Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s4.t2.34

v2.c11.s4.t2.34

Ajanta Caves is an Indian Buddhism grotto. It is located in about 106 km distance from northwest of Aurangabad, which is a key city of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau in India. From about 2ⁿᵈ century BCE to 7ᵗʰ century CE, 29 grottoes were dug successively in a U-shaped river valley, hills and palisades in Ajanta. In the first half of the 7th century, Chinese Tang Buddhist Xuanzang has recorded in Volume 11 of ‘*Great Tang Records on the Western Regions*’ of Achala Temple in Maharashtra that “the temple is located in the valley, near the cliff and valley, very high,” and the temple is carved from stones around, and Sakyamuni has even conducted bodhisattva’s activity here. From the auspicious omen of result to efficacy of still quiescence, everything is covered. Each stone elephant stands in the north and south of the gate, and local people say that the elephant will roar, with earsplitting sound. The geographical environment, building structure and sculpture theme under the description of Xuanzang are consistent with Ajanta Caves. Each side of the 16th grotto gate of Ajanta Caves has a stone elephant, and the name of Achala is engraved on the inscription of the 26th grotto, so most scholars agree that Achala Temple is Ajanta Caves.