Jetavan Spiritual Center

Sameep Padora & Associates - Sakharwadi, Maharashtra - 2016

Key words: Ambedkar, Basalt, Community, Courtyards, Fly ash, Meditation, Rammed, Repurposed

CENTER EXTERIOR - Photography: © Edmund Sumner

The Jetavana Buddhist Learning Centre in rural Maharashtra reinterprets Buddhist mythology and Ambedkarite identity into an architecture of restraint, ecology, and social empowerment. Named after the historic Jetvana monastery, the project functions as both a spiritual anchor for meditation and yoga and as a skill-development hub for the local Dalit Baudh Ambedkar Buddhist community. The design takes its cue from the thickly forested site, adopting a non-invasive strategy that avoids the removal of trees. Instead, six buildings are interwoven into the grove, linked by courtyards that provide both social and spiritual continuity.

The architecture emphasises porosity and dialogue with nature: inverted roof profiles frame the foliage, while lifted rooflines enhance ventilation and scale the structures toward the courtyards. Beyond environmental sensitivity, the project demonstrates a material ethic rooted in sustainability and local traditions. Collaborating with Hunnarshala, the team used rammed basalt dust walls, waste fly ash from a nearby factory, and repurposed wood from shipping vessels, all combined with clay roof tiles and mud-dung flooring laid by local craftsmen.

Jetavana critically challenges the stereotypical “image” of regional vernacular by reframing local materiality for contemporary needs. It embodies a holistic synthesis of ecology, spirituality, and social inclusion, offering a model for community-centred, context-responsive Buddhist architecture.