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Ajanta is famous for its cave painting or frescoes of many colors. The 30 caves of Ajanta, some unfinished, span a period of 800 years and contain numerous images of Buddha The middle portion is that of the ancient Hinayana group (nos 10,9,8,12,13); the remaining 24 are of the Mahayana Group. According to architectural pattern, these Buddhist cave-temples can be divided into two the Chaitya or Chapel i.e. the small prayer hall and Vihara or Monastery i.e. small caves, where the monks used to live.
There are 5 Chaityas - 9,10,19,26 and 29; the remaining 24 are Viharas. Stories of the Jatakas i.e. incidents depicting the past lives of the Buddha as well as the then society are portrayed in the murals and engravings.
The paintings at Ajanta are a panorama of life in ancient India and could well be studied for a description of the culture of those times, the architectural details of buildings, the variety of textiles used for the different purpose, hair styles, ornaments and jewelry, family life, court scenes, street scenes, and their instruments and many beasts and birds and flowers. Grace, lightness and movement infuse these paintings which never seem still.
The Ajanta Caves are located 59 km from Jalgaon, 80 km from Bhusawal and 103 km from Aurangabad. There are regular buses available from all the three.
