The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani is one of the most famous and oft-illustrated paintings at? Ajanta? Badami? [2017]

The painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani is one of the most famous and oft-illustrated paintings at

Padmapani painting can be found at Ajanta Caves and is the most acknowledged among all the Bodhisattvas (The bodhisattva of compassion). Ajanta Cave Paintings are one of the oldest surviving murals of Indian sub-continent, Ajanta caves were carved between 2nd century BC to 5th century AD out of volcanic rocks. It consists of a set of 29 caves, carved in a horse-shoe shape. These Buddhist caves are quite popular for their exquisite mural paintings. Murals in Cave no. 9 and 10 belong to the Shunga period, while the rest belong to the Gupta period.
The walls of the caves have both murals and fresco paintings (painted on wet plaster). They use tempera style, i.e. use of pigments.

Image Source: Metmuseum

Some important paintings at Ajanta are: Scenes from the Jataka stories of the Buddha’s former lives as a Bodhisattva, the life of Gautam Buddha, etc.
- Paintings of various Bodhisattvas in tribhanga pose in Cave No. 1: Vajrapani (protector and guide, a symbol of Buddha’s power), Manjusri (manifestation of Buddha’s wisdom) and Padmapani (Avalokitesvara) (symbol of Buddha’s compassion).
- The Dying Princess in Cave No. 16.
- Scene of Shibi Jataka, where King Shibi offered his own flesh to save the pigeon.
- Scene of Matri-Poshaka Jataka where the ungrateful person saved by an elephant, gives out his whereabouts to the king.

Located in Karnataka, Badami was the capital of early Chalukyas. It has 4 cave temples based on Hinduism (03 caves) and Jainism (01 cave). This rock cut architecture dates back to 6^th century AD and were developed by Chalukyas. They are the earliest known example of temples in the Deccan region.
Murals at Badami caves are one of the earliest surviving Hindu paintings.

Located on the bank of Baghni River in Madhya Pradesh, it is a group of nine Buddhist caves developed around 5^th-6^th century AD. It is architecturally very similar to the Ajanta caves. Most significant cave here is Rang Mahal. Paintings in Bagh caves are more materialistic rather than spiritualistic.

Ellora is a group of 34 caves – 17 Brahmanical, 12 Buddhist and 5 Jain. These set of caves were developed during the period between 5th and 11th centuries AD (newer as compared to Ajanta Caves)
The mural paintings at Ellora caves are found in five caves, mostly limited to Cave No. 16, i.e., Kailasha Temple.
Some prominent Ellora cave paintings are:
- Images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu
- Images of Lord Shiva with his followers.
- Beautiful and gracious Apsaras.