Toni Dabbs Contributing Writer IN 1819, British offi- cers hunting tigers in the hills north of Aurangabad, India, came upon a horseshoe shaped cliff riddied with what they thought were caves. They decided to explore, climbing midway up the scarp, pushing aside vegeta- tion that partially obscured entrances and scrambling over debris that littered the interiors. To their astonish- ment, they found that the “caves were actually a series of ornately carved and paint- ed rooms hewn from the solid rock. The British officers had rediscovered Ajanta. Ajanta and nearby Ellora are two of the most amazing archaeological sites in India. Although handcrafted caves are scattered throughout India’s western state of Maharashtra, the complexes at Ajanta and Ellora— roughiy 300 kilometres northeast of Musnbai (Bombay)—are the most elaborate and varied exam- ples known. Ajanta began as a reli- gious enclave for Buddhist monks and scholars more than 2,000 years ago. It is believed that, originally, itin- erant monks sought shelter in natural grottos during monsoons and began deco- rating them with religious motik to help pass the rainy season. They used earlier wooden structures as models for their work. _As the grottos were developed and expanded, they became permanent monasteries, housing per- haps 260 residents. Ajanta encompasses 29 rock-cut raoms crested berween 200 BC and AD 659 using rudimentary hand tools. Most are viharas (liv- ing quarters), while four are chaityas (temples). The artisans responsible for Ajanta did not just hack holes in the cliff, though. They carefully excavated, carving stairs, benches, screens, columns, sculptures, and other furnishings and decorations as they went, so that these elements remained attached co the resulting floors, ceilings and walls. They also painted pat- terns and pictures, employ- ing pigments derived from natural, water soluble sub- stances—kaolin chalk for white, lamp soot for black, slauconite for green, ochre for yellow and imported Japis fazuli for blue. Their achievements would seem incredible if executed under ideal cir- Photos Toni Dabbs THE gigantic Kallase Temple complex at Ellora was chiselled from solid stone from the top down. cumstances, yet they worked only by the light of oil lamps and what little sun- shine penetrated cave entrances. One of their more ele- gant accomplishments is the cathedral-like Cave 19, a fifth century chaitya that was entrance directs light onto the stupa. Cave 17 contains the greatest number of well pre- served murals. Some are faded or fragmented, but others still display details in vibrant colours. Most depic- tjatakas (tales from Buddha's CAVE 19 at Ajanta features a cathedral-like ceiling and an elegantly carved entabiature. once painted throughout, [t has a broad, richly carved entablarure beneath a steeply vaulted ceiling sup- ported by sturdy columns. Focal point is the stupa (shrine), with a standing Buddha in trent and a three- dered canopy overhead. An arched window above the life and teachings) in which Buddha takes the form of an animal to iliustrate certain virtues. The paintings por- tray such whimsical creatures as talking lions, flying horses and rain-making elephants as well as beautiful maidens, princes and warriors. ’ The seventh century abandonment of these mas- terpieces is a mystery. Perhaps the Buddhists suf- fered religious persecution. Or perhaps the isolation of the caves made it difficult for the monks to collect suf ficient aims for survival. Some sources suggest that remnants of the Ajanta colony relocated to Ellora, a site closer to an important caravan route. There, anoth- er series of handerafted caves chronologically begins where the Ajanta caves end. However, of the 34 caves chiselled into the slepin side of the Jow hill at Elfora, only 12 (dating from AD 600 to 800) are Buddhist (one chaitya, the rest viha- ras). Seventeen are Hindu (AD 600 to 900), and five are Jain (AD 800 to 1100). As the dates indicate, some caves were fashioned simultaneously — maybe as a form of religious competi- tion. At the time, Buddhism was declining in India and Hinduism regaining ground, so representatives of both were eager to impress poten- tial followers. Although Elfora has more caves than Ajanta, the rooms generally are smaller and simpler. . The exception is Cave 16, the gargantuan Kailasa Temple-—considered the pinnacle of Indian cock-cut architecture. It is not a sin- gle room but a compound covering approximately twice the area of the Parthenon in Greece. Unlike other caves at Ajanta and Elfora, ir has a huge courtyard that is open to the sky, surrounded by a wall of galleries several sto- ties high. Two crumbling life-size elephant sculptures guard the entrance. Within the courtyard is the massive muiti-level tem- ple, its pyramidal form repli- cating the ceal Mount Kailasa, the Himalayan peak said to be the home of the Hindu god Siva. It consists of a gateway, antechamber, assembly hall, sanctuary and tower. Virtually every sur- face is lavishly embellished with sytbols and figures from the puranas (sacred Sanskrit poems). The temple is connected to the gallery wall by a bridge. The entire compound was cut from solid rock working from the top down, so scaftolding was not need- ed (although good planning certainly was). Its creation displaced an estimated 200,000 connes of rock. It is believed to have taken 7,000 fabourers 150 vears to com- plete the project. Today, both Ajanta and Ellora are maintained by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. The sites are open daily from 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., with guides available for hire. Visitors pay a small admission fee to enter the Ajanta site and extra to attendants for lighting cave details. Entry is free to all caves at Ellora except the u Canadian legend Bruce Corkbuen pediorms songs from his latest CO Breakfast in Now Grieans... Ginnar in Timbutdy at the Voque Theatre on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. To win a copy of ihe new CO, produced by Cockbusn and Calin Linden, and featuring Richard Beil on keyboards fell us what country Timbuktu is in. Kailasa Temple. A good base from which to visit Ajanta and Ellora is Aurangabad, serviced daily by Indian Airlines and East Wese Airlines tlights trom Mumbai (Bonvbay). The city has a variety of accommoda- tions, ranging from a youth hostel to five-star hotels. Atleast a three-night stay in Aurangabad is advised, because Ajanta (200 kilome- tres northeast by read) requires a full-day excursion and Ellora (30 kilometres northwest) a half-day. Aurangabad itself has sev- eral sights worth seeing and offers some notable shop- ping values. if you go: Climate -—- The best time to visic Ajanta and Ellora is from October through March, when temperatures vary between 12 and 34 C, Monsoons bring heavy rains from June to Seprentber, with temperatures reaching 39 C. Panchakki — This sanctuary in Aurangabad is named for the small on-site water mill, driven by mountain springs, which once ground grain for visiting pilgcims. In the i7cth century, a Sufi saint was buried here, and a pleasant garden with a series of pools serves as his memorial. Daulatabad: Midway between Aurangabad and Ellora, set atop a high hill and surrounded by thick walls with spiked gates, is one of the oldest existing forts in India, Considered impregnable when it was built during the 12th centu- ry, it features a deep maat and a spiral passage hewn from solid rock. Sri Grishneshwar Mandir — Just vutside Ellora, in the village of Verul, this 18th century temple houses one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines dedicated to Lord Siva and sacred to Hindus. The tem- ple was built by a Maratha princess. a Information: Government of India Tourist Office, 60 Bloor St. W., Suite 1003, Toronto, ON MAW 3B8, telephone (416) 962-3787, fax (416} 962-6279. E COGKBURN'S NEW CD zi Bruce Cockburn Contest, Horde Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, 82 VIM 24, Attn: Soha Goodinan. You car fax entries ta 985-2104 Gr e-mail to . Deadline for the contest is Wedrasdey, Feb. 2, 5 p.m. Winners will be telephoned.