GUPTA PERIOD – CAVE ARCHITECTURE

The Gupta Period of India was not characterised by enormous material wealth or by elaborate trade activity. It was defined by creativity. Flourishing arts, fabulous literature, and stupendous scholars are just a few of the things that marked the period. The Ajanta, Ellora and other caves were created during the Golden Age. They were decorated with paintings of religious figures, some Hindu and some Buddhist. 

Key Features of Ajanta Caves

1. Location: The Ajanta caves are carved into the face of a mountain, forming a horseshoe shape along the Wangorah River.
2. Date: The caves were constructed from around 200 BCE to 650 CE.
3. Religion and Iconography: The caves were inscribed and decorated primarily by Buddhist monks. They mostly depict scenes from Buddhism, especially stories from Buddha’s life and Jataka tales.
4. Foreign Travelers: The Ajanta caves were mentioned in the accounts of Chinese travelers such as:

• Fa Hien (during Chandragupta II’s reign)
• Hieun Tsang (during the reign of Harshavardhana)

1. Structure: The caves belong to the Vihara (monastery with residence halls) and Chaitya-griha (sanctuary/stupa halls) types. Each cave has unique characteristics.
2. Art and Architecture: The Ajanta caves showcase the fresco painting technique. These paintings are religious, with themes around Buddhism, the life of Buddha, and Jataka tales.

Notable Paintings

• Padmapani: Located in the sanctum of Cave 1, it depicts Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara wearing a royal crown.
• Vajrapani: Depicts Bodhisattva Vajrapani in royal attire.
• Dancing Girl: A famous painting from the Mahajanaka Jataka tale in Cave 1.
• Bhagavad Prasuti: Depicts the birth of Bodhisattva as Gautama Buddha.
• King Mahajana: Shows a king who renounced the world to follow the path of Buddha.

Uniqueness

• Rock Carved: The caves are carved out of flood basalt rock, formed through volcanic eruptions.
• Paintings: The frescoes are in “dry fresco” technique, meaning they were painted on a dry plaster surface, as opposed to wet plaster.
• Naturalism: The paintings are known for their lifelike qualities and expressiveness.
• Ancient Monasteries: Each cave served as a vihara, with symmetrical square dormitory cells cut into the walls.

Ellora Caves

Key Features:

1. Location: Situated about 100 km from the Ajanta caves in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra.
2. Dated: Developed between the 5th and 11th centuries CE, by various guilds from Vidarbha, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
3. Religion and Iconography: 34 caves excavated from the vertical face of the Charanandri hills.

• 17 Hindu caves (13–29)
• 12 Buddhist caves (1–12)
• Jain caves (30–34)

1. Structure: The Kailashnath Temple (Cave 16) is the centerpiece, carved via vertical excavation from the top downwards, removing large amounts of rock.
2. Art and Architecture:

• Monoliths: Ellora features the world’s largest single monolithic excavation.
• Dashavatara Cave: Depicts the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu.
• Vishvakarma Cave: Contains a pillared verandah with massive columns and detailed carvings.
• Kailashnath Temple: A multi-storied temple, one of the largest monolithic structures, with influences from Dravidian architecture.
• Jain Caves: Includes Chhota Kailash, Indra Sabha, and Jagannath Sabha, with intricate carvings like the lotus flower on the ceiling.

1. Uniqueness:

• Monoliths: Entire temple structures like Kailashnath Temple were carved out from a single rock.
• Vertical Excavation: Unique excavation method starting from the top and working downwards.

Bagh Caves

Key Features:

1. Location: Situated on the bank of the Baghani River in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.
2. Dated: Carved in the late 4th–6th century CE by the Buddhist monk Dataka.
3. Religion and Iconography: These caves are associated with Buddhism, although it is unclear when they started to be called Bagh Guha.
4. Art and Architecture:

• Mural Paintings: The walls and ceilings feature thick orange-colored plaster, painted with mural paintings typical of the period.
• Nature of Paintings: These paintings are materialistic rather than spiritualistic. Characteristics of paintings are like those of Ajanta Caves.
• Padmapani: One of the most notable paintings of the Bodhisattva called ‘Padmapani’ demonstrates the same figure found in the Ajanta caves.
• Pandava Cave: It is the largest and the best preserved one. This hall is held by 24 massive pillars and a copper plate with inscription.
• Rangamahal: Also known as Palace of Colours or Kalyan, these caves have the most marvellous murals on the portico. These caves include paintings of Bodhisattva, Mushroom and Padmapani. 

Nashik Caves

Key Features:

1. Location: The caves are situated on a hill at the outskirts of Nashik city.
2. Dated: They were carved between the 1st century BCE and the 3rd century CE.
3. Religion and Iconography: The caves feature Buddhist sculptures, representing early examples of Indian rock-cut architecture, specifically from the Hinayana tradition.
4. Structure: Most of the caves are Viharas, except for Cave 18, which is a Chaitya dating to the 1st century BCE.
5. Art and Architecture:

• Rock Cut: There are 24 caves, carved into the north face of a hill known as Srirasmi.
• Depictions: The caves illustrate tales of the three kings who ruled Nashik, representing the Kshatrapas, the Satavahanas, and the Abhiras.
• Jainism: These caves also contain impressive idols of Jain Tirthankaras, such as Vrishabhdeo, along with images of Buddha, Bodhisattvas, and Jain deities like Veer Manibhadra Ji and Ambikadevi.
• Oldest in Maharashtra: These caves are some of the oldest rock-cut caves in Maharashtra, consisting of large chambers that served as monasteries for monks to live, meditate, and hear sermons.
• Hinayana Tradition: The Buddhist sculptures here represent early examples of Hinayana Buddhist architecture, where depictions of Buddha did not yet include his anthropomorphic form.