The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (93 page)

 
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Aja
.

An impressive series of about twenty-eight (numbers vary because of interconnections) humanly constructed caves in W. India, cut into a cliff overlooking the Waghora River, Maharashtra. Started in the 2nd cent. BCE and continued until the 6th cent. CE Aja
is a series of monastic residences (
vih
ras
) with four associated
caitya
halls. The wall-paintings, from all periods of construction, reached a peak of achievement during the Gupta era (320–650 CE). This Gupta style celebrates a fusion of the sacred and the aristocratic, and, through the visits of Chinese pilgrims, exercised a powerful influence on the painting of the T’ang (618–906 CE).

 
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(Skt.). Hindu
Ha
ha-Yoga
belief that every breathing creature must repeat a
mantra
with every
breath
in and out:
seham
, He am I,
hamsa
, I am He. This may therefore be an involuntary affirmation.

 
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