Dharma Documentaries

Dharma. Culture. Ecology.

Menu
  • Dharma
  • Culture
  • Ecology
  • Archives
  • About
Menu

Ajanta Caves

Posted on October 12, 2015June 30, 2016 by Dharma Documentaries
A set of short documentaries looking at the Ajanta Caves in India and their art works in both paintings, sculptures and reliefs.

Ajanta Caves

This is another set of short films from the Madras Documentary Company whose previous works I have been sharing over the past few weeks (01 02 03).

Today there is a set of five films of around 8-9 minutes each that look at different aspects of the caves at Ajanta, which are some of the most famous cave monasteries in the world, that appear to have been carved out, sculpted and painted from around the 2nd c. BCE to the 6th c. CE.

In the earliest phase the caves have themes that centre on the Buddha Gautama and his past lives as remembered in the Jataka stories, and also include decorations and chaitya halls.

In the later phase it appears that the themes are closely connected with the developing Mahayana, and the place of the various Bodhisattvas as taught there comes to predominate.

The films themselves look at the caves from different aspects: their rediscovery, how they were excavated, the paintings and the sculpture and relief work are all examined.

The films are very well-made and the presentation is engaging, and we get close up to some of the finest examples of Buddhist art that remain in the world from ancient times.

 

if this video is no longer available please leave a comment so I can update the page
(the comment is not published)

 

to see an album of stills click here

 

TAGS:
Culture, Arts, Caves, India, Mahayana, Theravada

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Subscriptions

Follow our Facebook Page Follow our Tweets Subscribe by Email Subscribe to our Feed

Shortlink and QR

https://dharma-documentaries.net/b/3AE

Donations

This site has taken 10 years to build, and has 700+ documentaries on it. If you would like to support the expenses involved, you can do so here. Even small amounts help.

choose amount:  

Copyright

If anyone has any copyright claims please contact me at dharmadocus@gmail.com and the posts and films will be immediately removed.

Top Ten Tags

Theravada
Mahayana
Vajrayana

India
Silk Road
China
Tibet

Arts
Lectures
Rights

Popular Posts

  • The Freedom of being a Buddhist Nun
  • Bright and Shining Mind in a Disabled Body
  • The Leshan Giant Buddha Statue
  • The Silk Road Series 7/16: Khotan-Oasis of Silk and Jade
  • David Eckel: Buddhism 3-4 of 24
  • The Tibetan Oracles
  • Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: The Untold Truth
  • The Mountain Yogi, Lama Govinda
  • Indian Roots of Tibetan Buddhism
  • The Journey of Xuanzang: An Introduction

Recent Posts

  • Hermits, Modern Chinese Practitioners
  • Our Only Home, a Climate Change Film
  • The Kingdom of Nature (in Cambodia)
  • Fire in the Blood
  • Sowers of Joy (Nuns Travel across India)
  • Life Beyond 2, The Museum of Alien Life
  • Life Beyond 1, Alien Life
  • Bhutan, Change Comes to the Happy Kingdom
  • The 108 Lokesvaras in Nepal
  • Survive (the Khmer Rouge)

Related Posts

  • Introduction to Buddhist Art
  • Seven Wonders of the Buddhist World
  • Indiana Jones 15, The Guardians of Dunhuang
  • The Story of Buddhism, 2,300 Years of Buddhist Art
  • The Story of Buddhism 06, Masterpieces of Buddhist Art
  • The Story of Buddhism 03, The Journey Within
  • Art of Compassion
  • Chinese Buddhism
  • Vietnam and Vietnamese Buddhism
  • Heaven On Earth 6: Buddhism
© 2021 Dharma Documentaries | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme