Posts by "Stupa and Monastery"
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on June 25, 2026 0

 

I visited the little-known Harwan Buddhist settlement near Srinagar, Kashmir, with my friends Will (William Collinson) and Kiara (Kiara Windrider). The three of us had met in Srinagar to film for Will's documentary called "End of the World".

The Harwan Buddhist site used to be the epicenter of Buddhism in Kashmir from where it spread westwards. It was here that the Fourth Buddhist Council was held during the reign of Kanishka (c.78 AD). The Buddhist monk Nagarjuna is believed to have lived here.

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on August 05, 2019 2

Nalanda was established as a Mahavihara i.e. a large university-cum-monastic institution, in the 5th century AD by Kumaragupta of the Gupta dynasty, in the ancient kingdom of Magadha (modern day Bihar). It was the most prosperous and famous university of the ancient world. It was patronized by the Gupta Emperors, and subsequently by King Harsharvadhan of Kannauj in the 7th century, and the Pala Kings of Bengal from the 8th - 12th centuries. The Palas rulers were prolific builders whose rule oversaw the establishment of four other Mahaviharas modeled on Nalanda at Jagaddala, Odantapura, Somapura, and Vikramashila.These five seats of Buddhist learning formed a network, and it was common for great scholars to move easily from position to position among them.
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on July 31, 2019 0

The Bharhut Stupa was built in the mid-2nd century BCE (c.125 - 100 BCE) in the village of Bharhut, Madhya Pradesh. The stupa dome had collapsed long back, and the torana gateway and stone railings were moved to the Indian Museum in Kolkata.

 The stone railings of the Bharhut stupa are unique in the sense that they have been embellished with a profusion of intricate carvings. Moreover, it was quite amazing to see that the carvings on these red sandstone walls have retained their polish and sharp edges even after 2000 years of erosion! 
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