Discovery of Buddhavana

Buddhavana a very significant pilgrimage place associated with the Buddhacārikā (sublime wandering of the Buddha) as mentioned by the 7th century monk-scholar from China Ven. Xuanzang has finally been located. Venerable Xuanzang in his travelogue Ta-Tʻang-His-Yü-Chi (Records of the Western Lands of the Great Tʻang Period) described a place called “Buddhavana” which he visited while going from Kukkuṭapāda Mountain (also Gurupada present day Gurpa) to Yaṣṭhivana (present day Jeṭhian) (fig-1). The Cave as described by Vnerable Xuanzang was on the steep side of precipitous hill where the Buddha stayed for one night. In subsequent centuries the Cave became a sacred place for the followers of the teachings of the Buddha. Some effort to locate Buddhavana was made by Grierson in the late 19th century and later by Sir Auriel Stein in 1899, but their efforts did not yield results. Over the last couple of years we have worked to discover Buddhavana and in the process we have explored many villages. In the month of June of this year, we began a fresh exploration along the strech of hills west of Jeṭhian (Fig-2). 

Incorrect identification of Buddhavana done by A. Cunningham in 1871.

Right identification of Jethian with Yasthivana by A. Stein. But  Stein made a wrong identification of Buddhavana by Sahpoor.

Correct identification of Buddhavana with Ayer-Pathri.

Map depicting identifications by Cunnungham and Stein and the recent identification.

Fig-1On Yuan Chwang’s Travels in India, Thomas Watters, Vol-2, p. 146

Fig-2-GIS Projection of Distance and Direction mentioned by Ven. Xuanzang (Hills in Green)

Identification of Kukkuṭapāda and Yaṣṭhivana

Kukkuṭapāda Mountain (also Gurupādagiri) and Yasṭi Wood (Yaṣṭhivana, Laṭṭhivanuyyāna, Laṭṭhivana) have been correctly been identified as Gurpa Hill (identified by R.D. Banerjee and Bloch in 1905, The Antiquarian Remains in Bihar by D.R. Patil p. 157) and Jeṭhian respectively (identified by A. Cunningham in 1871, The Antiquarian Remains in Bihar by D.R. Patil p. 187 ).

Read More- Efforts to involve the community of the Buddhavana

Identification of Ayer as Buddhavana

Distance and direction of the Buddhavana mentioned by Venerable Xuanzang takes us exactly to the vicinity of Ayer Village(24° 55’ 18 N, 85° 14’ 22 E). Venerable Xuanzang mentions Buddhavana to be above 100 Li NE from Kukkuṭapāda Mountain (Gurpa Hill, 24° 32’ 57 N, 85° 18’ 13 E ) and the Ayer Village is 40 km (aerial distance) north of Gurpa Hill. Venerable Xuanzang then went 30 Li eastward through the valley to Yaṣṭhivana (Jeṭhian, 24° 55’ 54 N, 85° 19’ 12 E ). Jeṭhian is exactly 9 km east of the Village Ayer inside the same valley.

The 'Buddhavana' Mountain

The Rock Shelter were the Buddha stayed for a night

The Cave by the steep side of the hill is surrounded by many brick stupas of various dimensions from ancient times. The whole hill has many scattered fragments of votive stupas and sandstone Buddha images. A couple of images even have inscriptions. At the base of the hill is a mound which is pregnant with antiquities. Further exploration and excavation at this site is needed. 

Ancient remains near the rock shelter

The cave surrounded by many ancient remains

"Goraiyan Sthan"- the place of sculpture collective in the village

People of Ayer village are very happy with this find and have now found the answer to why so many antiquities are found near the Cave. Community elders from the village have already made a move to safeguard the antiquities.



Shri Vijay Singh from Ayer village has been a great help in
exploration of the place

Ancient structures at the top of the hill

The flat stone by the cave where Lord Indra grinded Oxhead Sandal 
to rub over the Buddha’s body

A broken sandstone panel with a Buddhist creed inscription

Translation of the inscription by Dr. Gurram Srinivas Rao Rao, Epigraphist, ASI, Mysore
1. . . . . . ya tāthāgatōhyavada[t] yo nirodha . . . . . . . . .
2. . . . . . mahāśrama[ṇaḥ] yo dharma hetu prabhava hetu . . . .


Big mound at the base of the hill is pregnant with remains from the Buddhist past

Ancient bricks

Implications of the find and possible future course of action

Under the “Revival of Ancient Buddhist Pilgrimage in Bihar” by Nava Nalanda Mahavihara and Department of Youth, Art and Culture, Government of Bihar, effort is being made in the first phase to revive the pilgrimage path from Bodhgaya to Parwati connecting Pragbodhi, Gurpa, Jeṭhian, Rajgir and Nalanda as walked by Venerable Xuanzang. With the discovery of Buddhavana one big void of this stretch has been filled. Importantly, with this new find, we now know two sites namely Yaṣṭhivana (present Jethian) and Buddhavana (present Ayer) both associated with the Buddha are in the picturesque JeṭhianValley. This provides us an opportunity to develop the whole valley for the Buddhist pilgrimage. Already Hon’ble Chief Minister has revived the ancient PilgrimagePath from Rajgir to Jethian, a 14 Km stretch through the Rajgir valley. Maybe in the coming years, the pilgrimage path might be extended to the “Buddhavana Cave” at Ayer Village.

Another site in this stretch from Bodhgaya to Parwati, which is still undiscovered, is the place of Udraka Rāmaputra, under whom Siddhartha practiced meditation before attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree and becoming the Buddha. The place according to Venerable Xuanzang is somewhere on the way to Kukkuṭapādagiri (Gurpa) from Bodhgaya.



Children of Ayer village with broken Pala period sculpture scattered in the Village

Dr. R. Panth, Director, Nava Nalanda Mahavihara (Deemed University), Nalanda (center),
Prof. Rajesh Ranjan (left) at Buddhavana Mountain

Facebook Link of Buddhavana

Children and people of the village collecting broken, ancient bricks over the stupa remains