Caves 1,2,16 and 17 have the best preserved paintings and required days, not hours to appreciate. The magnificient depictions of the bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Padmapaniin Cave 1 are particularly well known.

In Ajanta Cave1, through sheer grace rather than flamboyance. He exudes gentleness and kind of divine innocence. Clearly a fastidious prince, he is depicted delicately holding the fragile blue lotus, his head bent sideways as if the weight of his ornate, jewelled crown is too heavy for his head. His half closed eyes give me an air of meditation, almost of shyness.Detail of Bodhisattva Padmapani in Cave number 1, holding a lotus

In Cave 2, celing and wall paintings illustrate events associated with the Buddha's birth. A cameo of a woman at her toilet is universal favourite. For instance, is the scene of Buddha's birth showing his mother, Maya, standing in the place garden at Lumbini. Also in the same cave is the scene from the Mahajanaka Jataka, where the queen and her attendants tempt the shipwrecked price with all the art of this world. The princes is not moved, and the queen, a look of chagrin on her face, just cannot believe it. How can he withstand her oiled and coiledlocks, her dhoti in the latest fashionable stripes and all the firm bosoms and sinewy waists of her sensuous attendants?.

In Cave number 2 buddhist icons were sculpted according to a set of codified rules that used symbolic hand gestures and motifs such as the wheel, the deer, the throne and sacred Bodhi tree. Each represents a stage of the Buddha's life. This figure of the seated Buddha in the pose that depicts the teaching of the principles of the Middle Path is in the inner shrine of cave number 2.

In Cave number 2, on the side walls leading to the shrine is a series of seated Buddhas with varying hand gestures to depict the scene of Miracle of the Buddhas.

The ogress Hariti and her consort Kubers in Ajanta's Cave number 2. Hariti devoured little children until the Buddha hid her favourite child. She then realised the agony of motherswho had lost their children, and reformed.

In Cave Number 7, a sculptured frieze of miracle of Sravasti, when the Buddha multiplied himself a thousand times.

There are several chaitya grihas or prayer halls at Ajanta. The plan consists of a central nave with pillars, behind which is a circumambulatory passage. The hall is often apsidal in plan or with a curved back wall, possibly taken from a wooden design. Within the curved end a stone miniature stupa, or emblem of the Buddha, was carved to serve as the focal point of the prayer hall.

The paintings at Ajanta in Cave 17 depict stories from the Jatakas or tales of the previous incarnations of the Buddha.

The doorway in the verandah of Cave 17, is a row of anormous couples above which is a row of seated Buddhas. The raised right hand, with the palm facng the viewer, is a symbol of abhaya, reassurance and protection.

The Buddha is shown seated in padmasana, or lotus pose of meditation. He is often shown with his hair tied in a top knot surrounded by a halo of light, representing nirvana or enlightment.

Cave number 17 . At one end of the verandah is a scene identified by scholars as the scene from the Vishvantara Jataka, of a prince who gave away his belongings in alms. This scene provides intresting information of contemporary wooden architecture, costumes and a glimpse of courtly life.

Cave 19 at Ajanta is amongst the best surviving examples of a rock cut chaitya griha. The elegant porch is topped by the distinctive 'horseshoe' shaped window, which is flanked by yakshas or guardians, standing Buddha figures and elaborate decorative motifs.

The interior of Cave 19 is profusely carved with pillars, a monolithic carved symbolic stupa and images of Buddha which heralded the introduction of Mahayana phase. The story of Buddha lifeserved as a perfect example of philosophy of compassion. Born as a prince, young Siddhartha renounced his wealth and position to find the meaning of life.

Seated under a Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya, the Buddha meditated, during which he was tempted by Mara and her voluptuous daughters. lowering his hand, Buddha touched the earth to witness his enlightment. The Parinivana(ultimate enlightment or liberation) came when Buddha left the world- as depicted in the 7m (23ft) image of the reclining Buddha in Cave number 26.

Ajanta provides a unique opportunity to study the early phases of Buddhist sculpture, painting and architecture which later influenced artistic traditions in central Asia and Far east.