[Veet-Bharat 1:2]

A Fascinating Account from Ajantyam

विक्रम संवत 457 | चैत्र माह | कृष्ण पक्ष | द्वादशी (27 March 400 CE)

- गोस्वामी रमा कृष्ण (Goswami Ramaa Krishna)

The Kingdom of Maharajadhiraj is not far away. I am blessed that my travels charted through this route. I am currently staying at the Bhikshu Dharmashala in Ajantyam. My Guruji was telling me about this place once, but I think I did not fully understand his descriptions. I had imagined a standard Dharmashala full of Boudh Bhikshus, perhaps made out of rock since my Guruji had put such an emphasis on the construction, but nothing more. However, as I sit here and eat with the Bhikshus themselves, I am quite overwhelmed by the glory of Ajantyam.

The entire Dharmashala is broken down into organized paths joining many different rooms they call Viharas. The Viharas have a common space, surrounded by quarters of Bhikshus, one room for each. Some of the Viharas are indented with shrine-halls that they call Chaityas. The walls are decorated with exquisite painting work and the most lifelike sculptures. I couldn't believe myself when I first laid eyes on Ajantyam, but instead of building the halls with rocks as normal, the whole Dharmashala is carved into the side of a mountain. It's a web of long halls full of art, protected from all the sides by the sturdy Ajantyam hills. A Bhikshu tells me this place started from a small cave that some older monk-like wanderer took refuge in, during the days of the old Magadha Kings.

The paintings are so vivid with colour and they use the most pleasant, gently curved figures and shapes. The sculptures are so detailed, telling the tales of the Gyatak scriptures, among many other Boudh tales, that your hands slip smoothly off the rocks. The Bhikshus say that they are not the ones creating this place, some say that Buddha himself is the only talent from whom such fine art could come. Most others tell that the creations themselves are finding a way to be put onto the walls.

I was hastily questioning them about the Dhamma, something akin to a religion that they practice, and was surprised to find many different answers to the same questions by different Bhikshus. An elder Bhikshu tells me that over here you can become Bhagyawaan just by listening to the scriptures and nothing more. They call this Shravak Yana. The teachers of Shravak Yana have their own Vihara and section within the Dharmashala. But the young Bhikshus seemed to have diverged in their beliefs, and they want to practice living their own lives akin to the life of the Buddha. They don't have a separate Chaitya for their beliefs and discussions though. I don't think they want to tell me much of what their Sanskrit scriptures are really saying because I am only here for three days. Besides, I can clearly see them paint the walls and carve the stone.

But their lifestyle and creativity is commendable. They get all the materials they need, along with gold and riches from mainly the Vakataka Kingdom. Lately, it seems Maharajadhiraj has also joined the cause, among other Kings, who each donate resources to Ajantyam in a joint effort. Everyone wants to bribe God to be on their side, I guess. The colours are made from many different materials such as Sinduri, a red flower from these parts. The gold is kept uncounted into a Chaitya section they call Maya Graha. The gems are either cut and used in sculpture, or bartered for alms in the local village nearby. The Bhikshus also go to the forests outside the Dharmashala for food, collect only fallen timbre for wood, only ripe and fallen fruit for food. I am really surprised to discover that the entire Dharmashala only works with what they find, or are donated - they do not kill for food or go out of their way for bedding. In fact, some Bhikshus seem very happy sleeping on rocks with only a cloth for a pillow. Although the supplies and tools for building the monastery are brought by the royal guards of the Vakataka Kingdom, along with many riches and items of all sorts including cloth and leather, I never would have believed such a place would even work without a head, or any kind of a leader.

I am moved by the existence of this oasis of wise people. It is apparently something one can only understand when they actually see it for themselves. My journey thus far has been very exciting, and this perhaps marks a fortunate sign for the things I am about to see. But I wonder if the Kingdom of Maharajadhiraj compares to the gardens of knowledge scattered across the lands, if not to the great Dharmshala of Ajantyam.