Satavahana Caves In Ajanta

There are Mural paintings that survive from all the groups of the caves. Numerous fragments of murals conserved from the Satavahana caves are definitely unique survivals of painting depicting court life in India of this period. They show that by the times of the early caves, if not earlier, the painters of India had mastered a fluent and easy naturalistic style in the art. Among the later caves there are four which have mural paintings which are large and well preserved. These paintings have come to illustrate Indian mural painting those who don’t specialise. These paintings fall into two groups, the most popular and well-known ones being in Caves 16 and 17. These paintings were used to decorate palaces and temples. They show details of how the wealthy people lived in court and hence familiarity and interest in this lifestyle. Literary sources reveal that painting was extensively practised and acknowledged in the enclosure of the Gupta palace and Gupta regime. Elaborate and sophisticated decorative motifs, many of which are derived from sculpture, are painted on the ceilings of the caves. Jataka Tales, which depict the lives of Buddha as a ruler and king over a human or animal, are concentrated in the paintings in cave one.