The Traces of Buddisht Culture on the Walls of Acanta Caves: Viharas

Abstract

The Acanta Caves, which are housing quite amount of precious traces belonging to India, have an important place in amazing Indian history and culture. Acanta caves are divided into two groups in terms of their construction dates and their formal characteristics. Historically, those belonging to prehistory periods are called as the first group whereas those carved in the 4th century AD are called as the second group. In terms of their form, they are divided into two as indigenous to India, viharas and chaityas. The Viharas which are subject to this work carry the feature of being a precious masterpiece, each with its verandah, inner and outer columns, sculpture, relief and wall paintings. In the wall paintings of the caves, there are mostly Buddhist cultural figures; also the scenes of Avadāna and Cātaka texts are depicted skillfully. These colorful wall paintings are thought to be the pioneer of traditional Asian art. In this study, twenty-five vihara-formed caves out of thirty Acanta caves were examined within the mentioned elements. Thus, it is desirable to contribute to the study of the Cultural Heritage of Hindu Tradition Belonging to Buddhist Belief.

Keywords

• Hint Kültürü
• Acanta Mağaraları
• Buddhizm
• Vihāra
• Duvar Resimleri
• Cātakalar