The Jataka Story In Ajanta With Respect To Secret Stories Behind Its Paintings

As per Dictionary the past is another country, as the adage goes, few historical sites typify it as profoundly as the Ajanta Caves in present-day Maharashtra. Not only do the caves signify a high point in the so-called “Golden Age” of India’s cultural history, they also mark the point where a long-established form of economy—international trade—and a form of governance—large empires—were giving way to agricultural economies governed by regional, feudal chieftains. Ajanta tells the story of the remarkable efflorescence and sudden demise of the Vakataka empire, but also of the zenith of Buddhism as a state religion in India. It seems wrong, somehow, to call the grand Buddhist edifices of Ajanta “caves”. Read any book on ancient Indian history and you will come across discussions about the great wealth of “rock cut caves” the country has. If you knew nothing of this, you might expect some rough-hewn network of caverns, poorly lit, dank, water dripping through years of collected moss.