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BUDDHIST SITE · GUPTA ERA · ARAVALLIDev ni Mori
A sunken stupa and the finest Buddhist archaeology in Gujarat — Dev ni Mori, the 4th-century CE site whose extraordinary Gupta-era sculptures now rest at the Vadodara Museum.
Gujarat's finest Buddhist site
Dev ni Mori represents one of the most important chapters in Gujarat’s pre-Islamic religious history: a major 4th–5th century CE Buddhist stupa complex in the Meshvo valley. Excavated in the 1960s before the Meshvo reservoir submerged the site, Dev ni Mori yielded extraordinary finds — a sculptural corpus of Gupta-period Buddhist art that includes terracotta figures of rare quality, inscribed copper caskets containing Buddha relics, and architectural fragments that speak to a sophisticated Buddhist artistic tradition in ancient Gujarat.
The physical site is now beneath the Meshvo Reservoir. The finds are at the Vadodara Museum — essential viewing for anyone tracing Gujarat’s Buddhist heritage. (Museum at Vadodara. Reservoir area accessible.)
Illustration — Dev ni Mori stupa, Aravalli.
From a riverside experiment to the road to freedom
Illustration — Dev ni Mori, Aravalli.
A major Buddhist stupa complex rises in the Meshvo valley of present-day Aravalli.
The site produces terracotta and sculpture of exceptional Gupta-era quality.
Archaeologists excavate and document the site before the reservoir floods it.
The relics are preserved and displayed at the Vadodara Museum.
Reasons to make the time
Archaeology
Gupta-era Buddhist.
Submerged
Beneath the reservoir.
Relics
Copper caskets, terracotta.
History
Buddhist Gujarat.
Museum
Vadodara — essential.
Discovery
An unusual site.
What to look for inside
Dev ni Mori
4th-century CE.
Vadodara Museum
Gupta Buddhist art.
How to spend an hour or two
Visit Meshvo Reservoir
See the submerged site.
Go to Vadodara Museum
The actual finds.
Study Gupta sculpture
Extraordinary quality.
Pair with Shamlaji
Aravalli spiritual circuit.
Read the history
Buddhist Gujarat.
A moving stop
Rare and unusual.
Illustration — Dev ni Mori Buddhist site.
Gupta-era Buddhist stupa
Dev ni Mori was a 4th–5th century CE Buddhist stupa complex — excavated before flooding in 1969 and yielding Gupta-era terracotta, copper reliquary caskets and carved architectural fragments now at the Vadodara Museum. (Illustrated emblem; reservoir area accessible.)
4th–5th century CE Gupta-period Buddhist stupa
Terracotta sculptures of exceptional quality
Copper reliquary caskets with Buddha relics
Submerged 1969; finds at Vadodara Museum
When to go
Cool & clear — ideal.
Lush; roads may flood.
Hot; early mornings.
⏰ October to March is ideal for Aravalli.
Timings & entry
- Open daytime hours
- Cool season best
- Morning ideal
- Check locally
- Check locally
- Good road connections
- Combine places
- Cool months best
Getting there
By Air
Ahmedabad airport (~130 km).
By Rail
Himmatnagar / Modasa.
By Road
NH-48 / Modasa.
What to eat in Aravalli
LOCAL FLAVOURS
Hearty Gujarati thalis, famous farsan and roadside street food.
Gujarati Thali
Hearty home cooking.
Farsan
Gujarat's famous snacks.
Street food
Local dhabas.
Adivasi cuisine
Millets and forest produce.
Know before you go
More to see close by
Meshvo Backwaters
Quiet, birdrich shores away from the temple crowds
Bhiloda
A forested town in the Aravallis
Shamlaji Carvings
Marvel at the temple's intricate sculptural panels
Harishchandra Chori
◐ Carved stone
Aravalli Ridges
Rolling green hill country of the district
Shamlaji Sculpture Heritage
Where to eat around the ashram
Gujarati Thali
Hearty home cooking.
Farsan
Gujarat's famous snacks.
Street food
Local dhabas.
A vegetarian region
Aravalli's kitchens lean hearty and vegetarian — thalis, farsan and tribal millet dishes abound.
Dev ni Mori FAQ
Can I see the stupa?
No — it's submerged in the reservoir.
Where are the relics?
Vadodara Museum.
Is this a temple?
A Buddhist stupa — 4th-century CE.
Entry?
Free; museum has nominal entry.
When?
October to March.
How long?
A morning.
Related places across Gujarat
Zarwani & Ninai
Forest cascades that roar in the monsoon
Velavadar
~42 km
Kabir Mandir
The serene shrine on Kabirvad island
Meshvo Lake
A calm dam-lake beside the Shamlaji temple
Gadhada Swaminarayan
Where Swaminarayan lived for decades
Jafrabad Fort
Sea-battered ramparts above the harbour
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