Amaravati Buddhist Monastery

Major Theravada Buddhist monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition and an international centre for meditation and monastic practice. The site is in Great Gaddesden, Hertfordshire, England. The monastery was established in the early 1980s and developed as a permanent centre of the Thai Forest monastic tradition in Britain; its purpose-built temple was completed in 1999.

Amaravati was established in the early 1980s as a permanent home for a Theravada monastic community in the Thai Forest Tradition associated with Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho. The English Sangha Trust acquired the site, and the monastery formally opened in 1985. A purpose-built temple was opened in 1999.

Monastic discipline, meditation, teachings and retreats make Amaravati a significant international Buddhist practice centre rather than simply an architectural attraction. Architecturally, the site is associated with Contemporary Buddhist monastic complex. This is a living sacred place rather than a museum only.

Public access normally sits alongside worship, prayer or community activity, so current visitor information from the governing institution is the most reliable guide before travelling.