Ajanta Cave 4

The cathedral is in Ajanta Cave 4-the greatest. A team had laid out an enormous project but could not complete it. An entrance is from and to either end of eight hexagonal pillar-bracket capitals.

By the date marks on the text similar to that on the base of the Buddha statue dedicated, the cave can be dated to the first half of the sixth century CE and is one of the important places to visit in Ajanta caves.

Unfinished yet Fascinating: The Story Behind Ajanta Cave 4

Ajanta Cave 4 is the biggest vihara, designed to be huge but left unfinished. An inscription on the Buddha figure's base states that Mathura gifted it. This cave has a hall, a sanctum sanctorum, and a verandah with columns.

Builders constructed it in the first half of the sixth century AD. Eight hexagonal pillars with bracket capitals support the porch, with a cell at each end. The Litany of Avalokitesvara panel is on the back wall of the porch.

The Grand Buddha Statue and Its Significance

The shrine houses a huge statue of the Buddha teaching, surrounded by bodhisattvas with celestial nymphs floating above. A group of people, including monks, gathers in front of the Buddha statue. Sculptors have set Buddha statues into the door jambs and frames.

Six huge Buddhas are painted on the walls of the antechamber. Two of them are unfinished, and their right hands are in the abhaya-mudra, and their left hands are holding the hem of the garment. Some paint marks from the cave's creation remain. The roof of the hall showcases the unique natural feature of a lava flow, making it a fascinating site to explore with Ajanta Caves tour packages.

Unique Features of the Prayer Hall

The hall has a main door, two side doors, and two windows that are quite big in the middle. The main door showcases one of the most intricate designs at Ajanta Caves. Crafted similarly to Cave 1's, it features bolder strokes. In the widest part of the jamb, there is a sculpture of a woman with an assistant at the bottom.

There are also standing couples, flying pairs, and sala-bhanjikas that are very clearly carved. The lintel has sitting Buddha and ganas designs, and the top band has five chaitya-window designs, with three of them having Buddha designs. You can see bracket-like shapes of adults with horses in the upper corners of the door frame.