An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c19.s12.t2.2

v1.c19.s12.t2.2

In Buddha’s life-time itself some of his devotees offered *ārāmas* or parks to the community. These had not only enclosures but also structures inside as is evident from the reliefs of the Jetavanārāma in the sculptures of the 2nd century B.C. from Bharhut and AMARAVATI. The Jetavanārāma of ŚRĀVASTĪ and the Ghoṣitārāma of KAUŚĀMBĪ have been identified on the basis of epigraphical evidence, while excavation at the site of the Jīvakāmravaṇa at RAJGIR have disclosed the full plan of one of the earliest settlements datable to the 6th-5th century B.C. Consisting of a few halls, mostly elliptical on plan, the Jīvakāmravaṇa monastery has no *stūpa* or any other place of worship within it.