c. 2nd century BCE–6th century CE (separate phases) / South & Southeast Asia
Ajanta: Buddhist Art on Rock Walls
Caves, paintings and sculpture joined worship, residence and storytelling in a landscape built over several phases.
The story
The earliest Buddhist caves at Ajanta date to the second and first centuries BCE. More richly decorated caves were added in the fifth and sixth centuries CE. Painting and sculpture placed religious narratives within spaces people could enter and use. Worship halls and residential caves served different purposes, while belonging to a shared monastic setting. The broad timeline includes a gap between major phases and should not be read as eight centuries of uninterrupted excavation.
Elsewhere in the world
Ajanta and Gandhara preserve different architectural and artistic traditions within Buddhism; transmission across Asia did not produce a single uniform style.
Dates and precision
c. 2nd century BCE–6th century CE (separate phases) Approximate period
The dates describe a process over time; the interactive timeline uses its starting point.
Representative map location
Deccan Plateau · Ajanta
The marker represents the cave complex along a curved river gorge.
Representative coordinates · 20.552°, 75.703°
Coordinates locate a representative point for the story. They do not mean the event happened only here and do not represent historical borders.
Bibliography
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre | Ajanta Caves
Sources are listed as bibliography titles, without external links. A reference does not mean every sentence or interpretation has been independently verified.