Raw data
Ratnagiri in the Birupa river valley in the district of Jajpur, is another famous Buddhist centre. The small hill near the village of the same name has rich Buddhist antiquities. A large-scale excavation has unearthed two large monasteries, a big stupa, Buddhist shrines, sculptures, and a large number of votive stupas.
This excavation revealed the establishment of this Buddhist centre at least from the time of the Gupta king Narasimha Gupta Baladitya (first half of the sixth century A.D.). Buddhism had developed at this place - unhindered upto the 12th century A.D.
In the beginning, this was an important centre of Mahayana form of Buddhism. During the 8th-9th century A.D., this became a great centre of Tantric Buddhism or Vajrayana art and philosophy. Pag Sam Jon Zang, a Tibetan source, indicates that the institution at Ratnagiri played a significant role in the emergence of Kalachakratantra during the 10th century A.D.
This is quite evident from the numerous votive stupas with reliefs of divinities of the Vajrayana pantheon. Separate images of these divinities and inscribed stone slabs, and moulded terracotta plaques with dharanis found in the excavation at Ratnagiri.
Presently this university of Buddhist learning is found in ruins that attract a number of visitors every year. For lovers of art and architecture, lay tourists as well as special groups, Ratnagiri offers in its magnificent ruins, a large brick monastery with beautiful doorways, cella, sanctum with a colossal Buddha figure, and a large number of Buddhist sculptures. There is a smaller monastery at the place along with a stone temple, brick shrines and a large stupa with numerous smaller stupas around.
http://orissadiary.com/orissa_tourism/heritage/Ratnagiri.asp
Input by: tmciolek, 11 Apr 2009
A monk named Prajna was sent from Pushpagiri by Subhkara, the king of Orissa, to the Emperor of China (Te-Tsong) in 795 CE. He delivered the last section of a text titled the Avatamska.
See S. Levy, "King Subhakara of Orissa" Epigraphica Indica, XV, p. 363.
Ratnagiri, India Page
Other names: Ratnāgiri
World:India:State of Orissa
Lat 20.6333 Long 86.3333
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/21/Ratnagiri.html
Input by: tmciolek, 22 Apr 2009
Final data (and their sources)
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.
General location of the Ratnagiri monastery, IN.
lat=20.6333 long=86.3333
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2009.
Google Map link:
Final data - explanatory notes
1. Monastery's name
- Ratnagiri monastery
2. Monastery's modern country & province
- India:State of Orissa
3. Monastery's alternative/historical names
final data ….
4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates
- Approx Lat 20.6333 Long 86.3333 http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/21/Ratnagiri.html
5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries
- The nearby Khandagiri monastery.
- The nearby Lalitgiri monastery.
- The nearby Udayagiri monastery.
- The nearby Puspagiri monastery.
6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village
7. The settlement's alternative/historical names
8. The settlement's coordinates
- Exactly Lat 20.6333 Long 86.3333 http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/21/Ratnagiri.html
9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition
10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition
- Kalachakratantra - http://orissadiary.com/orissa_tourism/heritage/Ratnagiri.asp
11. Date-early
12. Date-intermediate
final data ….
13. Date-late
14. Details of contacts with other monasteries
- Monk named Prajna sent from Ratnagiri to Beijing in 795 CE.
15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery
- archaeological, texts, art historical, inscriptional
16. Additional notes
final data (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)….
17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by
final data ….
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