Cave 6 (Ajanta)
The cavity 6 of the Buddhist monastery of Ajanta in India , which is the 5th to 6th century. BC ascribed., Is the only two-storey Vihara (Buddhist monastery). If you follow the chronology of the art historian Walter M. Spink, you count the lower floor to the earlier excavation phase. When work began, there were no plans for the upper floor. The sculptors and painters presumably worked front to back and top to bottom, as was the custom in all Ajanta caves. Both floors of cave 6, which are slightly offset one above the other, each consist of a main hall, a cella containing the Buddha shrine and cells that originally served as living quarters and are adjacent to the main hall.
Main hall
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Lower floor
Originally there were 10 cells on the lower floor. The customer of the cave finally decided to expand the number of cells and to lengthen the corridors, as well as to add another floor above it. In the lower cave there are 16 octagonal pillars without capital, which divide the space vertically and horizontally into five corridors each. All other caves in Ajanta have an exposed square in the main hall. The regular distribution of the pillars in the main hall is unique and corresponds to the earliest design in Ajanta. At the left end of the now dilapidated veranda, a covered staircase leads down to cave 7.
Upper floor
The upper floor is much more spacious than the lower one with additional side chapels, which are adjacent to the main hall on the left and right, and developed very quickly. It is much deeper in the rock than the lower floor. Due to the receding angle of the embankment, it was not possible to place both caves directly on top of each other. This favored the installation of the functional staircase from the lower to the upper storey. The stairs should have ended differently in the interior of the later floor.
Originally, both floors were planned as shrine-free caves, which also explains why the distance between the central pillars is not increased on the lower floor.
Cella
Lower floor
The main cella for the Buddha has its own veranda or anteroom, as was common in Ajanta. The entrance gate to the anteroom of the cella is very richly decorated and is flanked by two bodhisattvas . The gate to the cella was also decorated. It is flanked by two pilasters, which are supported by two atlantic gana. A Makara sits on each of the pilasters, with flowers flowing out of its wide-open mouth, creating an arc between the two beings. A Nagaraja is presumably placed in the lotus position under the arch . Seated Buddhas were carved into the side walls inside the cella and cover the entire surface.
The Buddha figure is located in the center of the cella and steps away from the back wall so that it can be bypassed. The figure sits in the lotus position on a lion throne, i. H. At the base of the throne lies a lion at the Buddha's feet on the left and right. A halo in the form of a lotus blossom has been carved into the rock above the figure. The Buddha figure is not accompanied by any bodhisattvas, which is an indication of the earlier phase. Further features for earlier depictions are both the positioning in the middle of the cella and the proportion of the head. The relatively large head is well in front of the halo.
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Upper floor
The entrance to the cella is flanked by Ganga and Yamuna , the personifications of the rivers of the same name. Unlike on the lower floor, the Buddha figure does not stand out from the back wall, but was chiseled directly out of it. Like all Vihara Shrine Buddhas in Ajanta, the Buddha is depicted in Dharmachakra Mudra . This gesture appears first and foremost in western caves on the subcontinent. The Buddha is accompanied by two bodhisattvas who are contemporary types. On his left is a crowned figure, while the figure on his right probably represents Avalokiteshvara , in front of whose jatamukuta ( headdress with long hair) an amitabha is seated. Remarkably, the Buddha in the cella is accompanied by other Buddha figures, which is extremely atypical for Ajanta. The asymmetry of the Buddhist representations shows that they are probably individual foundations, but were added to a program.
The cells
Lower floor
There must have been a great need for living quarters among the monks at the time, which explains the addition of the cells. On the back wall there are three cells each to the left and right of the cella. Two more cells were excavated next to the existing cells on the back wall on a slightly elevated level, which probably served as storage space. The monks were just waiting to dwell in the caves and use them for worship. After 475, they were finally equipped with modern furnishings. In addition, niches were made in the back walls of the cells for personal items. In addition, hooks were found in the cell walls, presumably for hanging clothes or for attaching shelves. Hinges in the door frames suggest that the cells used to have doors.
Further equipment
Both floors of cave 6 are richly decorated with Buddhist themes, both in the form of paintings and carved in stone. The enormous number of representations of the Buddha, some of which were added later, is remarkable.
The walls were once all painted. Today the colors have been lost with a few exceptions. The most interesting surviving painting on the upper floor is that of a monk on the right side wall of the main hall. The devotee or monk holds a censer in his right hand and three lotus flowers in his left hand. The flowers are said to represent the triratna , which symbolizes the Buddha, order and law in Buddhism. This picture became one of the most published paintings in Ajanta.
In the left side chapel on the veranda on the upper floor there is a wall painting that used to be well preserved, but is now in very poor condition. The scene is unique in that one image shows both Avalokiteshvara and a king. Avalokiteshvara is shown as the savior and was originally surrounded by eight scenes depicting various dangers from which the Bodhisattva saves.
To the left of the entrance to the cella in the lower cave there is a painting of the "Miracle of Shravasti", which is still in good condition.
literature
- Sheila L. Weiner: Ajanta, its place in Buddhist art . University of California Press, Berkeley CA et al. 1977.
- Bertold Spuler (Hrsg.): Handbuch der Orientalistik . Department 2: India . Volume 18: Ajanta - History and Development . Part 1: Walter M. Spink: The End of the golden Age . Brill, Leiden et al. 2005, ISBN 90-04-14832-9 .
- Bertold Spuler (Hrsg.): Handbuch der Orientalistik . Department 2: India . Volume 18: Ajanta - History and Development . Part 3: Walter M. Spink: The arrival of the uninvited . Brill, Leiden et al. 2005, ISBN 90-04-14833-7 .
- Bertold Spuler (Hrsg.): Handbuch der Orientalistik . Department 2: India . Volume 18: Ajanta - History and Development . Part 5: Walter M. Spink: Cave by Cave . Brill, Leiden et al. 2007, ISBN 978-90-04-15644-9 .