cave 16

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Bracket Figures

Cave 16, Ajanta
These two bracket figures from cave 16, another late-5th century painted vihara, illustrate the care which was lavished upon even the least significant decorations. Left, a flying couple (the woman's breasts are decorously covered, rather unusually for this type of figure). Right, a gana.
Incidentally, these and previous photos also demonstrate how the ubiquitous Indian motifs (flying couples, ganas, nagas, yakshas) are taken up in Buddhist, as well as Hindu and Jain, iconography.