Question

conclusion of buddhist ajanta caves

Answer 1

Although it is evident from the preceding investigation that these Eastern caves cannot compete—as previously hinted—either in extent or in magnificence, with the rock-cut temples found on the Western side of India, still it results from an examination of their peculiarities, that they are far from being devoid of interest in themselves, and are, in some respects, of almost equal importance for the general history of architecture in India, as their rivals in the West. Notwithstanding their comparative insignificance, the evidence derived from the Behar caves proves more distinctly than anything else that has yet come to light, at what time, and in what manner, caves were first excavated in India for religious purposes. They also afford direct and positive proof, that before Aśoka’s time, in the middle of the third century before Christ, all the caves used by Buddhists were mere natural caverns very slightly, if at all, improved by art. They also tend, by inference, to confirm the postulate, that before Aśoka’s time stone was rarely, if at all, used in India for purely architectural purposes. If what has been said above, is borne out by subsequent investigations, it results that the Pipala cave at Râjgir, and its accompanying Baithak, are not only the oldest buildings known to exist in India, but the most characteristic of the state of architectural art in the pre-Mauryan age. If this is sustained, its importance can hardly be overrated, as affording a firm basis for all further investigations into the origin of stone architecture and cave excavation in India. On the whole from the evidence, on these points, obtained from an examination of the Eastern caves is more complete than any derived from those in the West.