Raw data
Ghantasala (Lat. 16 degrees 8 minutes N. x long. 80 degrees 56 minutes E. [) is located in the taluka Divi of Andhra Pradesh, India. The site was a renowned seaport. Roman coins have been found on the site and one inscription was by the wife of a master mariner. It was a Buddhist site at least as early as the first century CE. The inscriptions yield donations to other Buddhist sites, such as Nagarjunaconda and Amaravati. The site has been much plundered for building materials and little besides the stupas remains; archaeological locating the monasteries is no longer possible. Debala Mitra, Buddhist Monuments (Calcutta: M. Dutt Shishu Sahitya Samad, 1971), 215-216.
Input by: Stewart Gordon 05 April 2015
"Alexander Rea excavated the stupa at Ghantasala, which had a circumference of 112 feet and a height of 23 feet. The remains of an important Buddhist stupa and sculptural slabs were found in 1919-20.[…]The Buddhist relics and the Hindu structures at the place reveal its past glory. Carved limestone columns belonging to pillared halls associated with Buddhist monastic establishments (2-3rd centuries BC ) have been discovered. The ruined Maha Chaitya or stupa that was excavated here is of a unique design. A cube of solid bricks is set in the centre, inscribed with 12 constellations of the zodiac.[2]
The chaityas had a texture and size unique to the Satavahana times and had separate dwelling places for Buddhist monks in the complex. All walls were found to have beautiful plastering with superfine lime mortar." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghantasala,_Krishna_district
Input by: tmciolek 20 May 2015
Final data (and their sources)
Last updated: 27 Jun 2015
Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 200 m from the point defined by the coordinates below.
General location of the Ghantasala monastery, IN.
Lat 16.1697576 Long 80.9488106
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2014.
Google Map link:
Final data - explanatory notes
1. Monastery's name
- Ghantasala monastery
2. Monastery's modern country & province
- India: Andhra Pradesh
3. Monastery's alternative/historical names
- [missing data]
4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates
- Approx. Lat 16.1697576 Long 80.9488106 - based on visual identification of the Ghantasala stupa in maps/satellite imagery, maps.google.com - tmciolek, 20 May 2015.
5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries
- Adurru monastery
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 16.1692 Long 80.94685 - https://www.google.com/maps/
9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition
- [missing data]
10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition
- [missing data]
11. Date-early
- Site dates at least as early as the first century CE. - Mitra 1971:215-216.
MBM chrono-tag: <=200 - tmciolek 27 Jun 2015
<=200 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
- [missing data]
16. Additional notes
- [missing data] (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
- Debala Mitra, Buddhist Monuments (Calcutta: M. Dutt Shishu Sahitya Samad, 1971)
- [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 2]
- [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 3]
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