HERITAGE RECORD · 242

Ajanta Caves

阿旃陀石窟群

The official record, selection criteria and sourced cultural context.

World Heritage record

The first Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta date from the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C. During the Gupta period (5th and 6th centuries A.D.), many more richly decorated caves were added to the original group. The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta, considered masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, have had a considerable artistic influence.

Open the official UNESCO record ↗

Wikidata reference

QIDQ184427 ↗

Inception0200

Area8242 ha

Administrative areaQ592942

WikipediaAjanta Caves ↗

Chinese Wikipedia阿旃陀石窟 ↗

Imported locally from Wikidata; it does not replace the UNESCO record or editorial copy.

Selection criteria

This property was inscribed under the following World Heritage Convention criteria.

(i)A masterpiece of human creative genius.

(ii)An important interchange of human values in architecture, technology, arts, town planning or landscape design.

(iii)A unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.

Cultural archive

Record lead

UNESCO record lead

Brief synthesis The caves at Ajanta are excavated out of a vertical cliff above the left bank of the river Waghora in the hills of Ajanta.

Source-led archive lead · 86%Source ↗

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