RAS question
Ajanta caves primarily belong to which two periods?
Correct answer: (A) Satavahana period and Vakataka/Gupta period.
Ajanta Caves primarily belong to the Satavahana phase of the 2nd-1st century BCE and the later Vakataka/Gupta phase of the 5th-6th century CE.
Explanation
Ajanta is best understood as a two-phase Buddhist rock-cut complex. The older group belongs to the Satavahana period, dated to about the 2nd-1st century BCE; caves 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15A are identified with this phase. The later expansion belongs to the 5th-6th century CE, corresponding to the Vakataka period and commonly associated with the Gupta age of art; Harisena's patronage and caves 1, 2, 16, 17 and 19 belong to this later phase. UNESCO World Heritage Centre describes the excavation activity as occurring in two different phases and adds that the later, richly decorated caves were added in the Gupta period.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Mauryan and Kushan do not match the two phases given for Ajanta, which are Satavahana in the 2nd-1st century BCE and Vakataka/Gupta in the 5th-6th century CE.
- (C) Chalukya and Rashtrakuta are not the primary periods identified for Ajanta's caves; the supported sequence is Satavahana followed by Vakataka/Gupta.
- (D) Pallava and Chola belong to a different historical frame and are not the dynastic phases associated with Ajanta in UNESCO World Heritage Centre's account.
Concept
This tests ancient Indian art and architecture, especially Buddhist rock-cut caves and their dynastic phases. RAS repeats such questions because chronology, patronage and monument identification are standard ways to test cultural history.