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Excursion
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Subject to the availability of minimum
interest, it is proposed to organize an excursion to the world heritage
sites of Ajanta and Ellora caves (5 hrs drive from Pune), on
(i) March 8-9. 2006 and (ii) March 12-13, 2006. |
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This is entirely contributory and the
charges are expected to be around US$150 per person, which includes
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transportation by an air-conditioned
coach, |
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accommodation for one night at
Aurangabad in a 3-star hotel, |
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all meals, |
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all entry fees to monuments and
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the services of a professional guide.
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Interested persons may please contact us
at the earliest, but not later than March 1, 2006. |
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Payment can be made in cash at the time
of registration. |
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In addition to this, Pune city tour can
also be arranged. |
At about 400 kms northeast of Mumbai near
to the city of Aurangabad, is located one of the most beautiful Buddhist
caves of Ajanta. Carvings depicting the life of Buddha fill these
breathtaking caves, which originally, date back to around 200 BC. It was
only in the 19th century, that the Ajanta group of caves, lying deep within
the Sahyadri hills, cut into the curved mountain side, above the Waghora
river, were discovered. A group of British officers on a tiger hunt,
stumbled on these ancient works of art.
The beauty of the caves
The 29 caves were built as secluded retreats of the Buddhist monks, who
taught and performed rituals in the Chaityas and Viharas, the ancient seats
of learning, and nerve - centres of the Buddhist cultural movement. Using
simple tools like hammer and chisel, the monks carved out the impressive
figures adorning the walls of these structures. Exquisite wall - paintings
and sculptures speak volumes of the India of yore. Many of the caves house
panels depicting stories from the Jatakas, a rich mine of tales of the
several incarnations of the Buddha. Images of nymphs and princesses amongst
others are also elaborately portrayed. It was the foresight of Buddha
himself that the ink would perish but not the rocks. Cave 1 houses some of
the best - preserved wall paintings, which include two great Boddhisattvas,
Padmapani and Avalokiteshvara. Caves 2, 16 and 17 also contain amazing
paintings, while Caves 1, 4, 17, 19, 24 and 26 boast of some of the most
divine sculptures. The flying apsara, of Cave 17, and the image of Buddha
preaching in Cave 17, are a couple of unforgettable works of art. Ajanta,
conjures before one's vision, a dream of beauty- of caves, hidden in the
midst of a lonely glen with a streamlet flowing down below, caves that were
scooped out into the heart of the rock so that the pious Buddhist monk, out
on mission to spread the tenets of Buddhism could dwell and pray. Of the
thirty monuments at Ajanta, four caves No 9,10,26 and 29 are sanctuaries or
Chaitya containing a stupa at the centre of their apses. The rest are
monastic residences or Viharas. The monks in ancient times were required to
venture out to distant land to preach the gospels of Lord Buddha. They were
to keep travelling without a transit except in the rainy season when they
were to stay at Vihara. Later with the growth of cultural renaissance with
the rule of Guptas in India and earlier during the reign of Maurayan king
Ashoka, began architectural and sculptural activities in India. It was
during the reign of Great Mouryan king Ashoka, that the sculptural
activities began in the western India. At Ajanta, the paintings on the
walls, illustrate the events in the life of prince Gautama Buddha, the
founder of Buddhism and in the more popular Jataka stories pertaining to
Buddha's previous incarnation. According to the older conceptions, the
Buddha wrought many deeds of kindness and mercy in a long series of
transmigration as a Bodhisattava, before achieving his final birth as the
sage of sakyas. Incidentally they contain the scenes of semi-mythological
history, the royal court and popular life of the ancient times, as told in
romances and plays. Some pictures recall the Greek and Roman compositions
and proportions, few late resemble to Chinese manners to some extent.
However, majority belongs to a phase, which is purely Indian, as they are
found nowhere else. These monuments were constructed during two different
periods of time separated by a long interval of four centuries. The older
ones were the product of last to centuries before Christ and belongs to
Hinayana period of Buddhism in later part of 2nd century AD when Buddhism
was divided into two sections, after the conduct of the fourth general
council under another great king, Kanishka. The new feature of Mahayana
Buddhism was the concept of future Buddhas. The Buddha, himself probably
thought that he was the last of the long succession of earlier Buddha's who
lived before him. According to the Buddhist traditions, these former Buddhas
were revered even in the historical Buddha's lifetime. When the stupas were
constructed and beautified, the carvings were executed in a symbolic way. An
inspired sculptor began to carve images of Buddha himself and within the few
generations, all the Buddhist sects took to worshipping images. The universe
of Mahayana contains numerous Bodhisattava, the chief of whom is
Avalokitesvara with attributes of compassion. He is also called Padmapani or
the lotus bearer. The Manjushri with a naked sword in one hand stimulates
the understanding. The sterner Bodhisattava who is a foe of the sin and evil
and bearing a thunderbolt in the hand is Vajrapani. The future Buddha,
Maitreya will take birth to save the world. The Ajanta caves and the
treasures they house are a landmark in the overall development of Buddhism
as such. Though the teachings of four noble truths and eight-fold path were
simple, yet it was not easy to communicate it in a gripping manner. Buddha
himself once, had suggested to his disciple Ananda to set up memorial
monuments such as stupas containing his relics and erect it at a place of
his birth enlightenment, first sermon and final demises, for he had seen
people visiting these places during his lifetime. To the motivated monks, it
was a mission to fulfill this desire of their master. They began a search
for a retreat from the world. They came to Ajanta valley, an ideal place for
residence and meditation. It was located on an important trade route that
connected the Pratisthana, an eastern capital of Satavahana kings. It was
here, he realized, he could live, meditate and absorb the philosophy of
Buddhism. Many more, all masters in their own trade, painters, sculptors and
carpenters joined the monks. It was simply a meaningful lot, each one
telling the story of man's carvings. They were masters of their kind yet
devotees to one, the Buddha. With only six pigments in his hands, the Ajanta
artist created the vocabulary of the entire colour ranges, each speaking its
own language and giving meaning to the other. Though painted for religious
purposes, the murals of Ajanta bear a secular rather than a religious
message. We see whole of ancient India in panorama. Here are the princess in
their palaces, coolies with loads slung over their shoulders, beggars,
peasants and ascetics, together with all the many beasts and flowers of
India. India witnessed all round development of art and architecture during
the rule of Gupta Dynasty in 3rd AD.
Cave Timings 9.00 am to 5.30 PM (Caves closed on Monday
and National holidays.)
Parts of World Heritage monuments are the
Ellora Caves located at about 400 kms from Mumbai. These cave monuments were
patronized by Chalukya kings during 17th Century. The creative dynamism of
the artists can been seen from the sculptures where they drew themes from
the Hindu mythology and transformed the rocks into a cavalcade of God and
Goddesses. The Ellora caves lay in the lap of the Chamadari hills extending
over a mile and a quarter in the north-south direction. They are situated 18
miles northwest of Aurangabad. Ellora represents some three hundred years of
great experiments carried out by different faiths with their very different
iconography and structural compulsions. Ellora first appears to the visitors
as an irregular ridge of rock, rising vertically from the ground. History
Ellora caves are finest specimens of cave-temple architecture housing
elaborate facades and exquisitely adorned interiors. These structures
representing the three faiths of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, were carved
during 350 AD to 700 AD period. The cave monuments of Ellora were chiefly
patronised by the Chalukya - Rashtrakuta rulers [7th - 10th century AD]. The
kings and the mercantile community willingly donated to the cause of the
temple building. Certain religious injunctions and the ethical codes,
prompting patronage of works of the art, governed the rulers. The temple
building was considered to help the attainment of worldly power as well as
religious merit and spiritual salvation. These cave shrines are memorable
for their invaluable contribution to the enormous wealth of Indian heritage.
Caves and Temples In total there are 34 temples carved out of stone which
can be divided into three groups belonging roughly to three periods:
Buddhist, Hindu and Jain. Only 12 of the 34 caves are Buddhist, but even
these caves incorporate Hindu and Jain theme, demonstrating the gradual
decline of Buddhism. It took over five centuries for the Hindu, Buddhist and
Jain monks to chisel out these monasteries, temples, and chapels and
decorate them with remarkable imagination and detail. These caves run
North-South and take on the Golden Radiance of the late afternoon sun.
Buddhist Expression Out of 34 caves, sixteen caves are the oldest in the
group carved in the 5th century. As one enters these caves, one crosses
graceful angles and steps in a high ceiling chamber where a 15 feet huge
statute of Buddha is sitting in a preaching pose. The artist has tried an
element of surprise by giving them expression of wood. Most of these 16
caves are viharas but cave number 10 is a Chaitya. The style of carvings and
sculptures in these caves indicate that initially the artist was going in
for simple decorations but later, as in caves 11 and 12, he became more
ambitious. The 10th cave has an impression of wooden beams on its ceiling
and has a small decorated window, illuminating the sitting Buddha. These
caves are rightly called the Vishvakarma caves. This cave is considered to
be one of the finest caves in India, where life and religion go hand in
hand. The amorous couples play joyfully along the balustrade. Step out of
this cave and you come across an upper gallery giving a view of the
precisely carved Naga Queen, the harbinger of monsoon and the dwarfs who
were the court entertainers. The Buddhists believe that Buddha returns after
every five thousand years, thus the 12th cave has seven images of Buddha
depicting his seven incarnations. Hindu Outlook The Hindu caves exhibit a
totally different league in terms of style, creative vision and execution
skills. These temples were built top to bottom and the architecture of these
caves show that it required several generation of planning and co-ordination
to give it the final shape. Cave 14 was initially a Buddha Vihar but in the
7th century it was turned into Shiva temple, where Shiva is depicted as The
Destroyer. The 16th cave in the group is one of the audacious feats in
architecture ever achieved. The idea was to build Kailash from a single
stone. Hence it got its name, Kailasnath temple (Read article below). The
artist then tried to give the structure, the shape of a temple. The scale at
which the work was undertaken is enormous. It covers twice the area of the
Parthenon in Athens and is 1 ½ times high, and it entailed removing 200,000
tonnes of rock. It took 100 years to be completed. The Ramesvara cave has
figurines of river Goddesses adorning its entrance. The Dumar Lena cave
resembles the great cave shrine at Elephanta and is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Jain Dedication These caves show the beliefs of the Jains, and their strict
asceticism that imbibed in them a spirit of non-violence towards all. They
do not carry the high voltage drama of the Hindu or the Buddhist caves nor
are they ambitious in size but they balance these with their exceptionally
detailed work. The 32nd cave is a beautiful shrine with exquisite carvings
of a lotus flower on the ceiling and an imposing yakshi seated on her lion
under a mango-tree. The ceilings of this double-storied cave are also
decorated with paintings. Paintings Mural paintings in Ellora are found in 5
caves, but they are preserved only in the Kailasa temple. The paintings were
done in two series - the first, at the time of carving the caves and the
subsequent one was done several centuries later. The earlier paintings show
Vishnu and Lakshmi borne through the clouds by Garuda, with clouds in the
background. The sinewy figures have sharp features and pointed noses. The
protruding eye typical of the later Gujarathi style appears for the first
time in Ellora. In the subsequent series, the main composition is that of a
procession of Shaiva holy men. The flying Apsaras are graceful. Very few
murals in the Jain temples are well preserved. Festival Every year in the
third week of March, M T D C organises the Ellora Festival of Classical
Dance and Music at the caves.
Unique Feature: World's largest Monolithic
Structure
The Kailasha Temple is considered as one of the most astonishing 'buildings'
in the history of architecture. This is the largest of 34 excavations at
Ellora, which took almost a century. This temple is the world's largest
monolithic structure carved from one piece of rock and the most extensive
rock-cut projects ever undertaken.
The Temple Architecture
It is believed that work on the Kailasha temple was begun in the mid-8th
century and under the direction of King Krishna I (757-775) of the
Rashtrakuta dynasty, the rulers of the western Deccan area.
The temple stands on an elevated plinth to attain greater presence in its
tight surroundings. This shrine was carved, sculpted in Toto from the
volcanic hillside. This temple is dedicated to Shiva, the often-threatening
god of the Hindu trilogy, measures 109 feet wide by 164 feet long. The
complex consists of entry, 'Nandi' (i.e. bull) shrine, open porch, main
hall, and inner sanctum. Variously scaled panels, friezes, and sculpture
highlight many surfaces.
It was hewn out of 85,000 cubic meters rock starting at the top and working
down, and then hollowed out to form the interiors of the temple. In
addition, ambulatory spaces were cut into the rock walls surrounding the
main building. The main shrine lies on the upper storey and the lower floor
was cut out below. There are several floors within the main temple
structure. The carving of this temple entailed removing 200,000 tons of rock
A Mythological Inspiration Kailasa temple is filled with images of deities,
animals, and other mythical creatures from the puranas in a manner that
leaves one in rapturous delight. Entire panels were carved showing scenes
from the great epics-the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Almost every major deity
Lord Ganesh, Durka, Vishnu, Luxumy, Saraswathy, Parvati is depicted
somewhere in the complex. Shiva in his many forms appears alone and with
Parvati.
One famous image shows the demon Ravana shaking Mount Kailasa. Shiva calms
the uproar simply by dipping his toe down and touching the mountain. Images
abound even on the roof, since the gods would be looking down from above and
would need to be attracted to the site in order to take up residence there.
The temple itself is supported by rows of life-size, stone-cut elephants.
Portions of the temple still reveal the original stucco, and one can imagine
how the original building would have stood out in bright colours amid the
surrounding countryside. Festival Every December, MTDC organises the Ellora
festival of music and dance at the Kailasha Temple, which is attended by
large number of people. |
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