Purvasaila monastery, (near) Amravati, Maharashtra, IN

Raw data

Purvasaila Sangharama. Lit. Eastern Mountain Monastery. A monastery east of Dhanakataka. Src: Soothill & Hodus 1937: 263)
Input by: tmciolek, Feb 27 2009

Dhanyakataka (Amaravati) (Soothill & Hodus 1937:188)
Input by: tmciolek, Feb 27 2009

"Hiuen Tsiang further relates that to the east of the capital on a mountain there stood a convent called PurvaSila and on a mountain to the west was another, called Avara&la. Perhaps it would be preferable to render the names of these two monasteries by Purva&aila and Avarasaila, the Sanskrit word for a mountain being 6aUa, whereas 6S& means * s stone." Now, it is worthy of note that among the localities mentioned in inscription F, we meet, with the name Puvasela, which is clearly a Prakrit form corresponding to Sanskrit Purva&aila. A name, meaning "Eastern Mountain or Hill," may, of course, have been used at different places of India. But it is a point worth considering whether the remains of Nagarjuniko$4& can possibly represent the ancient capital of DhanBakataka, which archaeologists have sought both at Dharanikofca near Amaravati and at Bezwa." [a verbatim copy of a document with missing diacritics - tmciolek]
http://www.archive.org/stream/epigrahiaindicav014769mbp/epigrahiaindicav014769mbp_djvu.txt
Input by: tmciolek, Mar 24 2009

http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/16/Amravati.html
Input by: tmciolek, Apr 7 2009

Final data (and their sources)

Last updated: 08 Jul 2014

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 Purvasaila monastery, IN.

General location of the Purvasaila monastery, IN.
lat=20.9133 long=77.7900
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://maps.fallingrain.com), 2009.



Google Map link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=20.9133+77.7900+(Approx.%20loc.%20of%20the%20Purvasaila%20monastery,%20IN)&ll=20.9133,77.7500&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en

Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

  • Purvasaila monastery - Soothill & Hodus (1937: 263)

2. Monastery's modern country

  • India:State of Maharashtra

3. Monastery's alternative/historical names

4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates

  • Approx., Lat 20.889446 Long 77.786209 - based on an tmciolek's estimate of 24 Apr 2009.
  • To the SE of the city, opposite the New Prabhat Colony suburb, there are two hills which could be the ancient Western & Eastern Mountain monastery sites in question. The presented here coords. for the East Mountain monastery have been calculated from the Google Maps map of this hill in 1:15K scale - tmciolek, 24 Apr 2009.

5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries

6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village

7. The settlement's alternative/historical names

8. The settlement's coordinates

9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition

  • [missing data]

10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

  • [missing data]

11. Date-early

  • [missing data]

12. Date-intermediate

MBM chrono-tag 0633-66c - tmciolek 08 Jul 2014
0600-32p 0633-66c 0667-99p dated-x

13. Date-late

  • [missing data]

14. Details of contacts with other monasteries

  • [missing data]

15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery

  • pilgrim account

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]

end of page

0600-32p0633-66c0667-99p2kmdated-xindiapplacesouth-asiatradition(?)ven.xuanzang
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