Raw data
This site is a single cave a km away from the village of Ambivale near Jamburg on the banks of the Ulhas River. It is on an ancient trade route from Thana up to the Deccan Plateau. There is a single hall with a bench running completely around. Four cells are cut in the right, back, and left sides above the level of the bench. Outside the hall is a covered veranda with benches, supported by octagonal and sixteen-sided pillars. The lack of benches in the cells, the characteristic pot capitals to the columns, and the script of the five inscriptions all suggest a period of Ajanta 11 and 16. Ambale is, thus, a late cave dating to the early part of the 4th Century CE. This site is important for evidence of continued cave excavation in the so-called "gap" period between Theravada and Mahayana caves.
See S. Nagaraju, Buddhist Architecture of Western India (250 B.C. -c. A.D. 300) (Delhi: Agam Kala Prakashan, 1981) 105-106
Input by: Stewart Gordon 16 Mar 2015
Final data (and their sources)
Last updated: 15 Jun 2015
Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 2 km from the point defined by the coordinates below.
General location of the Ambivli monastery, IN.
Lat 19.2077792 Long 73.2398436
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2014.
Google Map link:
Final data - explanatory notes
1. Monastery's name
- Ambivli monastery
2. Monastery's modern country & province
- India: Maharashtra
3. Monastery's alternative/historical names
- Ambivali monastery - http://www.distances.co.in/mumbai/distance-between-ambivali-to-dativali-railway-station-mumbai/
4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates
- Approx. Lat 19.2077792 Long 73.2398436 - based on visual identification of the Ambivli village in maps/satellite imagery, maps.google.com - tmciolek, 18 May 2015.
5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries
- [missing data]
6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village
7. The settlement's alternative/historical names
- [missing data]*
8. The settlement's coordinates
- Approx. Lat 19.2437 Long 73.1355 - http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/16/Kalyan.html
9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition
- Theravada
10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition
- [missing data]
11. Date-early
- early 4th Century CE - S. Nagaraju 1981:105-106
MBM chrono-tag 0300-32c 0333-66p - tmciolek 15 Jun 2015
12. Date-intermediate
- [missing data]
13. Date-late
- [missing data]
14. Details of contacts with other monasteries
- [missing data]
15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery
- Archaeological, Art History
16. Additional notes
- Maximum would be 24, if two monks to a cell. Twelve monks if single occupancy. (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)
17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by
- [missing data]
18. Known monks and nuns associated with this monastery
19. Available Printed Literature
- S. Nagaraju, Buddhist Architecture of Western India (250 B.C. -c. A.D. 300) (Delhi: Agam Kala Prakashan, 1981) 105-106
- [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 2]
- [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 3]
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