Month: June 2019
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#40. Sudhana
The narrative was identified by Dieter Schlingloff (1973a, 155–167). Summary of the story There was a nāga (one of a race of semi-human serpents) prince who ruled over a kingdom abutting his father, the nāga king’s, kingdom. Once a snake charmer sent by a human king to capture the nāga prince was killed by a…
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#75. Udrāyaṇa
Ajanta Cave 1 The narrative was identified by Dieter Schlingloff (1987, 60). The legend is from the life of the Buddha.—King Udrāyaṇa of Roruka received a painting, representing the Buddha, as a gift from his friend, Bimbisāra, the king of Rājagṛha. Udrāyaṇa was so impressed by this painting that he summoned a monk to preach…
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#46. Śibi-Kapota
Ajanta Cave 1 The narrative was identified by Alfred Foucher (1921, narrative no. 15). When Lord Indra complained about the imperfections of human beings, his architect Viśvakarmān drew his attention to King Śibi who was an archetype of justice and compassion. To test Śibi, Indra asked Viśvakarmān to assume a pigeon’s (kapota) appearance, while he…
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#44. Mahāsudarśana
Ajanta Cave 1 The subject was identified by Dieter Schlingloff (1987, 59f.). A great king, Mahāsudarśana, ruled over the ancient and prosperous city of Kuśāvatī (Kuśinagara). The king was known for his sense of justice and was loved by the people. Once, some citizens went to him and offered him gold, jewels, and other precious…
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#50. Maitrībala
The subject was identified by Dieter Schlingloff (1977b, 913). There lived a king by the name of Maitrībala (‘The Power of Benevolence’). He was extremely benevolent towards his subjects. Five demons, disguised as brahmans, entered his kingdom. They saw a lonely cowherd and asked him why he was not afraid of living on his own.…
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List of Ajanta Caves
Revisiting the Numbering of Ajanta’s Caves Introduction Situated in the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra, the Ajanta Caves are a pinnacle of ancient Buddhist art and architecture. Maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), these caves follow a well-known numbering system. However, this blog seeks to explore an alternative perspective, as proposed earlier by this…
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Inscriptions: Other Buddhist Cave Sites 2
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Banoti
[Draft/page under construction] Banoti is a village in the Soegaon taluka of Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. It is nearly 50 km from the famous Ajanta caves, and equidistant from the Ghatotkacha caves that lies near the Janjala village. There is one rock-cut edifice near a waterfall, some 5 km from the Banoti village. This involves…
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Karla
[Draft/page under construction] The Karle caves are protected by the Archeological Survey of India. The caves are located in the Sahyadri mountain ranges in the Raigad District of western Maharashtra. Karle is a group of 16 caves, all belonging to Buddhism and includes Caityas and Viharas. The site. The site is dated to be built…
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Bhaje
[Draft/page under construction] The site. The archaeological site of Bhaje has about 22 caves located in the Sahayadri range near Lonavla, Pune district, Maharashtra. The site developed through 2nd century BCE to 4th century CE during the Satavahanas and Kshatrapas. Most of the developments took place during Period I of rock-cut architecture. The sites has…