Amazing architecture of India. Buddhist cave temples - unique architectural art of Asia Rock temples of India

Does modern man today know what architecture is in its essence? Do architects comprehend the symbolic aspect that was holistically reproduced by the Masters of the ancient millennium? These questions remain and will remain the eternal driving element in any architectural scheme.

To see the fundamental essence of modern buildings, you need to build a bridge to a distant time, when the skill of architects was secret knowledge, and creation was the prototype of the universe. One example of this form of interaction is the rock temples of India, built in the 2nd century BC. and in the 3rd century AD.

Ajanta Temple

The temples were carved along a trajectory from top to bottom and did not have any foundation. The craftsmen worked with complex materials - basalt and stone. The sculptures were carved into rocks. But the most amazing thing is that the architects already worked with knowledge of the law of light refraction, which was formulated only in the 17th century. The technology of carving temples and sculptures has not reached us. This is understandable - at that time there was a certain closed class of artist-architects, let's call them co-creators, whose skill passed from mouth to mouth and was then lost. But we touched on something more significant than technology - on symbolism, which became the foremother of almost all modern structures.

Rocky̆ Kaya templĕ lasanatha

If in the archaic co-creators the goal of architecture was to create a spiritual and material environment for human habitation, then in modern architecture the process of systemic relations between nature and man is just beginning. Any architecture is an art, the act of which is imprinted in the ancient unconscious. This is the act of human interaction with the world, both material and mental. In the minds of the architect of our time, this connection has been preserved. We can see this in modern projects and houses built in rocks and mountains.

Man, being today in a remote state from his radical, is increasingly creating a space for himself where he could let God into himself. The rock is an intermediate world between the firmament and the earth. The space that is enclosed between these two worlds is space for simultaneously “standing on your feet” and “opening your consciousness.”

The architect who came closest to the system of inseparability of nature and architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright, said: “Tired of repetitions of faceless banalities in which light reflects from bare planes or sadly falls into holes cut out in them, organic architecture again brings man face to face to the appropriate nature of the play of chiaroscuro, which gives freedom to a person’s creative thought and his inherent sense of artistic imagination.” His project "Chapel in the Rock" is one example of how the spatial essence, located in the unconscious of the archaic culture of ancient India, was revived in the modern consciousness of architecture. A person located in this space acquires a certain form of primitiveness, self-awareness of participation in the mystery. All ancient architecture was built precisely on this principle, and there were no differences between a house and a temple. Houses and temples were united by one view - touching the sacrament.

Chapel in the Rock, Arizona

The most famous project - “House over the Waterfall” - was a temple in the sense that it was built on the principle of the unity of man and the universe. One of Wright's principles was to build with straight lines and rectangular shapes. If we look at a fragment of the external parts of the Ellora temples, we will see an identical principle.

Houseabovewaterfall

Ellora, fragment of one of the temples

Wright was clearly aware of the mission of each of his projects. All of them fulfilled the concept of continuity of architectural space, i.e. stemmed from natural environmental conditions. The architects of Indian rock temples based their construction ideas solely on natural resources. It’s amazing how the consciousness of one world responded to the consciousness of a completely different, modern world.

"Architectural life, or at least life itself, takes form and is therefore the true story of life: it was alive yesterday, as it is alive today or ever will be."

The consciousness of the architectural world of Ancient India was reflected in entire cities scattered throughout our planet: the tiny village of Rocamadour in southwestern France, Cape Verde in southwestern Colorado, the city of Petra in the northwestern Arabian desert, the city of Derinku in Turkish Cappadocia, the city of Vardzia in Georgia, on rock temple complexes near the Bamiyan River in central Afghanistan (which, alas, were almost completely destroyed by explosions in 2000, which destroyed huge Buddha statues carved in the 6th century AD).

VillageRocamadour, France

MesaVerde, Colorado

CityPetra, Jordan

CityDerinku, Cappadocia

CityVardzia, Georgia

Afghanistan, rocky̆ city ​​near the Bamiyan River

If we trace the history of each city listed above, we will see one unifying principle - holiness. All these cities were built either by monks or by saints and hermits who wanted to find a place for prayer and meditation. This suggests that the art of antiquity gave us something without which civilizations would never have been able to maintain their vitality - the soul of architecture. Will we ever get closer to that secret knowledge, will we solve the problem of preserving the ancient traditions of architecture - an open question for the modern architectural, and not only, world.

Fragments of an article about India by O.S. Prokofiev
Temple architecture of India

Cave and rock temples
The 7th and 8th centuries are a transitional era in the history of Indian art.
At this time, the traditions of cave architecture, developed in previous centuries and which reached great flowering under the Guptas, are experiencing the final stage of their development.
Ancient ideas about a cave temple as a secluded refuge of a god or a sage, detached from the life of human society, corresponded to the sacred ideal of Buddhism, especially in the early stages of its development. During the period of degeneration of Buddhism and the development of the Brahmanical cult in India, they finally lost their significance.

Already during the Gupta dynasty, religious-ascetic tendencies in Buddhist art, especially in the paintings of the cave temples of Ajanta, seemed to be undermined from within by secular motifs that had gained great importance, reflecting the increased influence of the ideology of slave cities. Now, with the development of feudal relations, there was a strengthening of priestly orthodoxy, associated with the strengthening of the role of the brahmans. The increasing influence of Hinduism and the increasing complexity of its cult required forms of religious art that could best embody its fantastic superhuman character. For a more powerful influence on the masses of religious ideas embodied in the complex system of the Hindu pantheon, opportunities. The traditional principles of cave architecture were insufficient. old schemes are cramped. But since the image of the temple, as if born in the depths of nature itself, was still so strong and so close to the religious ideas of the Hindus, and the new principles of above-ground construction were not yet sufficiently developed, during this transitional period cave construction continued to play a significant role in the development of Indian art .

The creation of the last monuments of Indian cave architecture dates back to this period: the late cave temples of Ajanta, the cave and rock temples of Elura (Ellora) and Mamallapuram, the temple on the island, etc. In them, and especially in Ellora and on the island. Elephanta, one can see changes, primarily in the nature of their design and plan. Changes are also manifested in the very spirit of the new images, full of drama and cosmic symbolism and shown in the most impressive decorative and entertainment aspect. Hence the violations of old principles in planning schemes, hence the crisis in cave architecture.

If in later cave temple of Ajanta and in their design of the beginning of the 7th century the old traditions are still quite strong, then in Ellora sharp changes are observed already in the later temples of the Buddhist cult of the beginning of the 8th century. In addition to Buddhist temples, Brahmin and Jain temples were built in Ellora. The most interesting are the Brahman ones. The trends of Buddhist temples developed in the direction of complicating the plan and enriching the sculptural and decorative design. The complexity of the plan occurred due to the increase in the internal space, which was reflected in the cave temples of all three cults. For example, in each group you can find examples of two- or three-story cave temples. But the development of temple design went through various stages, partly corresponding to successive religions.

In the Buddhist group, the design is rather restrained, as shown, for example, by the appearance of the facade of the largest three-story cave temple in Ellora, Tip Thal. But such austere simplicity could be explained by a certain disproportion between the huge interior, reaching an average of 30 m in depth and 40 m in width, and the relatively poor sculptural decoration, which did not fill all architectural surfaces.

In Brahman cave temples, which are smaller in size, sculptural and decorative design receives exceptional importance. A special place is occupied by high relief compositions on religious and mythological subjects.

The image of Parvati, full of charming femininity, is conveyed with special warmth in the relief “The Wedding of Shiva and Parvati.” In it, the soft and flexible modeling is in perfect harmony with the thoughtful appearance of the happy Parvati.
The power of expressing the specific features of early medieval sculpture reaches its maximum at Elure. The relief compositions located in the cave temples of Das Avatara, Rameshvara and others, as well as decorating the Kailasanatha rock temple, clearly reveal the various possibilities contained in the new plastic language. But they also testify to the contradictions of this art, stemming from Brahmanical religious conventions and canonization.

The relief of the Das Avatara cave temple depicts Shiva in a terrifying incarnation - with a lion's head, about to punish the Hirapya king, who laughs at the power of the gods. The poignancy of the moment shown is remarkable when Shiva puts one hand on Hiranya’s shoulder, the other grasping him at the wrist, and swings the rest, while the king still maintains a smile frozen on his face. The expressiveness of the composition is enhanced by the tension and dynamism of the transmission of movement. The high relief almost turns into a circular sculpture, which further enhances the impressive play of light and shadow. The scene is full of movement, emphasized by the different positions of Shiva's many arms, as if showing different "phases" of their threatening movement. The restless nature of the composition is also contributed by the instability of several dance poses of both figures. In general, in comparison with the emotional restraint and greater balance of movement in the reliefs of Mamallapuram and Elephanta, here we are struck by a previously unknown drama and passionate impulse. These parts received an even more powerful and original implementation in the grandiose relief “Ravana trying to overthrow Mount Kailash,” illustrating the episode of “Ramayava” dedicated to the fight of the evil demon Ravanna against Rama at the moment when Ravana is trying to crush the sacred mountain.

Construction in the 8th century. in Ellora. Among the Brahman caves, the largest above-ground rock temple of Kailasanatha indicated new trends in the further development of Indian architecture. The Kailasanatha Temple in Ellora, like the rathas of the temple complex in Mamallapuram in southern India created a century before, essentially represents a rejection of the basic principles of cave architecture. These buildings are above-ground structures made using the same techniques as cave temples. Despite the fact that a number of features characteristic of cave architecture can be found in them, the very fact of their appearance already speaks of a new stage in the development of medieval architecture in India. This is the stage of the final transition to construction with stone and brick. Subsequently, monumental rock and cave architecture loses its former significance, which is confirmed by the features of decline in the Jain temples of Elura.

Great feature Kailasanatha temple is a combination of the fantastic nature of the artistic concept itself with the clarity of its plastic embodiment, the fabulous scope of architecture, its bizarre spatial composition with the clarity and clarity of its constructive forms. It seems that here, as nowhere else before, in concrete, visible forms, that amazing combination of richness" of images and forms with the inexhaustibility of imagination and sensual concreteness found its expression in the ancient Indian epic. This bizarre and bright world of legendary figurative representations is embodied in countless sculptural reliefs and sculptures that generously decorate the architecture of the building and in the very general idea of ​​the temple dedicated to the god Shiva and displaying the sacred Mount Kailash. The contours of the building vaguely resemble the outlines of the Himalayan Kailash, on the top of which, according to legend, Shiva lives.
At the same time, in the grandeur of the artistic concept associated with the cosmic religious-mythological idea, for the first time the pathos of the enormous work invested in the actual implementation of the entire rock complex is so clearly felt.

Instead of the traditional underground hall carved into the rock, a ground temple was carved from a monolithic rock with all its architectural details, the type of which had already been developed in its main features by that time. Having separated the required mass from the mountain with three trenches, the builders of the temple began to cut it down from the upper floors, gradually going deeper to the lower floors and the basement. All the rich sculptural decoration was carried out simultaneously with the liberation of parts of the building from the rock mass. This method eliminated the need to erect scaffolding, but required detailed preliminary development of the building design in all its parts and their relationships.

The Kailasanatha temple complex consists of several separately located parts: the entrance gate, the bull sanctuary, the main temple building and the cells and cave rooms surrounding the courtyard. The main building of the complex is located along an axis from west to east. Due to insurmountable difficulties associated with the location of the mountain, the builders had to deviate from the requirements of the canon, placing the entrance on the western side, rather than on the eastern side. The main building of the temple is in plan a rectangle measuring about 30 X 50 m, on the sides of which side wings protrude at certain intervals, carrying the protruding parts of the upper floors.

The decorative decoration of the buildings of the Kailasanatha complex is similar to the cave temples of the 8th century. in Ellora; characterized by the dominant role of sculpture, which, in the form of ornamental friezes, narrative reliefs or individual figures, fills the outer surfaces of buildings, emphasizing the rhythmic alternation of vertical and horizontal divisions.

The variety of shapes and scales of sculptural reliefs and sculptures is amazing. Here, far protruding, essentially round sculptures of lions or elephant caryatids, and rows of small reliefs - friezes, telling in many separate sequences about episodes of the Ramayana, and large high-relief compositions, usually located in niches on the walls depicting dramatic episodes from Indian mythology and epic, and finally, individual figures of deities, fantastic creatures, animals, having a symbolic meaning or purely decorative purpose, as well as ornamental carvings sometimes with images of ritual scenes. Everywhere sculpture is fused with architectural forms, organically connected with them, are theirs. a necessary continuation, endlessly multiplying and enriching their spatial and architectural relationships. It is interesting that in the sculpture of the temple, in its inexhaustible decorative diversity, completely original forms of figurative and plastic solutions are born, in particular in the field of relief, an example is the relief “Shiva Tripurantka”, which is located. on two external walls forming a right internal angle.

The most important feature of the sculptural design of the outer part of the temple when depicting individual figures or scenes is the frequent use of extremely high relief, almost sometimes turning into a round sculpture, barely connected with the flat background of the wall. Sometimes such a technique, combined with an expressive rendering of movement, creates a completely unique dramatic and spatial effect.
The high relief “The Abduction of Sita” located in a niche of the temple wall is a typical example. The plot is taken, like most of the plots of the sculptural reliefs of the Kailasanatha Temple, from the epic “Ramayana”. One of the tense moments of the story about the abduction of Sita, Rama's wife, by the demon Ravana is shown. The legend says that while the evil demon Ravana distracted Rama with a hunt, sending him a golden doe, Sita was abducted. Then the mighty bird Jatayu was sent after the kidnapper, trying to attack Ravana and save Sita. The moment is depicted when the bird touched with its beak the leg of Ravana, soaring high in the sky with his flying chariot. The half-turned flexible figure of the demon is designed extremely plastically and is full of smooth movement. Although the figure of Sita has not been preserved, the main thing is clearly felt in the composition: the calm and smooth flight of Ravana, almost interrupted by a heavy bird, which, according to legend, failed to stop him.

Summarizing the long experience of cave architecture, the Kailasanatha temple also marks a rejection of this experience. Technical inconveniences and specific difficulties of rock architecture, dependence on a certain terrain, rock structure, etc. - all this prevented the widespread practice of rock construction. This is why the Kailasanatha Temple remains a one-of-a-kind original experience of such a large rock-cut temple.

Visible in its entirety only from above, the temple, with its crystallinity and clarity of its external forms, stands out remarkably among the chaotic, uncultivated rocky hills. The contrast of the temple with the surrounding rocks was enhanced by the white plaster that primarily covered the entire building: a peculiar technique of the temple builders, used to highlight and isolate it. II At the same time, being in a recess, the temple does not have a solid, clearly perceived silhouette. The spatial and architectural design of the temple is to a certain extent determined by the surrounding rocks and seems to be constrained by them. Rock architecture, even in its highest development, could not compete with stone architecture, especially in large-scale structures.

In the architecture of southern India, rock-cut temples are significantly smaller in size than the Kailasanatha temple, but do not have such a pronounced dependence on cave architecture. They constitute the most important complex of monuments in the history of the development of Indian early medieval architecture, often called “Seven Pagodas” in the literature. This ensemble is located at Mamallapuram on the eastern coast of the Deccan Peninsula, south of Madras and slightly north of the mouth of the Palar. Its creation dates back to approximately the beginning of the 7th century. The city of Mamallapuram itself was an important seaport of the Pallava state. Currently, this ensemble, as well as the coastal temple (dating back to 700) are the main surviving monuments of the once flourishing city.

Ensemble in Mamallapuram is a completely unique phenomenon in Indian art. Picturesquely located among the sand dunes not far from the sea, architectural monuments so diverse in nature, combined with large rock relief compositions, free-standing sculptures of sacred animals, produce a small, quaint fairy-tale city. It should be noted that the temples themselves are generally small in size. The largest of them barely reach 14 m in length and height, and the cave temples are 8 m in width and depth. But they are distinguished by the care and perfection of their execution, since for the aesthetic ideas of the Middle Ages, the sculptural design that richly decorated them had no less artistic significance than the temples. A characteristic feature of the ensemble is the unusually large scale of the sculptural works in relation to the architectural structures. In the Mamallapuram ensemble, perhaps to an even greater extent than in Ellora, architecture and sculpture compete with each other in their plastic and compositional share.

Indian architecture developed in accordance with the laws recorded in the ancient scripture - the Vedas. Already at the end of the first half of the second millennium BC. e. The penetration of Aryan tribes into India from the Iranian plateau begins, bringing with them a new language and new cultural forms. It was during this period that key elements of Indian culture emerged.

Since ancient times, the architecture of India has been fueled by a powerful fantasy, the grandeur of the scale of ideas about the Universe. The means of artistic expression amaze with their diversity and colorfulness, reminiscent of the flourishing nature of the country. The idea of ​​the unity of life in all its manifestations permeates philosophical teachings, aesthetics, and art. That is why the role of synthesis in Indian art is so great - architecture and sculpture, architecture and painting, poetry, painting and music. Sculpture becomes inseparable from architecture. Sculptures made of stone with great skill, often reaching gigantic proportions, cover the walls of temples, attracting attention. Religious symbolism appears in every work of architecture, and sculpture, especially relief, occupies the first place in Indian art.

Gradually, grandiose buildings with a complex planning structure appear. Monumental stone sculptures, although made in accordance with various religious instructions, reflect the life of that time in all its manifestations.

The beginning of the historical period in the development of Indian culture is usually dated to the 6th century. BC e., however, the first monuments of Indian architecture appear in the second millennium BC. e., and possibly in an even earlier period. Here, even in the prehistoric period, cities based on a regular planning scheme with houses made of baked bricks, wide paved streets, and sewers appeared. This is evidenced by excavations of the cities of Harrapa and Mohenjo-Dar, already in the first half of the third millennium BC. e. had a regular layout. These two cities are very similar, although they are separated by 600 km.

In the last centuries before the new era, the mature culture of Iran penetrated into India, and in the first half of the 3rd century. BC e. The first Buddhist architectural monuments appear - structures made of durable materials. Earlier architectural structures were mainly made of wood. The main building materials also include stone and clay. In an earlier period, bamboo was very popular, from which the round buildings typical of Indian architecture were built, the shapes of which were later recreated in other materials.

In the IV-II centuries. BC e. The first empire of Northern India is formed. In the 3rd century. BC e. One of the rulers of the empire (Ashoka Maurya) used Buddhism, a creed that existed in India since the 6th century, to unite the peoples of India. BC e. According to the Buddhist tradition, the founder of this teaching was the legendary prince Siddhartha Gautama, who, as a result of long searches and reflections, allegedly comprehended the truth and began to be called Buddha - “enlightened one.” Under Ashoka, the first stone Buddhist column monuments (stambhas), spherical structures, symbols of Buddhism (stupas), and cave temples were built. Since the 1st century. n. e. Buddha was recognized as a deity and began to be depicted as a person, and not as a symbol, as was the case before that time. It was during this period (1st century BC - 3rd century AD) that India felt the noticeable influence of late Hellenistic art. The image of the Buddha was given the humanistic features of Hellenistic sculpture: softness and meekness of appearance, mercy in facial expression. At the same time, the image of Buddha had canonical differences from the appearance of a mere mortal. Among them are the urna (the point between the eyebrows), the ushnisha (a growth on the head covered with hair), long earlobes, etc. The cult of bodhisattvas - “heavenly saviors” has also spread.

The stage of Indian history from the middle of the 2nd millennium to the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. associated mainly with the flowering of Brahmanical philosophy and Sanskrit literature. The art of this period brought to us information about the nature of the material culture of the era, about the vibrant life of cities. In one of the poetic descriptions of the capital of Ayodhya we read: “The city was like a mine of jewelry, ... its walls, like the squares of a chessboard, were dotted with various semi-precious stones.”

In the IV-V centuries. Buddhism gradually merges with more ancient local religions. Buddha is recognized as an incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu. At this time, in art, especially in painting, in addition to religious ones, secular motifs and sentiments became widespread. They even permeate the art of temple cave complexes, combining architecture, sculpture and painting. The complex of Buddhist monasteries and temples of Ajanta, which included about thirty caves carved into the rocky bank of the river, is especially famous for its paintings. The caves inside are richly painted on dry plaster with a wide variety of Buddhist subjects. Ajanta painting broadly and colorfully reflects the life of India of that period. Along with religious images, the nature of the country and the people inhabiting it are richly represented here - from kings to representatives of the lowest strata. In images of the human body, artists have achieved great perfection in drawing, embodying in them the most ancient aesthetic ideas about linear rhythm, about the physical and spiritual beauty of a person.

The Ajanta Murals are an outstanding artistic monument of the past.

From the 7th to the 13th centuries. India was experiencing an era of feudal fragmentation and frequent changes of government. The ideology of this time was dominated by Hinduism, a creed going back to the pantheistic cults of the forces of nature. Mass theatrical festivals with masked dancing, music, and ritual performances became especially popular during this period. Probably one of these celebrations was traditionally held in Mahabalipuram, near the city of Madras. It took place in front of the colossal relief “The Descent of the Ganges”, measuring about 9x27 m, dedicated to the legend of the beneficial power of the Ganges. This river supposedly flowed in the heavenly spheres, but people begged the gods to bring it down to earth. This joyful moment is depicted on the relief, in the center of which there is a crevice, wetted with water on holidays. It symbolizes the bed of the Ganges, in which the snake-like water deities - nagas - swim. All relief figures - people, celestial beings and animals - are directed towards the center. The images of animals are magnificent: elephants with their calves, lions, antelopes, birds, frisky monkeys. In general, the relief is perceived as a powerful hymn to the life-giving power of water.

The fairytale beginning of folk fantasy

gave rise to special forms of perception of mythological subjects and their interpretation in sculpture. It amazes with its dynamics, contrasts of light and shadow, and amazing scale. In the cave temples of Elephanta Island, in the light of torches, sculptures seem to come to life: high relief images “surround” the viewer on all sides. In the central hall of the cave temple of Shiva there is a huge, six-meter-high bust of the three-faced god. The stripes of rock diagonally crossing the faces give this image special power. It’s as if the stone pulse of a colossus beats in these veins. Around him is a riot of plastic forms, light and shadow and large-scale contrasts. The abundance and generosity of forms, the depth of ideas distinguish the art of this time, which, reflecting all the wealth of folk mythological ideas, attracts with its versatility and colorfulness.

In the 9th - end of the 12th centuries. the tradition of rock and cave architecture ends. Sculpture became the main element of decorative decoration of ground-based architectural structures. New types of temples - a high shikhara tower, a hall for ritual dances - a mandapa were divided into tiers, richly decorated with sculpture.
In the 13th century. scattered Indian principalities were invaded by Muslims, who brought with them a new religion - Islam. The old types of painting, sculpture and architecture disappeared, and new forms of buildings emerged - a mosque, a minaret, a mausoleum. The extent to which these types of buildings were adopted by Indian architects can be judged by the famous Taj Mahal tomb (construction completed in 1652), which is deservedly called the pearl of Indian architecture.

Hello, dear readers – seekers of knowledge and truth!

Temples and monasteries are holy places where people can connect with the divine, with incredible power, with the Universe. In addition to the most powerful energy, they conceal a special beauty, and, of course, architectural art plays a huge role in this.

The skill reached a special peak when structures were built directly in caves, stone by stone was hewn, acquiring clear contours, strewn with small details. A clear proof of this is the Buddhist cave temples. , which we will talk about today.

The article below will tell you about the most interesting and popular cave temples that were built at different times in different countries. Together we will find out how and by whom they were erected, what they looked like then and what they look like now, what you should pay attention to if life takes you to these lands.

Well, let's begin our journey.

Ajanta

Cave temples can be found here and there throughout Asia, especially where Buddhist thought is venerated. Their sizes vary from tiny stupas to real giants, which consist of a whole complex of caves with amazing frescoes, wall sculptures, and wide passages.

Entire walls and individual statues were carved out of cave rocks - and this required enormous efforts of several generations of eastern artisans. Today it is difficult to imagine how, many centuries ago, such masterpieces of architecture could have been erected without modern tools and technologies. One of them can rightfully be called the Indian temple complex of Ajanta.

This is one of the most famous in all of India. It is located in the state of Maharashtra, a hundred kilometers from the city of Aurangabad, on the banks of the Waghur River.

Ajanta Temple Complex, India

Ajanta has a very interesting history. They began to build it, or rather, to cut it down, at the beginning of the 3rd century AD, when the Gupta Empire flourished - the last ancient Indian dynasty, which also united the north and center of the state.

Indefatigable work lasted for several centuries: the soil was separated from the basalt, one after another, statues of deities, Buddhas and bodhisattvas appeared on the walls and in the interior decoration.

It was a picturesque cliff, shaped like a horseshoe, strewn with three dozen large cave-temples. Some of them were places of prayers and rituals, others were the housing of monks, and others were utility rooms.

If you recreate a picture of that time, the view and scale can take your breath away. Each cave had its own access to a wide river, which provided water for drinking and cooking. The technology and water supply system were up to date: rainwater was accumulated here during the monsoons, which allowed the monastery to exist peacefully during periods of drought.

Everything changed at the end of the 6th century, when the Harishen family ceased to exist. It was this that was the source of financing for the construction. Half a century later, by the middle of the 7th century, construction was completely stopped.

The monks were forced to leave their homes, and nature took its toll: the entrances were walled up with plants, the thickets hid the man-made beauty. Inside the caves themselves, such a microclimate was formed, thanks to which it was possible to leave the statues and frescoes in their original form.

So all the splendor turned out to be almost untouched by time, and therefore today in Ajanta we can move back several centuries.

Inside the Ajanta Temple complex

In 1819, English army officer John Smith was hunting in these places and accidentally saw an arch - it was the entrance to the tenth cave. Later, 29 more caves were discovered. They were cleared, put in order, and for convenience they were named simply - each was given a serial number.

In 1838, UNESCO included the Ajanta cave temples in its list of tangible heritage. Now you can visit almost all of them, see with your own eyes the former power of ancient Indian civilization and get in touch with Buddhist culture. Frescoes and statues of amazing beauty have been preserved here.

The main asset is the sculptural statues that tell the story of the life and work of the bodhisattvas Jataka and Padmapani. The outside walls are decorated with elaborate carvings, some of the techniques of which still remain a mystery. It is incomprehensible how such a level of skill could have been achieved almost a thousand years ago.

Dambulla

An even more ancient temple is Dambulla, built in the first century BC. It is also known as the Golden Temple. All thanks to the fact that it is here that there is a huge collection of statues of the great Teacher Shakyamuni, and more than seventy of them are covered with real gold plating.

Dambulla is located on the island of Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, one hundred and fifty kilometers from the capital Colombo, near the town of Matale. This is the largest cave temple complex in the vastness of southern Asia.

Dambulla Temple, Sri Lanka

Dambulla was also built over many centuries, and many generations of the reigning dynasty took part in its construction. Five main caves and the ruins of twenty-five monastic houses are located at an altitude of almost half a kilometer - at the highest point of the hill.

It is difficult to describe the local nature in words to convey all its beauty: from below stretches a mountain, almost completely covered with forest, dense vegetation, the fresh air takes your breath away, and everything around breathes with ancient civilization.

The walls of the surviving buildings are covered with paintings with Buddhist motifs. There are also more than 150 statues of Shakyamuni, three statues of the rulers of the island, and sculptures modeled in the likeness of Buddhist deities. The total area of ​​the paintings reaches two thousand square meters.

Buddha statues at Dambulla Temple

All cave-temples are different from each other, containing a “zest”:

• Devarajalena - here lies a Buddha 15 meters long, at whose feet Ananda sits. 4 statues of Buddha are adjacent to the Hindu god Vishnu, whose chapel is located nearby.
• Maharajalena is the largest cave of the entire complex. The main one is surrounded by numerous sculptures, eleven of which are incarnations of Buddha.
• Maha-alut-vihara - Buddha sleeps here, ten meters long. In addition, there were thirteen Buddhas sitting in padamasana and forty-two standing on their feet.
• Paccima Vihara is a small temple with a stupa in the middle.
• Devana-alut-vihara - here used to be a warehouse, and now there are eleven Buddhas, one Vishnu, one Kataragama and the deity Devata Bandara.

Dambulla is a Buddhist gem of the island's past and a must-visit if you find yourself near the Sri Lankan capital.

Longmen

The three main Chinese temple complexes include Longmen, also known as Longmen or Pinyin. This name translates to "Caves of Stone at the Dragon's Gate."

Lunmen Monastery, China

The complex is located in China , in Henan province, ten kilometers south of the town of Luoyang. At the end of the 5th century, the Yihe River flowed here, and it was surrounded on both sides by the limestone mountains Xianshan and Longmenshan. The latter gave the name to the temple, which began to be built in 495 AD, when the Northern Wei family ruled.

The temple was actively erected when the Tang dynasty was in power - from the 7th to the 9th centuries. At this time, more than half of the total number of all statues was built. The completion of global construction dates back to the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries.

Today the temple is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. But even now it is difficult to say exactly how many unique sculptures, frescoes, and paintings are hidden here. Several hundred caves, more than 2,300 grottoes, 43 temples, almost three thousand inscriptions and one hundred thousand paintings with Buddhist motifs - the numbers are truly amazing.

The main caves include:

• Binyan;
• Guiang;
• Fengxian.

Here are the works of outstanding masters, which are embodied in bas-reliefs and sculptures of Buddhas, monks, and dakinis. Among them one can highlight a fifteen-meter statue of Buddha Vairocana. I would like to characterize the entire architecture as a combination of clear small details and soft outlines of facades.

15-meter statue of Vairocana Buddha in Longmen Cave Temple, China

Conclusion

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If you want to better understand the history of the ruling dynasties and religious cults of India, preserved architectural monuments that clearly tell about the greatness of ancient empires will help you do this. Of course, one of the most important monuments of ancient history are the cave temples of India, which served as a refuge and the main center of learning for followers of Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism from the beginning of our era.

The most famous and well-preserved cave temples are located in the state of Maharashtra near the city of Aurangabad, the ancient capital of the Mughal Empire. Long before the arrival of the Mughals, this region was a center of trade and religion. Ancient trade routes passed through the plains of the Deccan and pilgrims found refuge in caves that were rebuilt into spiritual abodes.

I want to tell about cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora- true diamonds of ancient Indian art and architecture. Even at the beginning of our era, trade routes existed along the territory of the Deccan plateau (the modern state of Maharashtra); the first Buddhist ascetics walked along with the traders, bringing their faith to the territory of southern India. To escape the seasonal rains and scorching sun, travelers needed shelters. The construction of monasteries and temples is a long and expensive task, so the first pilgrims chose caves in the rocky mountains as their refuge, which provided coolness in the heat and remained dry in the rainy season.

The first Buddhist caves were carved in the 2nd century BC, when they were simple and uncomplicated shelters. Later, at the turn of the 4th-6th centuries, the cave temple complexes grew into huge monastic cities where hundreds of monks lived, and the caves turned into three-story monasteries, skillfully decorated with sculptures and wall paintings.

In the cave cities of Ajanta and Ellora, three religions were successively practiced - Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Now on the territory of the complexes you can see ancient statues and wall paintings of these three religions. Thus, the first inhabitants of the cave cities were Buddhists, then Hindus came, and the last to be cut out were Jain temples, although it is possible that followers of all religions coexisted here at the same time, creating a tolerant religious society in the middle of the first millennium.

Ajanta

The Ajanta cave temple complex is located 100 km from the city of Aurangabad, it is located in the bed of the Waghur River and has been cut down since the 2nd century BC. to the middle of the 7th century AD Over the centuries, ancient sculptors methodically excavated the soil from the basalt rock, and the interior of the caves was decorated with elegant sculptures and frescoes.

At the end of the 5th century, the Harishena dynasty, which was the main sponsor of the construction of the caves, fell, and the complex was gradually abandoned. The monks left their secluded monastery, and the local residents gradually forgot about the existence of the cave temples. The jungle has swallowed up the caves, sealing the entrances with a thick layer of vegetation. An artificial microclimate was formed in the caves, which has preserved to this day the frescoes of the beginning of the first millennium, which have no analogues not only in India, but throughout the world. Thus, the caves have brought the beauty of ancient masters to the present day.

The complex was discovered by British army officer John Smith in 1819 while hunting a tiger. From the opposite bank of the river. Vaghar he saw the arch of the entrance to cave No. 10.

"Graffiti" by officer John Smith, which he left in 1819.

Later, 30 caves were discovered, the complex was cleared and partially restored, and in 1983 the Ajanta cave temple complex was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It is now one of the most famous landmarks in central India. At the moment, in the complex you can visit 28 caves belonging to the Buddhist tradition. In caves 1,2,9,11,16,17 ancient frescoes are preserved and in caves 9,10,19,26 you will see elegant Buddhist sculpture.

Some caves served as places for rituals and group prayers, they are called "chatyas" or meeting halls, others served as habitats for monks, they are called "viharas" or monasteries. The caves have different layouts and degrees of decoration.

Some caves are under development; these examples clearly show how the construction of the complex took place.
From the opposite bank of the Vaghar River there is a beautiful view of the entire complex; the scale of the complex is truly impressive.

Previously, each cave had its own personal descent to the river for collecting drinking water; a system for storing rainwater and water flow during the monsoon period was developed. The walls of most of the caves were painted with detailed frescoes, the secret of which has not yet been solved; some well-preserved sections convince us of the high level of skill of the ancient painters, and the forgotten history and customs of those centuries appear before our eyes.

Ajanta's "calling card" is the image of the bodhisattva Padmapani!

Of course, a visit to the Ajanta cave temples will create one of the most interesting experiences in India, but it would not be complete without a visit to the Ellora complex, which is located nearby. Despite the fact that both complexes are similar in idea, they are completely different in execution.

Ellora

The cave temple complex of Ellora, located 30 km from Aurangabad, was cut down in the period 5-11 centuries, and has 34 caves, 12 of which are Buddhist (1-12), 17 Hindu (13-29) and 5 Jain (30-34) , cut down in chronological order.

If the Ajanta complex is famous for its frescoes, then in Ellora it is definitely sculpture. Ellora acquired its true dawn with the withering of Ajanta; apparently most of the monks and masters moved here starting from the 6th century AD. In Ellora, the viewer is shocked by the scale of the buildings, for example, some caves are three-story “viharas” - monasteries where up to several hundred monks could live. Of course, such a scale is amazing, especially considering that the construction dates date back to the 5th-7th centuries AD.

But the true gem of the complex is Kailasanath Temple (Lord of Kailasa) or cave number 16.

This 30 meter high temple was carved over 100 years during the 8th century. For its construction, 400,000 tons of basalt rock were extracted, and not a single part was brought into the temple from the outside, everything was cut out of the basalt rock from top to bottom, like on a modern 3D printer. Of course, I have never seen anything like it anywhere in India. This masterpiece of ancient architecture is on a par with the Angor Wat temples in Cambodia and Bagan in Burma, but the construction dates are almost a millennium earlier!

The temple is an allegory of the sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet, where, according to legend, Lord Shiva meditated. Previously, the entire temple was covered with white plaster to resemble the snow-capped peak of Kailash, all the sculptures were skillfully painted with colors, the details of which can still be seen, many galleries of the temple are decorated with detailed stone carvings. To understand the greatness of the Kailasanath Temple, you need to see it with your own eyes. Photos can hardly convey its grandeur and beauty!

Aurangabad

The Ajanta and Ellora temples attract many tourists from India and all over the world. During holidays, the temples can get quite crowded, and to better understand the history in the stone, it is recommended to take a tour accompanied by a guide.

It is better to choose the city of Aurangabad as a base for visiting the temples; there are many hotels for every taste and budget; you can get here by train, plane or bus from Mumbai and Goa. Vacationers in Goa can combine a visit to cave temples with a beach holiday.

In addition to the cave temples, the city itself contains many historical monuments, albeit from a much later period. In the 17th century, the great Mughal Sultan Aurangazeb ruled here. The most impressive monument of that time is the mausoleum of “Bibika Maqbara”, which is often called the little Taj. This beautiful white marble mausoleum was built by Emperor Aurangzeb in memory of his wife Rabia Ud Daurani and bears great resemblance to the Taj Mahal in Agra, where Aurangzeb's mother is buried.

A visit to the cave temples of Ajanta and Ellora is certainly one of the most vivid and memorable impressions of India.

A trip to Aurangabad can easily be completed in 2 days; visiting the cave temples will be a great addition to your holiday on the beaches of Goa. Join our tours and discover the ancient treasures of India.