Approximately 65 miles north-east of the world-famous site of Ellora, in India, lay a semi-circular cliff within the forested Sahyadri Hills.  Within the face of this volcanic stone, Buddhists carved out temples from as early as the 2^nd century BCE and as late as the 5^th century CE.  The Ajanta Caves were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

The construction of the Ajanta Caves occurred at first from the 2^nd century BCE to the 1^st century CE and then took a hiatus until the 5^th century, when they were resumed until the primary site for Buddhist temple-building moved to Ellora.  Thereafter, the caves remained abandoned and relatively unknown until early in the 19^th century when they were accidently stumbled upon by a British hunter.

A total of 29 caves, comprised of five temples and 24 monasteries, are carved into the cliff.  Most of the temples are associated with an individual patron – a person of authority or power who commissioned the construction for religious or political reasons.  It is believed that approximately 200 monks lived at Ajanta during the height of its occupation.

Within the caves lie numerous paintings and sculptures, in addition to the architectural marvels of the temples themselves.  The paintings at Ajanta are considered some of the foremost masterpieces of Buddhist religious art and are also some of the oldest murals and painted art in all of India.  These artworks show the evolution of Indian and Buddhist artistic traditions throughout the centuries.

Ajanta highlights the importance that Buddhism held during this period of Indian history, and any interested in the Indian Buddhist tradition would do well to visit.  With Ellora being but a short ways away, the Ajanta Caves are convenient to fit into a travelling schedule and easy to view completely in a one day trip.