British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Ajanta Caves - The History and the Mystery

Synopsis
The Buddhist Caves of Ajanta, located in Maharashtra, India, were built between 200BC to 600AD almost 300 years after the death of The Buddha. Listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, the caves and their sculptures were developed over a period of 800 years, but were abandoned and forgotten until rediscovered in 1819. The isolation of the caves accounts for the excellent preservation of the remarkable structure and paintings.

This documentary takes a look at the history and evolution of the thirty caves cut into the face of a rock gorge in Maharashtra’s Waghure River that were once used as rooms for travelling Buddhist monks. Within the caves exists a stunning portrait of the progress in art, culture, and rituals of Buddhist practitioners throughout the course of over 850 years.The film explores the historical, technological and aesthetic value of the caves and their contents. The caves are now closed to photography due to the sensitivity of light, so the footage and images on this film are unique.
Language
English
Country
United States
Year of release
2010
Year of production
1997
Subjects
Archaeology; Art; History; Religious studies
Keywords
Buddhism; caves; India; cave art; rock art

Distribution Formats

Type
DVD
Format
Region 1 NTSC
Price
$19.99
Availability
Sale
Duration/Size
56 minutes
Year
2010

Distributor

Name

Kultur

Email
info@kultur.com
Web
http://www.kultur.com/ External site opens in new window
Phone
+1 732 229 2343
Fax
+1 732 229 0066
Address
195 Highway 36
West Long Branch
NJ 07764-1304
USA
Notes
Kultur is an online mail order distributor of over 1000 of the world’s greatest performing arts and cultural programming titles on DVD and Blu-ray, featuring the legends of opera, ballet and classical music. It also offers a large collection of art, literature, and history programmes, as seen on US public television, The Discovery Channel, The History Channel and other networks.

Record Stats

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