Many of the paintings at Ajanta are considered to be among the masterpieces of world art. The Padmapani, symbolizing the Peace of the Spirit is considered by many scholars to be perhaps the most elegant and peaceful figure ever painted. Of the Dying Princess in Cave16 of Ajanta the painter John Griffiths, who was sponsored by the British Government to make reproductions in the mid-19^th century, said that it is ''unsurpassed in the history of Art''. About the unforgettable Yashodhara and Rahul paintings in Cave 17, Lawrence Binyon of the British Museum wrote that there is ''no picture anywhere more profoundly impressive in grandeur and tenderness''. The Dark Princess in Cave 1 is found by many to be one of the most beautiful women ever painted in the world. The panel in Cave 1 of the Queen persuading King Mahajanaka not to renounce his palace life is a poignantly dramatic and most exquisitely painted scene.These are just a few of the many masterpieces of Ajanta.

As with all ancient paintings the centuries have left their mark upon these paintings. The colours have faded in many places and there are damaged patches which consderably mark the beauty of these paintings especially for the unacquainted. Over the years, all who have come in close contact with Ajanta have yearned to see them restored. However, it would be a very delicate and difficult task to try to restore the paintings on the walls of the caves themselves. Any mistake made in such an enterprise would also be unredeemable.

Benoy K Behl is world famous for having photographed the Ajanta paintings in their true colours, details and luminosity. It was his dream since 1993 to bring alive again some of the original glory of the now-damaged Ajanta paintings.

It was a labour of love, and of patience. He met the leading people in the field world wide, including the experts at the Rochester Institute of Technology and other institutions in the USA. 8 years of dedication and the study of even the minutest nuances of the Ajanta paintings which Behl had documented in over 800 slides, has led to a remarkable achievement in the field of art history.

50 selected masterpieces of the Ajanta paintings were scanned at high resolution into a powerful computer system. With intimate knowledge of the paintings and the painstaking care, each image was repaired pixel by pixel. Computer artists Mathew Kurien and Shaurya Kumar who were carefully selected by Behl, worked long hours under his guidance. Colours which had faded with time were brought back. Broken lines were joined. Scribbled graffiti was removed to reveal once again the glory of Ajanta.

Lawrence Binyon of the British Museum wrote in 1930, "Whoever studies the art of China and Japan, at whatever point he begins, starts on a long road which leads him ultimately to Ajanta."

Ajanta is the fountainhead of the Buddhist paintings of the world and the richest treasure house of Indian painting. The damage has now been cleaned sufficiently in the computer and this glorious art is available to be seen and enjoyed by the world.

The close up and detailed work in the course of this computer restoration has brought forth many remarkable aspects of the Ajanta paintings.

As an example, in the words of Behl, "I always remarked upon the brightness in the eyes of the King Mahajanaka in a Cave 1 painting seemed to be quite remarkable. It was only when the slide was scanned at high resoution and I was able to see it in very extreme close up that the painter's skill was revealed. In that panel, a white spot was painted in the eyeballs of the figures, achieving the same effect as modern photography does, using a light for the purpose. It is very surprising to see this level of expertise and understanding in a 5^th century painting."