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The Ajanta cave temples near Bombay must be among the most famous of India's cave temples. They are situated in the state of Maharashtra, 106 km from Auranga-bad.

Position of the Ajanta cave temples near Bombay

The 29 Buddhist caves were excavated between the 2nd century B.C and the 1st A.D., and the 4-7th A.D. but they were not discovered until 1819. Approximately 150 years ago a British officer went out to hunt tigers in the jungles near Aurangabad. From the scarp of a crescent shaped hill he noticed a strange glitter in the foliage. Gathering helpers from nearby villages, he set out to explore. What he discovered were caves, apparently the lairs of tigers. Some caves were buried under the earth, the entrances to others were almost completely obscured.

The wall paintings, sculptures and architecture of Ajanta are celebrated as one of the true wonders of the ancient world. Today the point from which the caves were discovered has been made into a view point, giving a magnificent panoramic view of the caves in the horseshoe shaped ravine.

The 29 caves contain outstanding paintings of exquisite quality depicting the life and times of Buddha and are good examples of ancient Indian art. They show tales of Buddha's previous earthly experiences. Steps lead up to the caves from the River Waghora. Compared with those of nearby Ellora, the caves are smaller and have no courtyards. Caves No 9, 10, and 19 are sanctuaries or chapels (Chaitya) all the rest are monasteries (Vihara). The best paintings are in caves 1, 2,16,17,19 the best sculptures 1, 4,17,19, 26. Most are carved so a flood of natural light pours in during the day. The paintings still glow with their original colours and although the main theme is religious, they show an epic of life spanning a thousand years.
 

Stamps depicting Ajanta

The first stamp to depict Ajanta was issued by Hyderabad. This orange stamp, value 8a, exist in four versions. It was issued in 1934, 1949, 1935 and 1944 (S.G. numbers 46, 46A, = 51 and = 51A).

Ajanta stamp depicting Ajanta issued by Hyderabad, 1934

In 1949 India followed with a simple 3p stamp, depicting an elephant fresco. Overprints came in 1953 and 1954 for the military forces in Korea, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Stanley Gibbons catalogue numbers 309, K1, N1, N6 and N11. The military stamps are overprinted, but I don't know if these texts are visible after reproduction.
 

Ajanta stamp depicting an elephant fresco issued by India, 1949

Finally in 1971 India issued another stamp dedicated to Ajanta for the UNESCO anniversary. (S.G. 644)
 

Ajanta Stamp issued in connection with 25th UNESCO anniversary by India, 1971

There also is a postmark showing an elephant head - used on 15 Aug. ’49, Independence Day.