Artist: unknown
Title: Ajanta, Cave 1, interior view showing the image in the shrine
Material: rock-cut, with polychrome murals
Site: Ajanta, Maharastra, India
Current Location: Ajanta, Maharastra, India
Period/Date: 5th century C.E.
Iconography/Iconology: In Buddhist practices the cave is a metaphor
for the heart/mind.
Once entering the cave, the practitioner is entering the realm of his or
her own heart/mind.
At the very back of the cave-mind metaphor, is the kernel of one's own enlightenment,
known
as the tathagatagarbha, or "womb of the Buddha." Seen in
natural light, the Buddha in this cave
is barely visible, suggesting the difficulty of attainment and the literal
need for illumination,
another metaphor for enlightenment.
Stylistic Comments:
