The Ajanta Caves were excavated in two periods: the early caves between the second century B.C. and first century A.D.; and the late caves between the late fifth and sixth centuries A.D. The caves were decorated with polychromed sculpture and wall paintings, both on the interior and exterior. Although general technical investigations of the wall paintings were made as early as the 1930s, more in-depth studies have been produced in recent years. This paper reviews these studies of the painting materials and techniques of the Ajanta paintings, and supplements them with the results of recent investigations carried out in Cave 2, which was excavated in the late fifth century A.D.

The rock-cut caves at Ajanta were leveled with earthen plasters in preparation for painting. The earthen plasters are made of local soil derived from weathered basalt mixed with fine plant materials. Over the upper, finer plaster, a white ground was applied, either of lime or kaolin. The main identified pigments include red and yellow ochre, orpiment, red lead, green earth, and ultramarine blue. The earth pigments were locally available, including green earth, which is celadonite. Natural ultramarine blue (lapis lazuli) was imported from Afghanistan. The yellow pigment, orpiment, survives in an altered state. The use of organic colourants is suspected in the Ajanta paintings but has not been previously confirmed. The recent scientific analysis in Cave 2 identified the red resinous colourant, lac, derived from lac scale insects.

In Cave 2, paint application techniques show evidence of gradation of colours from dark to light, and vice versa; only scant evidence was found for mixing colourants or superimposing paint layers to obtain secondary colours.