The Ajanta paintings are a collection of Buddhist religious art found in the Ajanta Caves, which are 29 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments dating from the second century BCE to about 480 CE in the Aurangabad District of Maharashtra state in India. The paintings in the Ajanta caves predominantly narrate the Jataka tales, which are Buddhist legends describing the previous births of the Buddha. These fables embed ancient morals and cultural lores that are also found in the fables and legends of Hindu and Jain texts. The Ajanta paintings are fundamentally consecrations to Buddhist iconography, and the life of Buddha and a succession of jatakas are illustrated through the paintings. The paintings are particularly expressive and present emotions through gesture, pose, and form. The sense of volume and depth is particularly noteworthy, thanks to a technique which consisted of applying a smooth coating of lime, a fraction of an inch thick, to which was added an application of glue in order to fix the color. Some of the characteristics of Ajanta paintings are:
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Overlapping figures: All the walls and pilasters are covered by overlapping figures, brought to life with bright and contrasting colors by the artists.
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Narrative: The paintings predominantly narrate the Jataka tales, which are Buddhist legends describing the previous births of the Buddha.
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Expressive: The paintings are particularly expressive and present emotions through gesture, pose, and form.
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Naturalism: The taste for naturalism has found an admirable pretext for representing their favorite animals.
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Consecrations to Buddhist iconography: The Ajanta paintings are fundamentally consecrations to Buddhist iconography, and the life of Buddha and a succession of jatakas are illustrated through the paintings.
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Depth: The sense of volume and depth is particularly noteworthy, thanks to a technique which consisted of applying a smooth coating of lime, a fraction of an inch thick, to which was added an application of glue in order to fix the color.
