Ajanta Caves

The bodhisattva Padmapani, holding a lotus, on the wall of Cave 1 at Ajanta in Maharashtra, India. He has greeted visitors to this Buddhist monastery hall since the fifth century, painted when the caves, first cut centuries earlier, saw a late burst of work. The soft, downcast gaze and the crowded court of figures around him are why this is the image most people picture when they hear the name Ajanta. Light inside the caves is kept low to protect the paint and flash is not allowed, so give your eyes a minute to adjust and the figure slowly comes forward from the dark rock.