Ajanta in peril, and how to save it
The world-famous ancient cave murals in Maharashtra stare at ruin due to debatable preservation and display techniques and unbridled tourism. How can we save these millennia-old artistic wonders?
Left: Raghu Rai’s photograph of the famous Padmapani mural that is rapidly fading in Cave 1 at the Ajanta site in Maharashtra | Right: Rai’s colour-corrected recreation of how it may have looked in the past, done based on the colours in other, better-preserved murals
Ajanta, Maharashtra,ISSUE DATE: Apr 17, 2023 | UPDATED: Apr 8, 2023 04:28 IST
“A man enjoys himself in paradise as long as his memory is green in the world. One should (therefore) set up a memorial on the mountains that will endure as long as the moon and the sun” — MONK BUDDHABHADRA | Inscription at Cave 26, Ajanta, circa 478 CE