Kondana cave monastery
The Kondana or Kondane Caves form an early Buddhist monastery complex north of Lonavla in the Raigad district in the west of the Indian state of Maharashtra .
location
The Kondana cave monastery is located approx. 2 km southeast of the village of Kondane (or Kondhane) in the forest and rain-rich Western Ghats, about halfway between Mumbai and Pune at an altitude of approx. 700 m . The best way to get there is from the town of Lonavla, with a detour via the northern town of Karjat ; the last kilometer of the route has to be done on foot.
history
The Kondana cave monastery was - like the nearby cave monasteries of Bhaja , Bedsa and Karli - above an old trade route that connected the hinterland of the Deccan Plateau with the ports on the coast. Archaeologists consider it one of the oldest monasteries in the Western Ghats, along with Bhaja; its construction should have started in the 3rd or 2nd century BC. Work on the Chaitya Hall and the neighboring Vihara Hall was stopped early on due to water damage; around 500 AD (perhaps even earlier) the entire complex was abandoned.
architecture
Chaitya hall
Center of the convent is the dreischiffige Chaitya -Halle whose nave of (renewed) kapitelllosen octagonal pillars is supported; the barrel vault carved out of the rock ends in an apse dome . The two side aisles are vaulted by quarter tons and should form a kind of " access choir " around the stupa in the rear area of the central nave . The two front wooden arches in the central nave are possibly more than 2000 years old.
The palatial, symmetrical façade design with numerous balcony-like protrusions "secured" by fence reliefs ( vedikas ) , which provide an insight into the possibilities of timber construction at the time , is elaborate and extremely impressive . Numerous Chaitya windows (also known as chandrasalas ) with horseshoe arches and central keel arch cant , which give the whole thing an extremely representative character, offer apparent views into the interior of the “palace” . Figure decorations (mostly mithunas ) can only be found in the lower row of balconies, which are divided by false lattices ( jalis ) .
Residential cave No. 2
Immediately adjacent to the Chaitya Hall is an elaborately designed, almost square living cave ( vihara ) , the facade area of which, however, has broken away in the lower part. Decorative Chaitya false windows can be found both outside and over 14 of the total of 18 door openings inside. While the ceiling of the room, apparently supported by differently dimensioned “beams”, is finished according to the construction progress, the floor area is still in an unfinished state. None of the previously existing 4 octagonal pillars of the hall stands; one hangs from the ceiling, another has been renewed from pieces. The overall condition of the residential cave suggests that it was only used briefly, if at all.
Residential cave No. 3
The much smaller cave No. 3 has only 9 cells with stone beds. The entrance area of the cave has broken away, but three entrances can be seen.
Cave No. 4
There were also 9 monk cells in cave No. 4. In addition, there is a cistern carved into the rock .
More caves
Other caves are located a little away from the central monastery complex; they are not very impressive, but serve as an indication of the later use of the cave monastery.
literature
Web links
- Kondana Caves - Photos + Info (English)
- Kondana caves, inscriptions - photos + information (English)
Coordinates: 18 ° 50 ' N , 73 ° 23' E