Ancient Buddhist Prayer Halls, Monasteries, and Frescos of The

WEDNESDAY 30 JUNE 2021 Innovating Above and Beyond SEE ON PAGE 4-5 Culture Accelerating Evolution SEE ON PAGE 3 What Should Be in Your Travel Safety Kit For those who do plan to travel after the Discovering restrictions are lifted, it is essential to pack a safety kit to better-protect yourself from contracting COVID-19. Here is some valuable information on safety products to help make your air and vehicle travel safer during the pandemic. Lost Masks for adults We all know wearing a mask all day isn’t exactly the height of comfort, but most people get used to it quite quickly. Even if it feels harder to breathe while wearing a mask, it doesn’t actually affect how much oxygen your body gets. Aside from people who are Treasure unable to put on and take off a mask themselves, almost everyone can safely wear a mask. Masks for kids Ancient Buddhist prayer Since the fit of a mask is the most important factor, kids should use masks made for kids. Masks aren’t effective unless you wear them properly — halls, monasteries, and and this can be more difficult with resistant children. Opting for a mask with a character or design your child likes to increase the chance that frescos of the Ajanta Caves they’ll want to wear it (and will keep it on when you’re not looking). Consider letting your child pick out their masks to ensure they’re happy wearing it. BY JONATHAN GLANCEY restoration raised anew Face shields questions asked many times over While studies show that additional eye protection The Ajanta Caves, 30 the past 200 years. How did the in the form of face shields or goggles (not spellbinding Buddhist prayer artists paint so well, with such eyeglasses) decreases transmission in hospital halls and monasteries carved, as precise use of colour, in the dark settings, how much of an additional protection a if by sorcery, into a horseshoe- recesses of these rock-carved face shield offers in the community setting is still shaped rock face in a prayer halls and monasteries? unknown. While there is no downside to adding a mountainous region of India’s Just how many architects, face shield to your travel safety kit, they are not an Maharashtra State, 450km east masons, sculptors and painters equivalent substitute for face masks. They might of Mumbai, were ‘discovered’ by would have been at work between provide protection if someone sneezes in your accident in 1819. from circa 460-500 CE when so direction, for example, but they don’t protect people John Smith, a young British much of this glorious place, paid near you from aerosols and droplets coming out of cavalry officer, was on a tiger for by merchants and courtiers your mouth. However, face shields can be useful as hunt when he spotted the mouth during the reign of the Vakataka a reminder not to touch your face or your mask. of a cave high above the Waghora Dynasty emperor Harisena, was (Tiger) River that could only have created? And, in those brief years Hand soap, sanitizer, and wipes been man made. Scrambling up before the fall of the Vakataka Washing your hands with soap and water for at with his party, Smith entered the paintings that took the breath Sydenham, south London; in Empire and its patronage of least 20 seconds and drying them on a clean towel cave and, branding a flaming away. Here, Buddhist monks had 1866, 23 were destroyed by fire. Buddhist art, could this really is the best way to get cleaned. There’s no need to grass torch, encountered a great gazed on thousands of lustrous Newly armed with a camera as have been a place of quiet use antibacterial soap since they have no additional vaulted and colonnaded hall, its images of the lives the Buddha – well as brushes, Gill set to work contemplation when it must have effect on viruses, and they often contain harmful walls covered in faded paintings. Siddhartha Gautama – had lived again. Meanwhile, the Royal Cave been one vast building site? chemicals. Washing your hands for at least 20 Beneath a dome, a timeless before this 6th-century CE Temple Commission founded by The many archaeological seconds with soap is the most effective way to praying Buddha fronted a Indian prince took up teaching the Royal Asiatic Society in 1848 ventures over the past two clean, but hand sanitizer is a close second (and mound-like shrine, or stupa. and inspired a way of thinking had led to the foundation in 1861 centuries seeking to answer these often more convenient). Make sure your hand Smith carved his name on a and being practiced by hundreds of the Archaeological Survey of questions, as well as to uncover, sanitizer is alcohol-based and made with at least 60 statue of a Bodhisattva, a figure of millions around the world India. Concern for the treasures document and conserve this feast per cent alcohol, and spread it in the nooks and representing one of the past lives today. of Ajanta grew, as did the number of Buddhist creativity have added crannies of your hands. Be sure to rub it all over of the Buddha before he achieved Between images of the Buddha, of intrepid experts and treasure immeasurably to Ajanta’s fame, your hands until it evaporates. nirvana, or union with the divine were sensuous representations of hunters, some of whom did more along with the tramp of ever- Hand wipes are a last resort but are certainly spirit. Since then, thousands of glamorous princes and than carve their names on increasing tourists. In 2013, four better than having unclean hands in your mouth. people have added their names princesses, of animals, palaces, statues: they scraped paintings replica caves, created by the Keep in mind that most are formulated for objects as the Ajanta caves – a gallery of silks, jewellery, of lovemaking, from walls which crumbled into Mumbai-based designer Rakesh and not for skin. As with hand sanitizer, a hand- the oldest and some of the finest and life in all its mortal richness. dust. One of the few known Rathod, were opened at the wipe formula needs to be at least 60 per cent of all Buddhist art – has gained Some of the images shocked surviving paintings to have left visitor centre 4 km from the rock alcohol to kill viruses. fame and become a compelling Victorian sensibilities and are Ajanta intact is in the care of the face. The idea was to reduce tourist attraction. still condemned by religious Boston Museum of Fine Arts numbers heading to the precious Disinfectant wipes News of Smith’s find spread zealots unable to comprehend today. It had been sold in 1924 chaityagrihas and viharas. While keeping high-touch surfaces clean is quickly. In 1844, Major Robert that what these Indian artists for £1,000 at Sotheby’s in The fake caves, however, have important, obsession or worry over disinfecting Gill was commissioned by the saw was a joyous vision of London. not been a success, evidently, every surface you come into contact with outside of Royal Asiatic Society to create natural fecundity and divine visitors want the real thing even your home is unlikely to make a meaningful impact reproductions on canvas of the beauty. Searching for though many clearly revel in the on your risk of acquiring COVID-19. Objects you wall paintings. This was the Along with the1st-century CE understanding shopping bazaar and food stalls should clean regularly are your phone, sunglasses, beginning of measures to reveal architecture, these paintings greeting anyone making keys, and anything you touch and set on dirty and document the prayer halls showed remarkable affinities to Since 1999, a team led by pilgrimages to Ajanta today. surfaces; as soon as you pick them up off a (chaityagrihas) and monasteries classical Greek art. This was not Rajdeo Singh of the And yet, the serenity of the restaurant table or reception counter, your hands (viharas) that had, it seems, been coincidence, but evidence of a Archaeological Survey of India, sleeping Buddha lying in one of are now contaminated too. If you’re flying, you’ll hewn from solid rock in two Greco-Indian culture that had using new methods developed in the caves, the summer and want to wipe down any high-touch surfaces around phases, the first – five prayer spread from the 4th Century Japan, have revealed the intense winter solstice sunlight your seat. halls – between the 1st and 2nd BCE expeditions of Alexander the colours and sheer beauty of illuminating statues of the centuries BCE and, the second – Great. It stretched through many of the 1st Century CE praying Buddha, the spellbinding Storage bags 25 monasteries, or monks’ Hellenistic kingdoms and trade portraits along with the subtlety architecture and the compelling To make pandemic travel as easy as possible, it’s lodgings – in the 5th century CE. routes from the Mediterranean to of their artists’ use of perspective, beauty of the wall paintings lift important to have sanitizer and other essential Persia, Afghanistan and India – shading and other three- Ajanta above such worldly items with you and to keep them organised. Ideally, Lost to time with Ajanta along the way – to dimensional techniques concerns. This might be a tourist your carry-on bag would have multiple pockets so What Gill and other visitors distant China and Japan. including the use of bright magnet, yet thanks to you can keep things such as food and extra masks saw, having climbed ropes and Twenty-seven of Gill’s canvases stones, notably lapis lazuli from generations of conservationists, separate from dirty items.

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