The Ajanta Caves: Ancient Paintings of Buddhist India

Author: Behl, Benoy K.Brand: Thames & HudsonEdition: First EditionBinding: PaperbackNumber Of Pages: 256Release Date: 01-05-2005Details: A potent and beautiful symbol of India's rich artistic past and a major treasury of Buddhist art. In 1819, a group of British soldiers on a hunting expedition chanced upon the Ajanta caves some 200 miles northeast of Bombay. Ranging in date from the second century BC to the sixth century AD, the exquisite Buddhist paintings and sculptures found there now rank among the world's most important cultural treasures. The murals were created using only the glow of lamps and candles, quite unlike the harsh light employed in modern professional photography. For this book, Benoy K. Behl has used long exposures that pick up natural ambient light, capturing the art for the first time in all its glory and luminosity. The early followers of the Buddha created an isolated haven where they could meditate in peace. Stonecutters carved out massive caves decorated w