The paintings supply a more vivid picture of the feelings and aspirations of the Buddhists, during the period of their greatest extension in India, than can be obtained from any other source; and their artistic value is much higher than that of the sculptures. The walls, ceilings, and pillars of nearly all the Buddhist caves, appear to have been adorned with paintings; but remains are only found in 13 caves, and the fragments which are of special interest occur in caves Nos. I., II, IX., X., XVL, and XVII. From the names of figures, and the style of the alphabetical characters used in a few painted inscriptions, it would seem that the older paintings belong to the 2nd century A.D., while the newer pictures may be attributed to the 7th century. The scenes are generally taken from the jatakas and from the legendary history of Buddha, and represent the visit of Asita to the infant Buddha, the temptation of Buddha by Mara and his forces, Buddhist miracles, the jatakas of king Sibi, Indra and Sachi, court scenes, legends of the Nagas, hunting scenes, battle pieces, &c. The paintings have been attributed to Egyptians and Italians; but the intimate knowledge which the artists possessed of native life, and the general absence of foreign allusions, make it probable that the people who painted the pictures were natives of India. On the other hand, from the common occurrence of the Greek fretwork as an ornament, it has been thought likely that the artists may have belonged to the school of Baktrian Greeks. [See Dr. Bhau Daji in J. R, A. S., Bombay Branch, Vol. VII.; and also Mr. Griffiths, as quoted in the Kandesh Gazetteer.

The paintings are not frescoes in the true acceptation of the term, and the mode of work appears to have been as follows:-The rough surface of the walls was first covered with a thin coating of cowdung, mixed with powdered trap and rice husks. A thin smooth plaster for the ground color of the painting was next laid, upon which the designs were drawn and then painted. The pillars were smoothed with the chisel, and received only the ground coating to prepare them for the drawings. When the paintings are viewed quite close, they look rough and meaningless; but when seen at their proper distance of not less than seven foot, every touch falls into its right place, and the beauty and design of the whole becomes apparent. There is a great deal in common between these paintings and the works of the Italian artists of the 14th century. Both of them pay little attention to the science of art, and the subject shows a general crowding of figures, as if a truthful rather than a beautiful rendering of a story were the principal object; but beauty is not discarded, although it is not the primary motive of representation. The strength of light and shade is subdued, and the whole has a look of flatness which is suited to mural decoration. The rendering of hills, rivers, seas, houses, &c. are conventional; but this is the exception, and most of the objects are treated faithfully. Religious subjects, and scenes of every day life, such as preparing food, carrying water, buying and selling, processions, hunting scenes, elephant fights, men and women singing, dancing, and playing, on musical instruments are most gracefully depicted, and could only have been drawn by men of keen observation and retentive memories. The action of the hands conveys the particular expression the artist intended; and the dresses are distinctive of the classes represented. The drawings have life in them, and for purposes of art education, no better examples can be placed before an Indian student. The human faces are full of expression,-the limbs are drawn with grace and action, the flowers bloom, the birds soar, and the beasts spring, or fight, or patiently carry burdens. The sameness of detail, and the way in which, in many oases, a story runs on from a painting, and is continued in the sculpture, seem to point out that the sculptures and the paintings are the work of the same artists.-Indian Antiquary, Vols, II. and III.]