The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta and Ellora are considered as masterpieces of the Buddhist art and they have had a great influence in the development of art in India. Hence, UNESCO has considered these caves as a World Heritage Site since 1983.The paintings on the walls and ceilings dramatically reflect the sophisticated achievements of the very apogee of India`s so-called Golden age, generally associated with the Gupta Dynasty. The creativity of the sculptures depict various human and animal forms and even make them expressive makes the cave paintings at Ajanta one of the high watermarks of artistic creativity. The Ellora caves are a unique artistic creation and its sanctuaries devoted to different religious illustrate the spirit of tolerance that was a characteristic of ancient India.
Ajanta Caves
These Buddhsit rock-cut caves are about 107 km away from the city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra, nestled in a panoramic gorge, in the form of a gigantic horseshoe, overlooking a bend of the Waghora River in northern Maharashtra. These caves were  carved between the 2nd century BC and the 5th century AD and are yet known for its stunning paintings and sculpture, since they are all very well preserved. It was only in the 19th century that they were discovered and they depict the story of Buddhism, spanning a period from 200 BC to 650 AD. Their beauty and antiquity distinguish them as one of the treasures of Indian, and indeed world, art.
The caves of Ajanta can be classified into two distinct phases: The earlier Hinayana phase, in which the Buddha was worshipped only in the form of certain symbols. And the later Mahayana phase, in which the Buddha was worshipped in the physical form. Ajanta has two kinds of Caves:
Finished Caves: They are Twenty-Seven & depict different forms of Buddha.
Unfinished Caves: They are unfinished & some of them are accessible.
Thus, depicting the sculptures and paintings of the earliest Buddhist architecture, the Ajanta caves includes a set of 29 caves, which are numbered according to their sequential location along the cliff face, which does not correspond to the order in which they were constructed. These caves comprise of Chaitya halls or shrines and Viharas or monasteries. The more prominent Hinayana caves are those numbered 9, 10 (both chaityas), 8, 12, 13 and 15 (all Viharas), whereas the Mahayana monasteries include 1, 2, 16 and 17, while the chaityas are in caves 19 and 26. In ancient times, each cave was accessed from the riverfront by individual staircases.
History
 The Chaitya halls were dedicated to Lord Buddha and were considered as the places of worship. These were large, rectangular chambers separated by rows of pillars into a central nave, surrounded by aisles on three sides, for circumambulation during prayer. It also had a sanctuary opposite the entrance. As it was dedicated to Buddha, it included many sculptures and paintings depicting the various incarnations of Buddha. The Viharas, whereas were used by Buddhist monks for meditation and the study of Buddhist teachings. These were rectangular shaped halls with series of small cells attached on two sides. The side opposite the entrance contained an image of Buddha or a votive stupa.
The murals that surround the walls and ceilings of the caves depict the epic of Lord Buddha and various Buddhist divinities. Out of these, the most interesting are the paintings of the Jataka tales, illustrating stories about the previous incarnations of the Buddha as Bodhisattva. They also include the sculptures of Buddha that stand calm and serene in contemplation. These elaborate sculptures and paintings have a lot of uniqueness since they have withstood all the ravages of time. One can also find in the caves a sort of illuminated history of the times - court scenes, street scenes, cameos of domestic life and even animal and bird studies come alive on these unlit walls.
Sites & Structures of Ajanta Caves
Cave 1
It is one of the finest monasteries at Ajanta. It comprises a verandah and a hall bordered with cells. Above the left porch are friezes depicting the three Ominous Signs that changed the Buddha`s life: a sick man, an old man and a corpse. It also includes the following:
Pillars: Inside, twenty pillars with heavily decorated bracket- capitals support the hall ceiling. Every inch of this cave was originally painted, and in spite of the havoc caused by time and man to it, this remains one of the world`s most treasured possessions of art.
Sanctum: The sanctum to the rear has a colossal image of the Buddha in the dharamachakra pravartana mudra or the preaching pose. It also conveys different moods of the Buddha - solemn and contemplative when seen from your left, joyful from the right and tranquil when viewed from the front.
 Paintings: This cave contains some of the best-known paintings of Ajanta; graciously posed Bodhisattvas with elaborate headdresses flank the antechamber doorway. On its either side, there are two of the best-known murals Bodhisattva Padmapani, having one with the lotus in his hand and Bodhisattva Vajrapani holding a thunderbolt (right) accompanied by attendants, divine musicians and flying figures. The left wall of the antechamber depicts the assault and temptation by Mara, the god of passion, and on the right wall is the dark princess being offered lotuses by a lady.
SideWalls: The sidewalls antechamber is painted with murals showing two important episodes from the Buddha`s life: the left wall narrates the story of Gautama being tempted by Mara just before he became the Buddha. The right wall depicts the miracle of Sravasti, where in order to confound heretics and disbelievers, the Buddha multiplied himself into thousand images. The walls of the main hall are painted with representations of a large number of Jatakas, the stories of the previous births of Gautama Buddha.
Cave 2
It is one of the beautifully painted Viharas that dates back to the 5th century. With its beautiful and artistic ceiling paintings, it narrates various episodes connected with the birth of Lord Buddha such as the dream of his mother Maya, its interpretation by the priests and the birth of Gautama occupy the left wall. Next of this is a representation of the Miracle of Shravasti when the Buddha manifested himself in thousand forms. The cave is remarkable as the painted ceiling includes large medallions, delicate bands of lotus flowers, scrollwork and abstract geometric patterns. This cave also depicts a sculpture of Hariti, which is from the right side-chapel at the rear of the hall. To Hariti`s left (in shadow) is her consort Panchika, also known as Kubera.
Cave 4
It was planned on a grandiose scale, but never completed, this is the largest vihara (monastery) in Ajanta. It has a central doorway embellished with guardians, flying figures, maidens clutching trees and also images of the Buddha and Ganas, or dwarfs, with garlands. It also depicts a man and woman fleeing from a mad elephant and a man giving up his resistance to a tempting woman. Six gigantic standing figures of the Buddha are carved in the walls of the antechamber.
 Cave 6
It is excavated on two levels; it has a splendidly carved entrance. The lower hall has 16 octagonal columns. In the shrine is the seated Buddha accompanied by standing Buddhas. The upper hall has only one painting, depicting the gift by a monk.
Cave 7
It is a late 5th century vihara. Unlike the other monasteries, this one contains only two small porticos and does not have a hall. The shrine has a seated Buddha with a halo carved on the back wall. This sculpture represents a miracle at Shravasti, a city where the Buddha multiplied himself a thousand times in a showdown with his religious rivals (including Mahavira).
Cave 9
It is an early chaitya hall that dates back to the 1st century BC. Its entrance facade, like most of the chaityas, includes a large chaitya arch framing a window with imitation timber construction. The large window allowed light into the cave and it permitted rock to be easily removed from the cave during the process of excavation.
Cave 16
It has `the Dying Princess` painting, representing the Sundari, the wife of the Buddha`s half brother, Nanda, who left her to become a monk. A number of unfinished caves were abandoned mysteriously. It also includes two bracket figures, which are another late 5th century painted vihara. On the left, it depicts a flying couple, where the woman`s breasts are decorously covered, rather unusually for this type of figure. On the right, there is a figure of a gana.
Cave 19
This cave dates back to the 5th century chaitya, where the entrance is surmounted by a large chandrasala. The sculptural program relates with Buddha ordaining his successors. The interior cave depicts a standing Buddha, with sheer drapery covering his body, appearing in front of the stupa. An impressive three-tiered umbrella again tops the figure. A barrel-vaulted roof with stone ribs arches above the central hall. The band between the column brackets and the roof is decorated with sculpted panels of the Buddha. Also an impressive variety of decoration on the brackets and panels in this cave, includes Buddha images, flying celestials, mounted riders, vegetation, and lion heads set at intervals above the panels. This interior however, includes a comparable decoration found in Cave 26.
Cave 24
 It is an unfinished cave and hence it is an interesting one. The interior of this cave was carved in the late 5th century and it is larger than and similar to cave 19. It is richly decorated with panels of Buddhas, attendants, flying figures, lion heads, and foliage. The Buddha on the front of the stupa is seated rather than standing, and is framed by a straight lintel rather than an arch. From the from, the Buddha can be seen seated on a lion throne with legs apart, his left hand in the Vitarka mudra and his right forearm broken off. The Buddha`s feet rest on a lotus footstool. Riders and flying attendants flank him.
Another sculpture of Buddha in this cave is the standing Buddha that is wearing transparent garments and is flanked by chauri bearers. But amongst all these, is a very striking sculpture of a very large (7m, or about 21 feet) reclining Buddha, in the pose, which depicts his death or parinirvana. The peacefulness of Buddha`s expression reflects his blissful leave-taking from the world of material existence.
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