The Paunar sculptured panels stand in the small village of Paunar (also spelled Pavnar), on the Dham river in Wardha district, Vidarbha region, Maharashtra. Carved in stone and recovered over the years from the fields and riverbank beside Acharya Vinoba Bhave’s ashram, they are among Vidarbha’s best-known early sculptures, usually placed in the Gupta–Vakataka period. This guide gathers what is verified about the panels, the riverside fort, and the Paramdham Ashram (Brahma Vidya Mandir), and how to plan a calm half-day visit.
Paunar sits about 8–10 km from Wardha city and roughly 6 km from Sevagram, Gandhi’s wartime base, so most travellers reach it as a short add-on to a Wardha–Sevagram trip. The draw is twofold: a cluster of ancient stone panels displayed at and around the ashram, and the ashram itself, which Vinoba Bhave made his headquarters and where he died in 1982.
Key takeaways
- Paunar (Pavnar) is a village on the Dham river, a tributary of the Wardha river, in Wardha district, Maharashtra — not to be confused with Pauni, a separate ancient Buddhist-stupa site in Bhandara district.
- Sculptured stone panels, generally dated to the Gupta–Vakataka period (roughly 4th–6th centuries CE), were recovered over time while digging in fields near Vinoba Bhave’s ashram on the left bank of the Dham; many are now restored and displayed at the ashram.
- Epigraphist V. V. Mirashi photographed the panels in 1949 and linked them to a lost Ramachandra temple he attributed to the Vakataka king Pravarasena II.
- Whether Paunar was Pravarapura, a Vakataka capital, is contested: the older view (Mirashi) favoured Paunar, but Hans Bakker’s excavations at Mansar (near Ramtek) argue Pravarapura lay there. Treat the identification as unsettled.
- Paunar Fort, on the right bank of the Dham, is a centrally protected Monument of National Importance; the Archaeological Survey of India reported conservation plans for it in 2021.
- Vinoba Bhave established his ashram (Paramdham / Paunar Ashram) in 1938 in the Lal Bungalow built by Jamnalal Bajaj; the women’s community Brahma Vidya Mandir was founded there in 1959.
- The comfortable season is roughly October to February; Vidarbha summers are very hot. Carry cash and water, as village services are limited.
Paunar: what you are seeing
Paunar, also written Pavnar, is a village on the bank of the Dham river — a tributary of the Wardha river — in Wardha district, in the Vidarbha region of eastern Maharashtra. It lies roughly 8–10 km from Wardha city and about 6 km from Sevagram. Two very different things give the village its reputation: a body of ancient carved stone, and a living Gandhian ashram.
First, a disambiguation. Paunar (Wardha district) is not the same as Pauni, a separate and well-known ancient town in Bhandara district of Vidarbha famous for early Buddhist stupa remains; the two names look and sound alike but are different places. Within Wardha district itself, locals and signage use both “Paunar” and “Pavnar” for this one village, so you will see both spellings on maps, buses and books.
Because Paunar has been settled for a very long time, it is less a single monument than a layered place: a riverside fort, scattered and recovered sculptures, and an ashram built where older remains lay in the soil. Treat it as a quiet, reflective half-day rather than a ticketed tourist circuit.
The Vakataka-era sculptured panels
The Paunar panels are sculptured stone slabs and images that came to light over many years, chiefly while people were digging in the fields around Vinoba Bhave’s ashram on the left bank of the Dham. Because no archaeologist examined them at first, their importance went unrecognised for several years, according to the epigraphist V. V. Mirashi, who visited the site in 1949, photographed the panels, and presented them that year at the fifteenth session of the All-India Oriental Conference in Bombay.
Scholarly and local accounts describe a range of subjects among the Paunar material: narrative reliefs read as scenes from the Ramayana, an inscribed image of the river-goddess Ganga, and an image of Andhakantaka Shiva (Shiva as slayer of the demon Andhaka) are among the pieces reported from the site. The ashram, which displays restored sculptures for visitors, describes its holdings as about 1,500 years old and includes among them a Ganga image and a Ram–Bharat panel. Exact subject lists vary between sources, and some pieces have been moved or re-set over the decades, so confirm what is currently on display when you arrive.
On dating, most writers place the Paunar sculptures broadly in the Gupta–Vakataka horizon — roughly the 4th to 6th centuries CE, when the Vakataka dynasty ruled much of Vidarbha (about the 3rd to 5th centuries CE). Mirashi connected the panels to a Ramachandra (Rama) temple that he believed the Vakataka king Pravarasena II built at his capital; he noted, however, that the temple structure itself no longer survives. Because precise dates for individual panels rest on art-historical style rather than firm inscriptions, treat any single-century claim for a specific slab with caution.
Was Paunar the Vakataka capital Pravarapura?
You will often read that Paunar “was Pravarapura,” a capital of the Vakatakas founded by Pravarasena II. This identification is real in the scholarship but it is not settled, and an honest guide should say so.
The older view, argued by V. V. Mirashi in his standard edition of the Vakataka inscriptions, equated Pravarapura with modern Paunar near Wardha and linked the recovered sculptures to a temple there. Later, excavations led by the Dutch scholar Hans Bakker at Mansar, near Ramtek in Nagpur district, uncovered a palace-and-temple complex that his team identified with Pravarapura and the shrine Pravaresvara; those findings were published in the 2008 Groningen volume on Mansar. More recently, a 2024 article by Rohit Ukey in the journal Religions of South Asia (“Unravelling Paunar”) revisits the question and treats Paunar’s identity as still contested.
The safest summary for a traveller: Paunar is an important Vakataka-period site with genuine early sculpture, and it was proposed as Pravarapura by earlier scholars, but current opinion does not treat that identification as proven, and Mansar is the rival candidate. Enjoy the stones for what they certainly are — early Vidarbha sculpture — without assuming the “lost capital” label is confirmed.
Paunar Fort and its layers
Paunar Fort stands on the right bank of the Dham, built on a rise and ringed on more than one side by a deep bend of the river. It is a centrally protected Monument of National Importance, and in 2021 the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) reported that it had prepared estimates to conserve the fort, with work dependent on the release of government funds. The fort is roughly triangular, covering several acres, and one of the old town’s four gateways — a tall masonry gate on the Paunar–Sevagram road, carrying a partly broken Devanagari inscription — still stands.
Excavations at Paunar revealed a long cultural sequence spanning several periods, from an early phase with black-and-red and coarse red pottery (before iron) through an iron-using phase, a phase associated with the Vishnukundin dynasty (whose coins, including a hoard, were reported), and a medieval phase with glazed wares, dressed-stone fortification and a coin of Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Scholarly literature lists excavation work at Paunar in the late 1960s (reported for 1967–68, associated with S. B. Deo and M. K. Dhavalikar); exact field seasons and attributions vary between sources, so verify specifics against an excavation report if you need them.
The fort also carries a later history: Sir Richard Jenkins’s 1827 report on the Nagpur territories noted Paunar as a chief Mughal-era seat east of the Wardha with a resident faujdar; the Pindaris are recorded as sacking Paunar in 1807; and the place is referenced in Abul Fazl’s Ain-i-Akbari. The tomb of a Muslim saint, Hazrat Ahmed Kabeer, lies within the fort. The fort area is open ground rather than a managed ticketed site, so tread carefully and respect any ASI signage.
Paramdham Ashram and Brahma Vidya Mandir
The ashram at Paunar — usually called Paramdham Ashram or simply Paunar Ashram — grew out of the Lal Bungalow, a house built by the industrialist and Gandhian Jamnalal Bajaj on the bank of the Dham. Acharya Vinoba Bhave, Gandhi’s close associate and the man Gandhi chose as his first individual satyagrahi in 1940, set up his ashram here in 1938, and it became his long-term base.
From Paunar, Vinoba carried forward the Sarvodaya (“welfare of all”) programme and, from 1951, the Bhoodan (land-gift) movement, which he launched on 18 April 1951 at Pochampally in present-day Telangana and then spread across India on foot. Residents of the ashram have long practised a simple, self-reliant life — hand-spinning, manual labour, and a low-input “rishi kheti” style of farming.
Within the ashram, the Brahma Vidya Mandir was founded in 1959 as a self-sufficient spiritual community, created so that women who had walked with Vinoba on the Bhoodan padayatra could sustain their own disciplined community life; it has since been described as a small community (on the order of a couple of dozen members), with some men later also joining. Vinoba Bhave died at Paunar on 15 November 1982. The ashram remains a working community and a place of quiet observance, not a monument — so visit respectfully, keep noise down, and ask before photographing residents or private areas.
Best time to visit
The comfortable season to visit Paunar is roughly October to February, when Vidarbha’s weather is at its mildest. Summers here are among the hottest in India and the pre-monsoon months are harsh for sightseeing, while the monsoon can make riverbank and field ground muddy.
Specific long-term temperature and rainfall normals for Paunar itself were not confirmed from an official source for this guide, so the table gives qualitative, regionally typical guidance for the Wardha area rather than precise figures; reconfirm the forecast before you travel.
| Season | Months | Conditions | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | October–February | Mild, dry days; cooler mornings and evenings | Best for the sculptures, fort and ashram; carry a light layer in December–January |
| Summer | March–June | Very hot; Vidarbha regularly records some of India’s highest temperatures | Early starts only; avoid midday; carry water and sun protection |
| Monsoon | June–September | Rain spells; the Dham and field ground can be muddy or slippery | Green riverside scenery, but watch footing near the river and fort |
How to reach Paunar
Reach Paunar via Wardha city, about 8–10 km away, from where auto-rickshaws, local buses and taxis run to the village; it also sits close to Sevagram on the Wardha–Sevagram road. Paunar has no airport or railway station of its own, so you arrive through Wardha.
- By air: The nearest major airport is at Nagpur (Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport), the big regional hub, from where you can drive or take a train or bus to Wardha. Confirm the exact road distance and current flights before you plan around them.
- By rail: Wardha Junction is a significant station on the Central Railway trunk network, well connected to Nagpur, Mumbai and other cities; Sevagram station nearby is also useful. Check live trains on IRCTC or NTES before travel.
- By road: Wardha is linked by national and state highways to Nagpur and the wider Vidarbha road network. From Wardha city, Paunar is a short drive on the Sevagram road; shared autos and buses are the usual local options.
| From | To | Distance (approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wardha city | Paunar | ~8–10 km | Auto, bus or taxi; short drive on the Sevagram road |
| Sevagram | Paunar | ~6 km | Pair with Gandhi’s Sevagram Ashram |
| Nagpur | Wardha | Regional hub to the north-east | Nearest major airport; confirm road/rail distance live |
If you are building a wider itinerary, see our Maharashtra travel guide for how Vidarbha fits into a longer state trip.
What to see and do, and a half-day plan
Paunar works best as a compact half-day combining the sculptures, the ashram and the riverside fort, usually bolted onto a Wardha–Sevagram day. The sights lie close together around the village and the Dham, so you need a vehicle to reach Paunar but little more than walking once there.
| Sight | What it is | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Displayed sculptures at the ashram | Restored Gupta–Vakataka-era stone panels and images, including a Ganga image and a Ram–Bharat panel | 30–45 min |
| Paramdham Ashram / Brahma Vidya Mandir | Vinoba Bhave’s base; a working Gandhian community by the Dham | 30–45 min |
| Paunar Fort | Riverside, ASI-protected fort with a surviving inscribed gateway | 30–45 min |
| Dham riverbank | Quiet river setting that ties the site together | 15–20 min |
Suggested half-day plan:
- Start from Wardha or Sevagram in the morning to beat the heat.
- Visit the ashram first, see the displayed sculptures, and observe its routine quietly.
- Walk to the Dham riverbank and across toward the fort; find the surviving old gateway with its Devanagari inscription.
- Finish by late morning and return to Wardha for lunch, or continue the short distance to Sevagram Ashram.
Where to stay
Stay in Wardha city, as Paunar village itself has little formal tourist accommodation. Wardha offers the usual range of small-town Indian lodging, and Sevagram has simple ashram-style stays geared to Gandhian visitors. The notes below are indicative; reconfirm current options and tariffs when you book.
- Budget: basic lodges and guesthouses in Wardha town; simple rooms of variable quality.
- Mid-range: business and mid-tier hotels in Wardha with air-conditioning and in-house dining — useful given the summer heat.
- Ashram and simple stays: Sevagram has austere, rule-bound accommodation intended for those engaging with its Gandhian work; it is not a conventional hotel, so check norms in advance.
Because Paunar is a day-trip sight, most visitors base in Wardha or treat the whole area as a day out from Nagpur.
Food to try
Eat Vidarbha-style Maharashtrian food around Wardha, a cuisine known for being notably spicy. There are no famous dishes unique to Paunar village itself, so plan meals in Wardha where more eateries cluster.
- Varhadi (Vidarbha) thali — the regional plate, typically fiery and generous with chilli and garlic.
- Jowar/bajra bhakri (millet flatbreads) with pithla (a gram-flour curry) or spiced vegetables.
- Thecha, a hot crushed green-chilli and garlic relish, served alongside.
- Simple vegetarian meals near Sevagram suit visitors doing the Gandhi circuit; carry water and snacks for Paunar itself, where options are limited.
Budget breakdown
A visit to Paunar is inexpensive and dominated by local transport rather than entry costs; the ashram and fort are not conventional ticketed attractions. The table is a per-person planning estimate for one day from a Wardha base and should be reconfirmed, as prices change.
| Item | Indicative cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Local transport (Wardha–Paunar–Sevagram) | Low | Shared auto/bus; higher if you hire a private car for the loop |
| Ashram / sculptures | No ticket reported | A working ashram, not a paid attraction; donations may be welcomed |
| Fort entry | No ticket reported | Open ASI-protected ground; respect signage |
| Meals and water | Modest | Simple thali and snacks in Wardha |
| Guide (optional) | Negotiable | Arrange locally; no official tariff verified |
Permits, photography and rules
No special permit (such as an Inner Line Permit or protected-area pass) is needed to visit Paunar; it is an open village in mainland Maharashtra. A few sensible rules still apply because you are dealing with a living ashram and a protected monument.
- Ashram etiquette: Brahma Vidya Mandir is a community of residents at prayer and work, not a show. Keep quiet, dress modestly, follow any posted norms, and always ask before photographing residents or entering private quarters.
- Photography: Outdoor photography of the fort, river and displayed sculptures is generally fine, but confirm any restrictions at the ashram before shooting indoors or near residents.
- Drones: Flying a drone over an ASI-protected monument needs prior permission under DGCA and ASI rules; do not assume it is allowed at the fort.
- Conduct and eco-rules: Do not touch, climb on or lean against the ancient carvings or fort walls; carry out your litter; single-use plastic is restricted across Maharashtra.
Practical tips
Plan Paunar as a short, self-contained stop with what you need carried in, because the village has limited services. A few practical notes:
- Connectivity and cash: Mobile coverage is generally available, but carry some cash, as UPI and card acceptance in a small village cannot be assumed; draw money in Wardha.
- Health: The nearest well-equipped hospitals are in Wardha city (which also hosts major medical institutions); carry a basic kit, water and sun protection, especially in summer.
- Heat: From March to June the region is very hot; visit early in the day and rest at midday.
- River safety: The Dham banks can be slippery, especially in and just after the monsoon; keep children close and do not wade into the river.
- Solo and women travellers: Paunar is a quiet village; visit in daylight, use registered transport from Wardha, and keep to populated areas near the ashram and village.
- Packing: light cottons and a hat in summer, a light layer for winter mornings, sturdy footwear for the fort ground, and a rain cover in the monsoon.
Nearby places
Paunar pairs naturally with Wardha’s Gandhian circuit and the wider Vidarbha region, letting you build a comfortable one- to two-day loop. Distances below are approximate; confirm on a map before you set out.
| Place | Distance (approx.) | Why go |
|---|---|---|
| Sevagram Ashram | ~6 km | Gandhi’s wartime base (from 1936); the natural pairing with Paunar |
| Wardha city | ~8–10 km | Gandhian institutions, the Vishwa Shanti (Geddes/Magan Sangrahalaya) sites and transport hub |
| Nagpur | Regional hub to the north-east | Nearest major airport and city; museums and onward travel — confirm distance live |
| Ramtek / Mansar area | Beyond Nagpur (confirm distance) | Vakataka-period sites, including the Mansar excavations tied to the Pravarapura debate |
Frequently asked questions
Where is Paunar and what is it known for?
Paunar (also spelled Pavnar) is a village on the Dham river in Wardha district, Vidarbha, Maharashtra, about 8–10 km from Wardha city and roughly 6 km from Sevagram. It is known for ancient Gupta–Vakataka-era sculptured stone panels recovered near Vinoba Bhave’s ashram, for the riverside Paunar Fort, and for the Paramdham Ashram (Brahma Vidya Mandir) where Vinoba Bhave lived and died.
What are the Paunar sculptures and where can I see them?
They are carved stone panels and images, generally dated to the Gupta–Vakataka period (roughly 4th–6th centuries CE), found over the years while digging in the fields near the ashram on the left bank of the Dham. Reported subjects include Ramayana scenes, an inscribed image of the goddess Ganga and an image of Andhakantaka Shiva. Many restored pieces are displayed at the ashram; confirm what is currently on view when you arrive.
Was Paunar the Vakataka capital Pravarapura?
It is debated. The older view, argued by V. V. Mirashi, identified Paunar with Pravarapura, a capital linked to Pravarasena II. Later excavations by Hans Bakker at Mansar, near Ramtek, identified that site with Pravarapura instead, and a 2024 study by Rohit Ukey treats Paunar’s identity as still contested. Paunar is certainly an important Vakataka-period site, but the “lost capital” label is not proven.
What is Paramdham Ashram and Brahma Vidya Mandir?
Paramdham (or Paunar) Ashram is the Gandhian ashram Vinoba Bhave established at Paunar in 1938, in the Lal Bungalow built by Jamnalal Bajaj on the Dham. From here Vinoba led the Sarvodaya programme and the Bhoodan land-gift movement (launched 18 April 1951 at Pochampally). Brahma Vidya Mandir, founded within the ashram in 1959, is a self-sufficient spiritual community. It is a living community, so visit respectfully and ask before photographing residents.
How do I reach Paunar?
Travel via Wardha, about 8–10 km away. Wardha Junction is well connected by rail to Nagpur, Mumbai and other cities, and the nearest major airport is Nagpur. From Wardha, take an auto-rickshaw, bus or taxi on the Sevagram road to Paunar. Paunar has no airport or station of its own. Confirm live train times and road distances before you travel.
What is the best time to visit Paunar?
October to February is the most comfortable window, when Vidarbha’s weather is mild and dry. Summers (March–June) are very hot — the region records some of India’s highest temperatures — so visit early in the day if you come then. The monsoon (June–September) brings greener riverside scenery but muddy, slippery ground near the Dham and the fort.
Is Paunar the same as Pauni?
No. Paunar (Pavnar) is in Wardha district and is known for Vakataka-era sculptures and the Vinoba Bhave ashram. Pauni is a different ancient town, in Bhandara district of Vidarbha, known chiefly for early Buddhist stupa remains. The names are similar but the places are distinct, so check the district when planning.
Last updated and sources
Paunar rewards travellers drawn to early Indian sculpture and to Gandhian history rather than big-ticket sightseeing; come between October and February, pair it with Sevagram, and give the sculptures, ashram and riverside fort an unhurried half-day — while treating the “Vakataka capital” claim as debated rather than settled.
Last updated: 2 November 2026. Fees, timings, access and identifications change — reconfirm with official and scholarly sources before you travel.
Sources: V. V. Mirashi, Inscriptions of the Vakatakas (Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. V), on the Paunar panels and the Pravarapura/Ramachandra-temple attribution, via The Indian Analyst (whatisindia.com); The Hitavada, “Archaeological Survey of India to conserve Paunar Fort” (2021), on the fort, its ASI status, the excavation sequence and the Vaishnava-temple sculptures (thehitavada.com); Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation, Paunar Ashram page, on the Lal Bungalow, the 1938 ashram, Brahma Vidya Mandir (1959) and the displayed sculptures (jamnalalbajajfoundation.org); Wikipedia, “Vinoba Bhave,” on Brahma Vidya Mandir, the Bhoodan movement (18 April 1951, Pochampally) and his death (15 November 1982, Pavnar) (en.wikipedia.org); University of Groningen / Hans Bakker project on Mansar and the 2008 volume Mansar: The Discovery of Pravaresvara and Pravarapura, on the rival identification of Pravarapura (rug.nl); Rohit Ukey, “Unravelling Paunar,” Religions of South Asia (2024), on the contested identification (journal.equinoxpub.com). Accessed November 2026.
