 Gill's surviving photographs, drawings, and paintings are constantly cited by scholars of Ajanta and Indian art generally, as they have preserved the memories of original painted surfaces that have undergone significant flaking.Accelerated deterioration began immediately upon the caves' rediscovery starting in 1819.According to the Victoria and Albert Museum, even in Gill's time the original cave paintings could be seen suffering damage from frequent, unsupervised visitation and also from "swarms of bees and bats."