Travel Tales

To Ajanta...

After Aurangabad, I set out for the Ajanta Caves. Took about 3 hours as I had taken the longer route via Daulatabad and Khuldabad (where you can visit Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb’s tomb). I climbed some steps cut into the hills, took a turn and there the panoramic view of the caves spread out nestled amidst such beauty! 

The View

30 caves cut out from the steep Sahyadris with the Waghora river curving below. And this was done from 200 BC till 650 AD when this area was abandoned. The last few caves have been blocked probably for safety reasons. I began my exploration from the 26^th cave, the last one that tourists are allowed to access. Only thing missing was a detailed write up on every cave. It would have made things easier instead of relying on the guides who earn their living giving the historical background of the caves which sometimes are quite imaginative!! Though Ajanta is known for its paintings, the sculptures is not to be overlooked.

Chaitya

 Though Ajanta is famous for its paintings based on the life of Gautam Buddha and the Jataka tales, the paintings are fast disappearing and what is left is difficult to see in the dark. Some lighting arrangements have been made though. Five of the caves here are Chaityas or temples and the other 25 are Viharas or monasteries.

There is a story to the present state of paintings. Apparently an Italian team was called in for restoration work on the paintings in the 1920s. With the best intentions, this team with their experience in their country, coated the paintings with shellac as a protective covering. Unfortunately, over the years, shellac darkened in the hot and humid climate and the luminosity of the paintings was lost. Removing the shellac is proving to be difficult for ASI. 

The ceiling and wall paintings - or what is left of them

Besides, the lakhs of visitors who visit the caves increase the humidity levels. People are also known to be uncaring and go about touching the paintings. Both of these are reasons we might not have the paintings for long.

Also, centuries ago, when the artists completed their work, the monks inhabited these caves for prayers, studies and living. The oil lamps and incense they burnt, covered the paintings with soot. Now after excavation, the soot is being removed and experts feel this is harming the paintings underneath. 

Bodhisatva - Padmapani

Bodhisatva -Vajrapani

Caves 1, 2, 16 and 17 are the ones where some paintings are still intact. These just show us how much of this wonderful art we are missing today. The entire caves were filled with paintings too exquisite to be described. The walls and the ceilings glowed with yellows, reds, whites, blues, greens and blacks. All the colours were mineral based except for the black which came from lamp-black.

The murals depict Buddha as a youth, as a prince, as a monk and finally as an ascetic surrounded by people and nature and I was glad to be there to just take in all this beauty. This just cannot be explained so easily. I wonder at the dedication of the artists who spent hours in the dark caves, perhaps using metal sheets and water to reflect sunlight onto the walls or even using lanterns to help them paint, reaching every nook and cranny and the ceilings, filling them up with their dedication and love.

Travel Tales

Aurangabad and more ....

It took me about five hours by road from Pune to Aurangabad via Ahmednagar. Reached before lunchtime and after a good lunch (a veg thali) set off to take a look at the city of Aurangabad. Not a city, I would say a large town, which is defined by its chowks (crossings) and Darwaze (gates).

My first stop was the Biwi ka Maqbara (the Wife’s Tomb). This is the mausoleum of Aurangzeb’s wife, Rabia-ul-Durrani and was built by Aurangzeb’s son, Azam Shah. It has a striking resemblance to the Taj Mahal and is known as the Taj of Deccan. 

Entrance to Biwi ka Maqbara

Taj of Deccan

The next stop was the Pan Chakki which is a water mill. Yes, this is a mill that is driven by water and was used to grind wheat more than 200 years ago. Underneath the grinder is a fan that rotates by the force of water released into the tank. An engineering marvel, the water is carried through earthen pipes from the underwater springs of the nearby hills. 

The waterfall at Panchakki

The grinding stone

The ancient banyan tree

The water was forced over a high wall and a waterfall is created that falls into a huge water tank. In one corner lies the panchakki with the hidden fan underneath.  The tank is full of fish. I saw the grinder still rotating. Many many years ago, it was used to grind grain to feed  the devotees visiting  the dargah in the premises. A huge banyan tree, more than 500 years old, stands next to the tank providing shade even today!

Next Stop --- The Caves of Ajanta