Raw data
A group of six, mostly ruined, caves is located at Pohale (Taluka Panhala, District Kolhapur) about 8 km northwest of the city of Kolhapur. They are situated 3 km northwest of the village Pohale at the foot of a low hillock, locally known as the Jyotiba hill. [The chaitya hall has a deep apse that once had a rock cut stupa with sufficient space to circumambulate it. Several cells have their entrances into the hall]
See Madhukar Keshav Dhavalikar, Late Hinayana Caves of Western India (Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, 1986) 33
Input by: SG 15 Mar 2015
"These caves carved in laterite rock, which are of Buddhist origin, locally called as 'Pandavleni'. 'Leni' is a Marathi word meaning 'cave'.
There are two main caves; one of them is supported to have been the school and other the chapel or Chaitya. There are two rock-cut water cisterns and still in use.
These caves are carved in five sections in a half round shape and a well decorated roof (Plate 1). In the middle of two rooms, there is a seat, 12 feet high; Shivalinga and Nandi are placed recently in the innermost room, which is locally known as 'Aundhaya Nagnath' (Plate 2).
Outside the mediation room, there is veranda (35 x 4 x 9 feet). The central hall is 35 x 32 x 9 feet, having a flat roof, which balanced on 3 lines of pillars. Some small rooms are around this, which have been used for personal meditation (Plate 3). There is one stone pillar found in this hall in recent excavation having moon, sun and horse on it (Plate 4). Many leftover carvings still in primary stages can be seen here." Coordinates: 16°47'27"N 74°11'28"E (=lat 16.791027 long 74.191146 - tmciolek) -
http://wikimapia.org/15799800/Pohale-Leni-Buddhist-Archaeological-Site
Input by: tmciolek 15 Apr 2015
Final data (and their sources)
Last updated: 15 Apr 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 Pohale monastery, IN.
Lat 16.791027 Long 74.191146
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2014.
Google Map link:
Final data - explanatory notes
1. Monastery's name
- Pohale monastery
2. Monastery's modern country & province
- India: Maharashtra
3. Monastery's alternative/historical names
- Pohale Leni - http://wikimapia.org/15799800/Pohale-Leni-Buddhist-Archaeological-Site
- Pandavleni - http://wikimapia.org/15799800/Pohale-Leni-Buddhist-Archaeological-Site
4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates
- Approx. Lat 16.791027 Long 74.191146 - based on visual identification of the Pohale Leni site in http://wikimapia.org/15799800/Pohale-Leni-Buddhist-Archaeological-Site - tmciolek, 15 Apr 2015.
5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries
- [missing data]
6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village
- Pohale, near Kolhapur
7. The settlement's alternative/historical names
8. The settlement's coordinates
- Approx. Lat 16.6956 Long 74.2317 - http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/16/Kolhapur.html
9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition
- Late Theravada - Dhavalikar (1986: 33)
10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition
- [missing data]
11. Date-early
- Second Century CE, per similarities to Karad Chaitya VI. - Dhavalikar (1986: 33)
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
- [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
- Madhukar Keshav Dhavalikar, Late Hinayana Caves of Western India (Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, 1986) 33
- [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 2]
- [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 3]
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