Ajanta Caves
second half of 5th century
second half of 5th century
Ajanta is a village in the state of Maharashtra in Eastern India famous for its 29 artificial caves dating from 2d century BC to 8th century AD.
In cave n°2 dating from the second half of 5th century, a fresco depicts a scene from the Vidhurapandita Jataka.
In the city of Indraprastha, Purnaka shows the king Dhananjaya a beautiful jewel and lures him into the game of dice (portrayed on the right). It is a long rectangular board divided into twenty-four squares of two rows. This is the dramatic turning-point when the dice has been thrown by the king and he has lost his beloved minister Vidhura to Purnaka.