The ancient Buddhist complex is situated at Ambaran village near
Akhnoor in
Jammu District and is on the right bank of the mighty
Chenab River. Excavations here had unearthed a part of the monastic complex and a Buddhist stupa.
Noteworthy findings from this site include silver coins, gold leaves, a tooth probably of Buddha enshrined in a casket and terracotta parts of human figures that are thought to have had embellished the walls of the monastic complex once. A definite Indo - Greek influence on the Buddhist culture of 4th to 6th century AD can be deduced form the terracotta remains. It is believed that the long enclosure walls of a monastery and shrine found at the site were built in the 2nd century AD and were repaired occasionally as the Chenab River runs amok during flash floods. These untimely floods have ultimately forced the abandonment of the site in the 6th century.
The site is 26 km from the city of Jammu and forms a major center of the Buddhist circuits in Northern India.
