Only Nirvana Is More Beautiful
BEFORE ENTERING the Ajanta Caves, I put coverings over my shoes, which look like blue shower caps. That’s so tourists like me don’t damage the ancient art and architecture of this unique Buddhist monastery and UNESCO World Heritage Site. For a moment I just stand outside dumbly in my coverings, under the white-hot sun, and try to take in the marvel of this horseshoe-shaped ravine.
The Ajanta Caves, located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, were not formed by nature. Gouged out of the cliff face by hand, the thirty-one caves in the complex are arranged in a pleasingly uniform curved line, their mouths embellished with pillars and sculptures of buddhas and elephants. Since this is the rainy season, the floor of the ravine and the top of the cliff are lush with greenery, and these two emerald borders serve to highlight the carved brown stone.
I finally tear myself away from the exterior view and begin weaving my way in and out of
