Kolvi Cave Monastery

Ground and elevation of the monastery district (1871)

The Kolvi Cave Monastery is a Buddhist cave monastery in the Jhalawar district in the southeast of the Indian state of Rajasthan .

location

The Kolvi cave monastery is located a good 3 km (footpath) east of the village of Kolvi or approx. 10 km north of Dag in the southeastern tip of Rajasthan near the border with the state of Madhya Pradesh at an altitude of approx. 450 m . The closest major city is Mandsaur (approx. 100 km to the west); the nearest train station is in the town of Bhawani Mandi (approx. 50 km north).

history

The Kolvi Cave Monastery, which consists of around 50 numbered buildings, gives the impression of a small regional pilgrimage site, which was built on an old trade route in the Western Ghats (e.g. Kondana , Bhaja , Bedsa and Karli ) 2nd or 3rd century probably started; in the 8th or 9th century (maybe earlier) the entire complex was abandoned.

architecture

The natural stone here is called laterite and shows strong signs of weathering. The apsidially shaped Chaitya Hall, the actual religious center of the complex, is comparatively small (approx. 8.50 m deep and approx. 5.80 m wide). Further buildings, especially caves ( viharas ) , were added later and the numerous votive stupas also date from later times.

sculpture

There are only a few sculptures in the entire monastery area, including three relief statues of the seated Buddha as well as one of the standing and several Chaitya windows ( chandrasalas ) . The Buddha images are an indication of a comparatively late construction and use of the monastery.