The Walter Spink Indian Caves collection contains approximately 4,000 black-and-white photographs of man-made rock-cut caves throughout India. The photographs were taken by Dr. Walter Spink during the course of his research in the latter half of the 20th century. The prints detail the facades, porch, court, and interiors of the caves. The photographs of the interiors show the plasters, shrines, and detailed carvings within each cave.
Dr. Walter Spink was born on February 16, 1928 in Massachusetts. He graduated summa cum laude from Amherst College in 1949 and he later earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University in art history and Indian art in 1950 and 1954, respectively. Dr. Spink began to study Ajanta and other Indian caves in 1952. He became a professor of the History of Art at the University of Michigan in 1970 and stayed until his retirement in 2000. Spink also served as the Director of the Asian Art Archives at Michigan between 1962 and 1996. He became Professor Emeritus in 2000. Considered the world's authority on Buddhist rock-cut cave monasteries, Spink has published many books on Ajanta and other rock-cut caves, as well as Indian painting. Dr. Spink specialized in rock-cut cave monasteries throughout India. His work covered caves, including Aurangabad, Badami, Bagh, Bedse, Bhaja, Elephanta, Ellora, Kanheri, and others.
The Ellora caves were excavated between 600 and 1,000 C.E. and bring together the three major religions of the area, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. Ellora is composed of 35 temples and monasteries, the oldest of which are dedicated to Buddhism while the youngest are devoted to Jainism. The Aurangabad caves are often overlooked in favor of Ajanta and Ellora. Aurangabad is a series of 12 Buddhist rock-cut caves built between circa 2nd and 7th centuries. The Badami caves are composed of 4 caves, three of which are dedicated to Brahman and the last to Jainism, excavated between the 6th and 7th centuries. Similarly, the Bagh caves reside on the southern slopes of the Vindhyas of Dhar district in the Madhya Pradesh state. The Bagh caves are famous for their mural paintings and their sculptures of the Buddha, constructed between the 5th and 6th centuries C.E. Of the nine caves, only five remain and all are monasteries. The Bedse caves, which are part of a trio including Karla and Bhaja, are made up of only 2 caves in the Pune district of Maharashtra. One of the two caves of Bedse contains a stupa, while the other serves as the monastery. Another part of the trilogy of caves is the 22 rock-cut caves of Bhaja. The Buddhist caves date to the 3rd century BCE to the 2nd century C.E. and the Hinayana phase and include temples and monasteries. Another set of Buddhist caves are those found at Kanheri. Built between the 1st century B.C.E. and the 10th century C.E., the temples and monasteries of Kanheri make up the 109 caves. Differently from the other man-made rock-cut caves around the country, the seven caves of Elephanta are located on an island in Mumbai harbor. Dedicated to both Hinduism and Buddhism, the caves were built between the 5th and 8th centuries C.E. Finally the hills of Udaygiri and Khandagiri are located near the town of Bhubaneswar and are among the oldest Jaina rock-cut caves. With a total of 33 caves, 18 on the Udaygiri hills and 15 on the Khandagiri hills, built during the Chedi dynasty the complex was meant to be dwelling for Jaina recluses. In the 19th century a Jaina temple was built atop the Khandagiri hill.
Other caves include those found at Junnar, Nashik, Aihole, Ankai, Daulatabad, Dhamnar, Jogeshwari, and others.