Bahirampada [hermitage/monastery?], (near) Mangaon, Maharashtra, IN

Raw data

This site is a group of five caves located near the village of Bahirampada (Taluka Pali, District Raigad) about 11km east of Raigad. They are 3 km northeast of Dhondse village. The group consists of two residence caves and three unfinished caves. The residence caves have a bench along the back wall and no further embellishment. Like the Dhondase caves this site is along an ancient trade route to Junnar. Again, like the Dhondse caves they likely served the purpose of temporary accommodation for traveling monks, rather than a site of permanent monastic establishment. The site probably dates to the middle second century CE based on stylistic similarities to early caves at Thanavale (i.e. Thanale, tmciolek 18 Jun 2015). The site was probably abandoned due to the unsuitable nature of the rock.
See Shrikant Ganvir, "Recently Discovered Buddhist Caves in Konkan: Some Observations" in Bodhisiri: A Festschrift to Annapareddy Venkateswara Reddy (eds. Prof. P. Chenna Reddy and Prof. E. Siva Nagi Reddy (New Delhi: Research India Press, 2014) 55-61.
Input by: Stewart Gordon 17 Mar 2015

"Bahirampada is a small Village/hamlet in Sudhagad Taluka in Raigad District of Maharashtra State, India. It comes under Dhondase Panchayath. It belongs to Konkan region . It belongs to Konkan Division"
http://www.onefivenine.com/india/villages/Raigad/Sudhagad/Bahirampada

"The present study wishes to find its very probable continuity of forest monks in Western Indian Buddhist milieu with a suggestion of widening of  academic focus on religious landscape in regard to Buddhism in Western India. […R]ecent discovery of caves, for an example at Dhondase, Konkan region, tells about the remote places chosen as retreat by the monks."
Tribedy, Ellora. 2012. Between Aesthetic and Ascetic: A Study On The Buddhist Mendicants of Western India. Department of Archaeology, Deccan College, Pune .http://www.academia.edu/6598895/Between_Aesthetic_and_Ascetic_A_Study_On_The_Buddhist_Mendicants_of_Western_India_in_Workshop_on_Archaeology_of_Western_India
Input: tmciolek, 20 May 2015

Final data (and their sources)

Last updated: 18 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.

Location of Bahirampada hermitage/monastery(?), IN.

General location of the Bahirampada hermitage/monastery(?), IN.
Lat 18.88333333 Long 73.61666667
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2014.


Google Map link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=18.88333333+73.61666667+(Approx.%20loc.%20of%20the%20Bahirampada%20hermitage/monastery?,%20IN)&ll=18.88333333,73.61666667&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en


Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

  • Bhahirampada hermitage/monastery(?)

2. Monastery's modern country & province

  • India: Maharashtra

3. Monastery's alternative/historical names

  • [missing data]

4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates

  • Approx. Lat 18°33'20"N   73°18'19"E (18.88333333,73.61666667) - http://wikimapia.org/1375003/Bahirampada-village - tmciolek, 18 May 2015.
  • Approx. Lat 18 degrees 33 min x Long. 73 degrees 18 min. N (Lat. 18.85 Long. 73.3) - Ganvir (2014:55-61)

5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries


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


9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition

  • Theravada

10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

  • [missing data]

11. Date-early

  • probably middle second century CE - Tribedy 2012
  • MBM chrono-tag <=0200 - tmciolek 18 Jun 2015

<=0200 dated-e


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

16. Additional notes

  • The small number of cells makes occupation by more than a few monks unlikely.

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

  • Shrikant Ganvir, "Recently Discovered Buddhist Caves in Konkan: Some Observations" in Bodhisiri: A Festschrift to Annapareddy Venkateswara Reddy (eds. Prof. P. Chenna Reddy and Prof. E. Siva Nagi Reddy (New Delhi: Research India Press, 2014) 55-61.
  • [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 2]
  • [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 3]

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