to photograph the frescoes with the new Ekta-
chrome color film, but the heat was so intense the
emulsion melted. Wentzel eventually had to ship
in ice from 100 miles away and used the shadowy
recesses of the cave as his darkroom.
The complex was named a UNESCO World
Heritage site in 1983, but an ill-advised attempt
at preservation by two Italian conservationists
covered many murals in varnish and then shel-
lac, which distorted the colors. Rajdeo Singh,
the Archaeological Survey of India’s chief of
conservation, launched an intensive preserva-
tion campaign in 1999. Indian photographer and
filmmaker Benoy Behl has been documenting
the caves for decades and is still moved by the
ancient composition: “It shows us the divine
part of ourselves.”
Despite the Ajanta paintings’ ethereal beauty,
they were once viewed as a “flash in a pan,” anisolated, extraordinary achievement. Recent
studies have made it clear that the splendors of
Ajanta emerged from earlier trends, and their in-
fluence spread far and wide. Behl’s photographs
and films have documented how the caves’ art-
work fits into broader Hellenic, Hindu, and Bud-
dhist traditions.
Developments in sacred imagery fed the ar-
tistic blossoming at Ajanta. This era was when
the figure of the Buddha achieved an idealized,
perfected human form. At first, artists had re-
lied on symbols—footprints, a tree, an empty
throne—to represent the historical Buddha, but
followers wanted a more personal focus for their
devotion. The likeness invented on the Indian
subcontinent in the first centuries a.d., with
lowered eyes and serene expression, became the
prototype for Buddhist imag-
es that spread across Asia. It
remains the indelible face of
the Buddha today.LIFE STORIES
Throughout the Ajanta
Caves are paintings
of the Jataka tales,
stories of the Buddha’s
early incarnations in
human or animal form.
In Cave 17, elephants
play a prominent role.
*Portions of this article appear in Lost Cities,
Ancient Tombs, edited by Ann R. Williams.
Copyright © 2021 by National Geographic
Partners. Reprinted by permission of National
Geographic Partners.MMAHAUX PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTYAHAUX PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTYDuring the artistic blossoming at Ajanta,
the figure of the Buddha achieved an
idealized, perfected human form.90 MAY/JUNE 2022