ajanta cevs no6
In the early 19th century (year 1819) some British soldiers were out hunting in the Deccan plateau. One of them suddenly saw, from a height, a horseshoe rock; His curiosity aroused by the entrance of a cave. The hunting party ventured across the ravine of the Waghur River. And they discovered several caves, against which bush, shrubs earth and stones had piled up. Goatherds for shelter were using a few.
The Government was informed about this finding and soon the Archaeologists began excavate them. Many experts have been restoring them during the last fifty years. The shock of discovery was worldwide.
All the rock-cut caves had paintings on verandahs, inner walls and ceilings, these revealed some of the most beautiful masterpieces of world art.
In the grottos were also symbolic Buddhist mounds called Stupas, and cells for monks called viharas. There were giant sculptures of Buddha's, Bodhisattvas (potential Buddha's), or Taras (female Buddhist divinities), as also dwarapalas (doorkeepers).
Later, an inscription was found of King Harisena ('moon among princes'), of the Vakataka dynasty of the 5th -6th century A.D. in cave No.17. It seems that the local Vakatakas had relations, thought marriage, with the great Gupta kings of the north.
NUMBER OF CAVES:
Hemadpant records in the Sri Sai Satcharitra that nobody knew of Sai's parents, birth or birth-place. Many a times enquiries were made and questions asked of Baba and others, but no clear or satisfactory answer ever manifested. By one account, he was said to have been born to a Brahmin couple who gave the child away to a Sufi saint, Roshan Shah, for upbringing. But this is not substantiated. Saints like Namdev and Kabir were in the same league; none knew of their birth since they were found as infants in mother-of-pearl shells. Namdev was found on the bank of Bhimrathi River by Gonayi, and Kabir on the bank of Bhagirathi River. Sai was "found" in Shirdi.