The caves at Ajanta are perhaps India's most renowned Buddhist monuments, and they have attracted the attention of Walter Spink for more than fifty years. Ajanta: History and Development: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture—Year by Year is the fourth volume out of a planned six to be published by Brill as part of its Handbook of Oriental Studies series. In the present volume, Spink analyzes Ajanta's artistic achievements according to his “short chronology” (ca. 462–80 ce). Spink takes the reader through each year of activity, carefully explaining the different phases of work across the site. Artistic activity is also analyzed through a lens of imperial patronage as Spink highlights the roles of the Vakataka emperor Harisena (pp. 49–50, 73–81) and two local feudatories associated with the site: the Asmakas and Risikas (pp. 45–48, 53–65).
Regardless of whether one wholeheartedly accepts Spink's precise chronology, this volume is an invaluable source for understanding...
