Hidden India

The  Ajanta Caves  in  Aurangabad district  of  Maharashtra  state of  India  are about 30  rock-cut   Buddhist  cave monuments which date from the 2nd century  BCE  to about 480 or 650 CE. The caves include paintings and rock cut sculptures described as among the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, particularly expressive paintings that present emotion through gesture, pose and form. According to UNESCO, these are masterpieces of  Buddhist religious art  that influenced Indian art that followed. The caves were built in two phases, the first group starting around the 2nd century BC, while the second group of caves built around 400–650 CE according to older accounts, or all in a brief period of 460 to 480 according to Walter M. Spink. The site is a protected monument in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India, and since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a  UNESCO   World Heritage Site...