---
title: "Ajanta caves — Definition & Meaning | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Ajanta Caves are rock-cut Buddhist monuments in Maharashtra, famous for their stunning murals and sculptures from the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/ajanta-caves"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Ajanta Caves are a group of thirty rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, renowned for mural paintings and sculpture dating from the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE.
- Which dynasties patronised the Ajanta Caves?
- How do chaitya and vihara caves at Ajanta differ?
- What painting technique was used at Ajanta?
- Why is Ajanta significant compared to Ellora?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The Ajanta Caves are a group of thirty rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, renowned for mural paintings and sculpture dating from the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE.

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In 1819, John Smith, a British East India Company officer, accidentally rediscovered the abandoned Ajanta Caves while on a tiger hunt and carved his name into a pillar of Cave 10.

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[Indian Painting Traditions Murals To Miniatures](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/upsc-art-culture-indian-painting-traditions-murals-to-miniatures)[Sculpture Painting Traditions](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/upsc-art-culture-sculpture-painting-traditions)

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