nature. Inside the cave, all the diversity of the outside world is depicted.
This painting served as the basis for the further development of Indian fine arts, and its significance on a global scale cannot be overestimated.
It is especially striking that all these drawings with many small rather realistic details, a bizarre play of colors and colors were created in the cave twilight, it seems that a higher mind really patronized the ancient masters.
Picturesque wall paintings help to feel the spirit of history, and you can fully feel the special energy of this unusual place thanks to Buddha statues. All of them are carved from stone, but so skillfully that it seems as if they are inspired, the features and facial expressions are so subtly conveyed, in which every emotion and even thought is easily read.
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Ajanta cave-temple complex (India)
In the Indian state of Maharashtra, there are two famous cave-temple complexes, representing a real cultural treasure - and Ajanta. Today - a story about the temples of Ajanta.
On the sides of the hall, separated by colonnades, there are side passages intended for religious processions. The ceilings of the caves are supported by carved or painted columns, carved columns also decorate the entrances to the caves.
Ajanta became famous for her wonderful paintings. They have survived to this day only due to the seclusion and remoteness of the temple complex, while other ancient temples were destroyed by religious fanatics. But time and climate became another enemy of ancient paintings. As a result, of all the caves, only thirteen have preserved fragments of ancient painting.
The murals of Ajanta are a kind of encyclopedia of the life of India throughout a whole historical period - the 5th-7th centuries. Most of the paintings in Ajanta are illustrations of Buddhist legends.
However, along with strictly canonical images of the Buddha and bodhisattva saints, there are many images that are not related to the canons and show scenes from the life of ancient India with amazing vitality and truthfulness. This is explained by the fact that the painting of the cave temples of Ajanta was strongly influenced by the painting of a secular nature that has not survived to this day, which once adorned the palaces of kings and nobles.
The murals of Ajanta were created over the centuries by several generations of masters, so many characteristic features, trends and styles of the fine arts of Ancient India found their expression from them. The volume of paintings is simply amazing: for example, only in one of the underground halls, painting occupies more than a thousand square meters, and not only the walls, but also the columns and ceilings are painted. And so it was in all twenty-nine caves.
Indian masters seemed to strive to transfer all the richness and diversity of the outside world into the cramped world of the dungeons. They generously filled the walls and ceilings of the caves with images of trees, animals and people, trying to fill every centimeter of the surface with painting.
Along with paintings from the life of the Buddha, there are paintings of erotic content in the paintings of Ajanta. This close coexistence of religious and erotic subjects is traditional for medieval India and is present in almost all Buddhist and Hindu temples.
Moreover, erotic scenes often serve as illustrations of religious scenes from the life and teachings of the Buddha. What looks obscene to Europeans was never perceived as such in India, where all manifestations of human life were recognized as legal, including those that were tabooed elsewhere.
Researchers pay attention to the realism with which life is depicted in the palaces, villages and cities of India ser. I millennium AD, as a result of which the wall painting of Ajanta acquires the character of a historical document. Thus, in the scene "Buddha Taming the Mad Elephant" one can see what a shopping street in an ancient Indian city looked like: shops with goods, utensils, wagons, linen awnings on bamboo poles protecting the shops from the sun.
The fabulously rich and diverse world of Ajanta murals became known to the whole world only after 1819, when the long-forgotten cave temples of Ajanta were suddenly discovered by accident. In the 1920s, the paintings in the caves were carefully restored and have been protected ever since. "The pictorial decoration of the cave temples of Ajanta is on a par with the best monuments of ancient Indian culture and art," writes O.S. school for many generations of foreign masters. But first of all, these murals formed a solid basis for the development of Indian traditions of fine art. "
