Ajanta and Ellora
Ajanta and Ellora

Author: Pushpesh Pant

Publisher:

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13:

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Some of the world's most beautiful frescos and sculptures- Buddhist, Hindu and Jain- are found here. Beautiful photographs capture the richness of an ancient ethos.

Cave Temples of Mogao at Dunhuang
Cave Temples of Mogao at Dunhuang

Author: Roderick Whitfield

Publisher: Getty Publications

Published: 2015-09-15

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13: 1606064452

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The Mogao grottoes in China, situated near the town of Dunhuang on the fabled Silk Road, constitute one of the world’s most significant sites of Buddhist art. The hundreds of caves carved into rock cliffs at the edge of the Gobi desert preserve one thousand years of exquisite art. Founded by Buddhist monks as an isolated monastery in the late fourth century, Mogao evolved into an artistic and spiritual mecca whose renown extended from the Chinese capital to the Western Kingdoms of the Silk Road. Among its treasures are miles of stunning wall paintings, more than two thousand statues, magnificent works on silk and paper, and thousands of ancient manuscripts, such as sutras, poems, and prayer sheets. In this new expanded edition, Cave Temples of Mogao at Dunhuang, first published in 2000, combines lavish color photographs of the caves and their art with the fascinating history of the Silk Road to create a vivid portrait of this remarkable site. Chapters narrate the development of Dunhuang and the Mogao cave temples, the iconography of the wall paintings, and the extraordinary story of the rare manuscripts—including the oldest printed book in existence, a ninth-century copy of the Diamond Sutra. The book also discusses the collaboration between the Getty Conservation Institute and Chinese authorities in conservation projects at Mogao, and the ways in which the site can be visited today.

The Rock-cut Temples of Western India
The Rock-cut Temples of Western India

Author: Dulari Qureshi

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 610

ISBN-13:

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The present book entitled Rock Cut Temples of Western India is an exhaustive book that covers all the caves of Western India. The book is the need of the times as a more researched book, a more detailed book on Western Caves has not been published after James Burgess and James Fergusson. Modern view points and deeper under- Standing of the caves was essential. The study required huge travel around the caves it was difficult to access some caves. Since there are no facilities around, photography was extremely perplexing. However the book was completed within a span of three and a half years. Focus of the book is on the evolution of the chaitya and the vihara caves as well as an comprehensive documentation of all the caves. Each cave was carefully studied and their architectural, cultural details were documented. A comparative study too has been included as similarities and dissimilarities establish a more authentic dating in case of absence of inscriptions. The book also throws light on many unidentified sculptures. The special contribution of the book is the inclusion of practically all caves .even some caves that were not included by James Burgess and Fergusson like the unknown caves of Kol, Yerphal, Pohale, Nadsur and Nenavali. Some of these caves are simply in accessible. Besides all the documentation the book has also taken special pains to assess and evaluate the present conditions of all these monuments as after a gap of many years many cave groups are in an extremely bad condition. Those caves under ASI are in fairly good condition, though of course caves like Ajanta where the painting despite commendable development and conservation work being done are in a bad condition due to climatic and other geographical and man made reasons. In the study major scholars work has been referred to as their contribution is significant.

Unfolding A Mạṇdala
Unfolding A Mạṇdala

Author: Geri H. Malandra

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 1993-07-01

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 1438411774

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Ellora is one of the great cave temple sites of India, with thirty-four major Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain monuments of the late sixth to tenth centuries A. D. This book describes the Buddhist caves at Ellora and places them in the context of Buddhist art and iconography. Ellora's twelve Buddhist cave temples, dating from the early seventh to the early eighth centuries, preserve an unparalleled one-hundred-year sequence of architectural and iconographical development. They reveal the evolution of a Buddhist mandala at sites in other regions often considered "peripheral" to the heartland of Buddhism in eastern India. At Ellora, the mandala, ordinarily conceived as a two-dimensional diagram used to focus meditation, is unfolded into the three-dimensional program of the cave temples themselves, enabling devotees to walk through the mandala during worship. The mandala's development at Ellora is explained and its significance is considered for the evolution of Buddhist art and iconography elsewhere in India.

Cave Temples of Dunhuang
Cave Temples of Dunhuang

Author: Neville Agnew

Publisher: Getty Publications

Published: 2016-05-07

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 1606064894

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The Mogao grottoes in northwestern China, located near the town of Dunhuang on the fabled Silk Road, constitute one of the world’s most significant sites of Buddhist art. Preserved in some five hundred caves carved into rock cliffs at the edge of the Gobi Desert are one thousand years of exquisite wall paintings and sculpture. Founded by Buddhist monks in the late fourth century, Mogao grew into an artistic and spiritual center whose renown extended from the Chinese capital to the far western kingdoms of the Silk Road. Among its treasures are 45,000 square meters of murals, more than 2,000 statues, and over 40,000 medieval silk paintings and illustrated manuscripts. This sumptuous catalogue accompanies an exhibition of the same name, which will run from May 7 through September 4, 2016, at the Getty Center. Organized by the Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Research Institute, Dunhuang Academy, and Dunhuang Foundation, the exhibition celebrates a decades-long collaboration between the GCI and the Dunhuang Academy to conserve this UNESCO World Heritage Site. It presents, for the first time in North America, a collection of objects from the so-called Library Cave, including illustrated sutras, prayer books, and other exquisite treasures, as well as three full-scale, handpainted replica caves. This volume includes essays by leading scholars, an illustrated portfolio on the replica caves, and comprehensive entries on all objects in the exhibition.

Living Rock
Living Rock

Author: Pia Brancaccio

Publisher: Marg Publications

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9788192110677

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Buddhist, Jain and Hindu Rock-cut temples and monasteries seen in a long, colaborative context.

Elephanta
Elephanta

Author: Wendy Doniger

Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 9788120812840

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Three descriptive essays and numerous fascinating photographs, taken especially for this volume, allow the reader to experience a major monument of Indian art: the sixth century temple cave on Elephanta Island, in Bombay harbor, and its extraordinary stone sculptures. The authors and the photographer capture the atmosphere of the cave and the spirit of the sculptures, which portray the relentless energy and paradoxical power of Shiva, greatest of all Hindu gods. The photographs are particularly successful in revealing the dramatic alternation of light and dark that is so much a part of the beauty of the cave`s interior. Ms. Berkson`s trained and loving eye picks out the subtleties of the main sculptures and humorous details that the visitor might miss even on the site. In the text Wendy O`Flaherty interprets the myths of Shiva depicted in the sculpture; Ms. berkson`s essay supplies historical background and a stylistic analysis; and George Michell examines the overall structure of the cave to show that it is a mandala-like image of the heavenly mountain residence of Shiva and even of the structure of the universe itself. The author as well as the publishers of the work deserve to be congratulated for providing this easily accessible guide to Elephanta. Research Bulletin Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute,Vol.I, Dec.2002