The place which i still remember - AJANTA CAVES

I have always regretted to forget about the places that I have visited, specially in my childhood. But I can exactly remember this trip which I made in standard 6^th’s summer vacations. I was bedridden for a month due to typhoid and then came this wonderful trip to ajanta caves with my mom, dad and mama (maternal uncle). The first striking feature which mesmerized me was the surprise element of the sole existence of the cave on the site. No wonder why it was hidden in the hill side forests for a long time until a british officer discovered it while hunting. History attached to the place of visit has always fascinated me. Just the pillars in front elevation of the caves were visible from distance.

Then of what I remember we entered what I now have come to know as ‘singly loaded corridor ‘, with one side having the great and gorgeous caves at intervals and the other side a continuous deadly steep valley. As I entered the 1^st cave through its porch I discovered the actual proportions and robustness of the pillars I saw earlier. I was mesmerized and shocked to see the level of detailing in the cave temples. Then a moment later I realized the obvious fact that it has been ‘carved out of the hill’, which increased my respect for their constructors and as well as my country’s rich historical past manifold times.

Now the part of the guide that we hired came in. He explained us how actually the cave was constructed, the purpose of its construction, who and when constructed it, etc. He told us about the intricate wall paintings which are considered as one of the oldest in Indian history and that they were from the jataka tales; stories from buddha’s life or his incarnations’. The sudden darkness that we face as soon as we enter the cave and light piercing in through fenestrations created an aura by itself. The place was a vihara; where Buddhist monks live; so the area where they used to meditate was completely dark with niches given for them to sit and meditate. I sat on one of them myself and was wondering how in this world the artisians painted the murals there and at the very moment the guide told us about the large depression in the centre of the hall, which was used as sunlight reflector when filled with water coming down the streams on the hills.

There were many more caves, some of them didn’t even looked like ones and had nice gateways for the entrances. Some had stupas inside unlike the other ones which had statues of Buddha. Then most of the caves seemed repetitive to me and I was bored of it, children are allowed to be so. But the effect the first  few caves had on me is still afresh and after coming into the field of architecture I again want to go back and visit this place so that I can have a better understanding of it and appreciate it even more. I would also like to state here that this description was based on memory when I was 11 years of age, so sorry if any of the facts were    misleading or wrong.