Things to Know About Ajanta Caves
- The Ajanta Caves are 30 rock-cut Buddhist monuments dated from 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE
- On 28 April 1819 British officer John Smith discovered the entrance to cave while hunting tigers
- The Ajanta Caves are about 104 kilometres from Aurangabad and 100 kilometres from the Ellora Caves
- The caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures described as among the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art
- These are expressive paintings with emotions through gesture, pose and form
- It is UNESCO World Heritage Site protected by Archaeological Survey of India
- The caves paintings show past lives and rebirths of the Buddha and pictorial tales from Aryasura’s Jatakamala
