Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v3.c12.s2.7

v3.c12.s2.7

The figure of the *dvārapāla* to the left of the shrine-door is still more damaged;² but in the lower part of the fresco the head of a lady can be made out with certainty, and the fresco when complete must have been one of the masterpieces of the later style of Ajanta³ (Plates II *b* and III *a*). The face shows much serenity, and the features which are intact are beautifully drawn. The most attractive parts of the fresco are the ornaments and the coiffure. The former comprise a necklet of large pearls and several strings of smaller pearls round the neck, two types of ear-rings, and a pearl ornament round the forehead, the strings of which along with a garland of flowers are intertwined with the hair. A large flower has been placed above the temple on one side, while the hair above the forehead is arranged in small clusters like the drops of an ornament. The effect is extremely charming. The large ear-rings owing to their weight have been attached to the middle of the ear, but still the ears are elongated, being rather conventional in shape, as noticed in contemporary Buddhist sculpture. The small ear-rings with pearl drops shown in the upper parts of the ear are still in vogue in the Deccan.