The painting of 'Bodhisattva Padmapani' is depicted in Ajanta Cave No.:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 3:
The correct answer is Cave No. One (1). The painting of the Bodhisattva Padmapani, meaning "Lotus Bearer," is universally recognized as one of the most sublime masterpieces of Buddhist mural art and is prominently located on the left side of the entrance to the main shrine's antechamber in Cave 1 at Ajanta. This exquisite fresco, dating to the late 5th century CE, embodies the infinite compassion of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and is a prime example of the classical, sophisticated style of the Gupta and Vakataka periods. It showcases delicate line work, expressive figures, and the use of the *tribhanga* pose, making it one of the most celebrated and frequently reproduced artworks of ancient India.

The incorrect option is 1:
Cave No. Sixteen (16) is famous for another entirely different and equally celebrated masterpiece, the mural known as the 'Dying Princess.' This emotionally powerful fresco is often identified as Sundari, the wife of the Buddha's half-brother Nanda, fainting or dying of grief after hearing of her husband’s decision to renounce worldly life and become a monk. While Cave 16 contains many magnificent frescoes and is a major *vihara* (monastery) cave, the specific iconic painting of Padmapani is not located within this cave. The central artistic narratives here focus on Nanda's conversion and the Jataka tales.

The incorrect option is 2:
Cave No. Nine (9) is one of the earliest excavated caves at Ajanta, dating back to the Hinayana phase (circa 1st century BCE). It is architecturally a *Chaitya* hall (a place of worship containing a stupa). Its surviving paintings are much older and stylistically different, primarily featuring early Buddhist motifs and figures. Therefore, it does not house the iconic, highly developed Mahayana Padmapani mural, which is characteristic of the later, Vakataka-Gupta period art found in Cave 1.

The incorrect option is 4:
Cave No. Seventeen (17) is justly renowned as the "Vihara of the Great Painted Stories" due to its impressively large and well-preserved collection of murals. This collection illustrates a vast number of Jataka tales, including the *Hamsa Jataka* and *Chhaddanta Jataka*, making it a key site for understanding the narrative art of Ajanta. However, the specific, single-figure masterpiece of the Bodhisattva Padmapani is specifically a feature of Cave 1, where it forms a pair with the Bodhisattva Vajrapani guarding the entrance to the sanctuary.