Salihundam Monastery

INDIA, Andhra Pradesh, Salihundam

Salihundam is the site of a large Buddhist monastic complex on the south bank of the Vamsadhara River, 5 km west of Kalingapatnam. It is thought that the monastery was founded around the 2nd century BCE and continued until the 12th century. It has been suggested that Buddhism was spread from here to Southeast Asia.
There are the remains of a large stupa on the summit of the hill with smaller ones nearby. Apart from the stupas, the main buildings in the monastic complex were viharas, an assembly hall, and apsidal and circular caityas. The apsidal caitya contained a seated image of the Buddha and a number of Vajrayana stone sculptures. There were also large Buddha statues made from brick and mortar and covered in stucco. Stone caskets with reliquaries containing bones were discovered in one of the smaller stupas. All that remains today are the bases of the stupas, ruins of apsidal and circular caityas, and low walls outlining the main buildings.