Ajanta Caves

The Ajanta Caves comprise a world heritage site located about an hour and a half south of Jalgaon by bus, carved out of a smooth rock face that towers above a horseshoe bend in a now dry river. I woke up around 5:30 last Saturday morning in order to catch the 6am bus thinking that I would outsmart the sun and the weekend crowds by getting there early. It turns out that the caves didn't open until 9, but I was right there ticket in hand as soon as they did. From the first moment that I stepped inside the cool door of the first cave I felt as though I had just stumbled into a long lost inner sanctum. I thought of the wonders of Tulum and Chichen Itza and felt equally if not more inspired, because those are just memories to me now, and these caves were living, breathing rock still vibrating with the intensity of their impressions.

None of the caves were naturally existing- each one was carved from the ceiling to the floor from the rock mountain to create the vast halls and sacred spaces. Some of them were supported by as many as 40 internal columns and were adjoined by as many as 25 meditation cells. The caves comprised an ancient monastery, and to house the monks there were dorm-like accommodations, with 2 stone "beds" and a shelf to a 5x6 cell. Some even had the luxury of stone pillows.

In August, lush green foliage pervades the canyon, monsoon rains fill the river below and waterfalls run between the caves filling carved reservoirs. In April, however, 100+ temperatures outside berate the brittle landscape and the determined tourists (such as myself of course) forcing us to take refuge inside the caves where the temperature is impossibly cool and the dim light is easy on the eyes. Inside, some of the walls are covered with beautiful painted murals depicting the past lives of the Buddha in the form of the Jataka Tales. It's hard to understand where the light came from to allow such paintings to be born, but I quickly learned, thanks to a trusty guide who was disappointed with my 10 RS tip, that the wide open floors that you step down into when you enter the cave were filled and maintained with several inches of water to create a giant mirror-like surface to illuminate to caves. That must have been a sight to behold.

I can only imagine.