Page:History of India Vol 2.djvu/194

 Cave at Ajanta

''The Cave Temples of India are of the highest importance because of their antiquity and historic significance. The most famous are in Western India at Ajanta, Ellora, Karli, Kanhari, and Elephanta. These stupendous monuments, hewn out of the solid rock, impress the beholder by their grandeur and by the beauty of the decorations on pillar and wall. The marvellous frescoes painted on the walls of the Ajanta caves date back to the Buddhist ages; the paintings are of great value for the history of art and as illustrations of the life of the Hindus during the centuries to which they belong.''