The caves of Ajanta constitute one of the most important archaeological sites of great grandeur, containing paintings, sculpture, carvings and architectural elements, extending in time from the 2nd century B.C to at least the 6th or 7th century A.C. The numbering of the caves done by James Fergusson during the latter half of the 19th century has no bearing on their chronology. The caves, including the unfinished ones, are 30 in number of which five are caitya-grhas and the rest vihāras. The earlier caves belonging to the pre-Christian era (1st & 2nd century B.C) comprise two caitya-grhas (Caves No. 9 and 10) and four monasteries (Caves No. 8, 12, 13 and 15). The monasteries of the second phase are small and consist of an astylar closed hall flanked on three sides by narrow cells.
Although all the caves had been exquisitely painted but now only 13 caves contain paintings of some value. But there is no adequate evidence to establish their exact chronology. Various views expressed by scholars differ widely, some even contradicting one another. Some have attempted to work out a chronology based on the stylistic considerations of the paintings. But this is not a reliable criterion, as one particular style of a period might be popular even in a subsequent period. But inscriptional evidences are more reliable than the paintings themselves. An inscription found in Cave No. 10 recording the gift of the façade may be placed in the 2nd century B.C. on paleographical grounds. To the same period may be assigned two more donative records, one painted and the other inscribed on the left wall inside the hall, and the date is corroborated by architectural evidence too. Cave No. 10 may belong to this period but it appears that it was embellished with paintings at a somewhat later period. Many believe that Cave No.9 was excavated a century later, probably in the 1st century B.C. The second phase of excavations started around 5th century A.C. after stagnation of several centuries, the most prolific stage coinciding with the second half of the 5th century and the first half of the 6th century., during the supremacy of the Vakatakas, especially during the reign of King Harisena and his successor. Caves No. 11, 7 and 6 may belong to this period. Except for a few caves like Nos. 8, 9, 10, 12 belonging to the earlier phase, almost all the other caves of Ajanta belongs to the Vakataka period. Caves No. 16 and 17 were undoubtedly excavated during the reign of Harisena (475-505?). But even after Vakataka sovereignty came to an end, the monasteries at Ajanta were inhabited as confirmed by Hieun Tsang's records. And the latest fragmentary inscription found between Caves No. 26 and 27 belong to the 8th or 9th century. However, the murals of the caves of Ajanta do not necessarily belong exactly to the same age as the caves.
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Rock cut caves at Ajanta 2 Paintings and their chronology 6 Conclusion 11 Endnotes 13
