Ajanta Caves

The Ajanta Caves are approximately 30 rock cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE in Aurangabad of maharatra state of India.The caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures described as among the finest surviving examples of ancient indian art, particularly expressive paintings that present emotions through gesture, pose and form.They are universally regarded as masterpieces of Buddhist religious art.The caves were built in two phases, the first starting around the 2nd century BCE and the second occurring from 400–650 CE, according to older accounts, or in a brief period of 460–480 CE according to later scholarship.The site is a protected monument in the care of the Archeological survey of India.The Ajanta Caves are mentioned in the memoirs of several medieval-era Chinese Buddhist travellers to India and by a Mughal-era official of Akbar era in the early 17th century.The caves are in the rocky northern wall of the U-shaped gorge of the river Waghur, in the Deccan plateau.