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Ajanta Caves

AI-drafted · awaiting admin review

Buddhist rock-cut caves in a horseshoe-shaped gorge, famous for their wall paintings of the Jataka tales.

MonumentChhatrapati Sambhajinagar districtBest time to visit: October to MarchUNESCO heritage 1983

Highlights

  • Paintings of the Jataka tales and the Bodhisattva Padmapani
  • Chaityas (prayer halls) and viharas (monasteries) cut into the cliff above the Waghur river
  • Caves made from about the 2nd century BCE to the 6th century CE
  • Visitor centre with replicas of key caves

Significance

Ajanta holds some of the finest surviving ancient Indian paintings. The caves were forgotten for centuries until a British officer, John Smith, came upon them in 1819. They were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

Sources