Ajanta’s purpose as laid out by Mayfair, London based Co-Founder Mr. Vedan Choolun is a unique initiative using state of the art AI techniques to digitally preserve 2nd Century BC Ajanta Cave Paintings to benefit generations to come.
Leading the preservation and digitization efforts is Mr. Ashwin Srivastav Co-Founder based in Mumbai, India. The digitized form of these paintings in Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad District, Maharashtra India are designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Ajanta Caves a UNESCO World Heritage Site and place of pilgrimage for Thai Buddhists and Buddhists worldwide.
Thailand has a rich Buddhist cultural legacy which endures to the present day. Thailand is globally known as a Buddhist country. Buddhism was brought to Thailand from India. It was particularly influenced more heavily by Indian Buddhism with a lesser but still important influence from Chinese Mahayana Buddhism.
Thai Buddhism has many cultural similarities with Buddhism and Hinduism in India. Interestingly even though it is a Buddhist country, Thailand has strong Hindu influence and shared cultural practices. Indeed, Thai Kings in the past were named Rama after Lord Ram in the Ramayana and the city of Ayutthaya is named after Lord Ram’s birthplace of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, India.
It is not uncommon to find Thai Buddhists venerating Hindu devas like Lord Shiva and Lord Ram alongside Lord Buddha.
In 2016 PM of India Narendra Modi discussed with his Thai counterpart General Prayut Chan-o-cha regarding the common heritage of Buddhism as a key agenda for discussion. Prime Minister Modi said “You come from a land that is remarkably familiar to us. From the Legend of Rama to the Wisdom of Buddha our ties are founded on a shared cultural heritage”
Thai Buddhists like Buddhists around Asia and the world consider sites like Bodh Gaya and Ajanta Caves to be integral to their culture and an important point for cultural exchange and learning. India and Thailand have strong links which stretch back into time.
The Ajanta Paintings will be restored and stored on an island in Svalbard, Norway together with other digital artifacts from the Vatican Library, political histories, masterpieces from times past.
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