Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v4.c17.39

v4.c17.39

The object of the inscription is to record the excavation of the rock-hewn temple, evidently Cave XXVI itself, by a Buddhist *bhikshu*, Buddhabhadra by name. The work was supervised by one of his pupils, Bhadrabandhu by name, and another monk, named Dharmadatta. Buddhabhadra, the record states, was a close friend of Bhavvirāja, the minister of the king of Aśmaka. At the time of the construction of the cave-temple, Bhavvirāja had passed away. His son, Devarāja, had succeeded him as minister of the said king. Buddhabhadra assigns the merit of the pious act to his friend as well as to his own parents.