Ajanta
A monastic Buddhist community developed in Ajanta
during the 2nd century BC. These caves, excavated
from solid rock, were used during the monsoon season, providing
protection from the elements. Despite appearances, the site was not
chosen for defensive purposes; the concern was to create a place of
serenity and isolate the community from worldly concerns and
intrusions.
There are two types of caves: viharas and chaitya
halls. The more numerous viharas were monasteries with both
living quarters and spaces for prayer and meditation — in the
photograph they are the one story, elongated rectangles with pillars
out front. They typically have a verandah, which leads into a
large room with cells along the sides, and with a small room containing
a shrine carved out at the back.
The chaitya halls, sometimes referred to as “Buddhist
cathedrals” because of a superficial resemblance, were
communal prayer halls — there is one in the center of the
photograph; it has a half-rounded window. Inside, chaitya
halls are high-ceilinged and three-aisled, with the aisles separated
by pillars; where an altar would be in a church, there is a giant
stupa, and, as with pilgrimage churches, there is space to circumambulate
around the stupa.
Photo taken: January 23, 2008
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