Raktamrttika monastery, (near) Chhiruti, West Bengal, IN

Raw data

Raktamrttika

"Raktamrttika Mahavihara  mentioned by the Chinese traveller Hiuen-Tsang, who acquaints us with a sanggharama called Lo-to-wei(mo)-chi-sang-kia-lam, rendered as Raktamrttika Sanggharama, situated in the suburb of Kie-lo-na-su-fa-la-na (ie Karnasuvarna). Hiuen-Tsang informs us that 'in this establishment congregate all the most distinguished, learned and celebrated men of the kingdom'.
Till the excavation of Rajbadidanga, lying within the jurisdiction of village Jadupur, Murshidabad (West Bengal), on the western side of the Bhagirathi, in the early sixties of the 20th century, location of Lo-to-mo-chi monastery was a problem. […]"
http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/R_0091.htm

"On the strength of the identification of Lo-to-mi-chih (Raktamrttika) monastery with the excavated monastery at Rajbadidanga (in village Jadupur near Chiruti railway station in the Sadar subdivision of Murshidabad district, West Bengal) Karnasuvarna can now be located with greater exactitude in the neighbourhood of the excavated site."
http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/K_0102.htm

"Chiruti Station, newly named as KARNASUBARNA. At a stones throw, there are villages namely Madhupur, Gobindapur etc."
http://wikimapia.org/5133880/Chiruti-Karnasubarna-Station

"78. EXCAVATION AT RAJBADI-DANGA (JADUPUR), DISTRICT MURSHIDABAD.—With a view to identifying Karnasuvarna, the traditional capital-city of Sasanka with its stupas, monasteries and other monuments mentioned by Hiuen Tsang, the Department of Archaeology, University of Calcutta, under Dr. S. R. Das, conducted excavation at Rajbadi-danga at Jadupur, District Murshidabad. The site lies at a distance of over 1 km. from the Chiruti railway-station. […] Some of the seals recovered from the excavation bore the Buddhist formula and point to the existence of a Buddhist monastery. One of them, from Phase III (pl. XC D), mentioned Rakta-mrittika-mahavihara, described by Hiuen Tsang to be situated in the suburbs of Karnasuvarna, the capital of Gauda in the seventh century."
http://www.asi.nic.in/nmma_reviews/Indian%20Archaeology%201962-63%20A%20Review.pdf

“Journeying through the region to the court of Bhaskaravarman in Kamarupa in the 7th century CE during the reign of Sasanka who ruled the kingdom of Gauda from Karnasuvarna, the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang (Xuanzang) passed through Pundravardhana in 643 CE and left a written account of the tract, describing it as a region full of Mahayana Buddhist viharas as well as of adherents to the Jain teachings. The important Buddhist viharas of this period, which included Mahasthangarh (now in Bangladesh) and Raktamrittika (in Murshidabad), were important centres for the transliteration of Buddhist texts into the Chinese and Tibetan languages. “
http://wbplan.gov.in/HumanDev/DHDR/DHDR-UttarDinajpur/PDF/Chapter1.pdf

Murshidabad, India Page
Other names: Murshidābād
World:India:State of West Bengal
Lat 24.1833 Long 88.2667
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/28/Murshidabad.html

Judging from an online map for Chhiruti (i.e. Karnasubarna)
http://ourvillageindia.org/Place.aspx?PID=616395
Chiruti is situated in the triangle formed by the settlements of Beldanga, Gokarna & Kandi - tmciolek, tmciolek, Aug 20, 2009

Beldanga, India Page
Other names: Beldānga
World:India:State of West Bengal
Lat 23.9333 Long 88.2500
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/28/Beldanga.html

Gokarna, India Page
Other names: Gokaran
World:India:State of West Bengal
Lat 24.0500 Long 88.1167
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/28/Gokarna.html

Kandi, India Page
Other names: Kāndi
World:India:State of West Bengal
Lat 23.9500 Long 88.0333
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/28/Kandi.html

Thus est. coords for Chhiruti are Lat: 23.97776667 Long: 88.13333333 - tmciolek, 20 Aug 2009.

Raktamerittika
Xuanzang mentioned this monastery, though he did not visit it. Located in the village of Jadupur, Murshidabad district, West Bengal, this mound has had one archaeological dig. it uncovered many seals with the inscription of the monks of the monastery. The script dates to the 7th - 8th centuries.
See D.C. Ahir, Buddhist Sites and Shrines in India: History, Art and Architecture (Delhi: Inian Books Centre, 2003) p. 279.
Src: India
Input by: Stewart Gordon, Aug 25, 2009

"The site of the monastery has been identified at Rangamati (modern Chiruti, Murshidabad, West Bengal). A number of smaller monastic blocks arranged on a regular plan, with other adjuncts, like shrines, stupas, pavilions etc have been excavated from the site. The plan of the monastery was designed on an ancient pattern, i.e. rows of cells round a central courtyard. The date of the monastery may be ascribed to the Gupta period."
http://www.slideshare.net/kaash7827/jagaddal-vihar

Final data (and their sources)

Last updated: 09 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 Raktamrttika monastery, IN.

General location of the Raktamrttika monastery, IN.
lat=23.9777 long=88.133
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2009.


Google Map link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=23.9777+88.133+(Approx.%20loc.%20of%20the%20Raktamrttika%20monastery,%20IN)&ll=23.9777,88.133&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en

Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

2. Monastery's modern country & province

  • India:State of West Bengal

3. Monastery's alternative/historical names

4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates

  • Approx. coords for Raktamrttika monastery are Lat: 23.9777 Long: 88.133 - tmciolek, 20 Aug 2009.

5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries

  • [missing data]

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

  • Chhiruti, West Bengal

7. The settlement's alternative/historical names

  • [missing data]

8. The settlement's coordinates

  • Approx., coords for Chhiruti are Lat:23.97776667 Long: 88.13333333 - tmciolek, 20 Aug 2009.

9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition

10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

  • [missing data]

11. Date-early

MBM chrono-tag 0433-66p - tmciolek 09 Jul 2014
0433-66p 0467-99c 0500-32c 0533-66c 0567-99c 0600-32c 0633-66p 0667-99p dated-ex

12. Date-intermediate

MBM chrono-tag 0633-66p - tmciolek 09 Jul 2014

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

17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by

  • [missing data]

end of page

0433-66p0467-99c0500-32c0533-66c0567-99c0600-32c0633-66p0667-99p2kmdated-exindiaplacersouth-asiatrad.mahayanaven.xuanzang
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