Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v2.c8.s10.19

v2.c8.s10.19

Proceeding towards the right, near a door, there are three figures, the most comic of which represents a *Bhikshu* with a bald head. A fringe of hair is to be seen on the forehead and some growth on the back of the skull, but the crown is absolutely bald. It is interesting to note the twisted tail-like tuft just in the middle of the hair on the back of the *Bhikshu’s* head. This tuft is still in fashion among the religious classes of Hindus. The *Bhikshu* has placed a striped scarf across his breast and round his shoulders, which are otherwise bare. The figure is rather heavy, but the hands have been delicately drawn; this style of treatment, it appears, had become almost conventional. The gesture of the hand and the pose of the head suggest that he is saying something to the people in front.