| The caves
including the unfinished ones are thirty in number, of which five (9, 10, 19, 26 and 29)
are chaitya-grihas and the rest are sangharamas or viharas (monasteries). After centuries
of oblivion, these caves were discovered in AD 1819.They fall into two distinct phases
with a break of nearly four centuries between them. All the caves of the earlier phase
date between 2nd century BC-AD. The caves of the second
phase were excavated during the supremacy of the Vakatakas and Guptas. According to
inscriptions, Varahadeva, the minister of the Vakataka king, Harishena (c. 475-500 AD),
dedicated Cave 16 to the Buddhist sangha while Cave 17 was the gift of the prince, a
feudatory. An inscription records that- Buddha image in Cave 4 was the gift of some
Abhayanandi who hailed from Mathura.
A few paintings which survive on the walls of Caves 9 and 10 go
back to the 2nd century BC-AD. The second group of the paintings started in about the
fifth century AD and continued for the next two centuries as, noticeable in later caves.
The themes are intensely religious in tone and centre round Buddha, Bodhisattvas,
incidents from the life of Buddha and the Jatakas. The paintings are executed on a ground
of mud-plaster in the tempera technique.
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From 09 hours to 17:30 Hrs or Sunset whichever is earlier
(Closed on Mondays) |
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- For Indians above 15 years : Rs. 10/- per head
- For Others above 15 years : US$ 5 or corresponding to Rs.250/- per head
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