Amaravathi- One of the Greatest Buddhist Sites

Chandrababu Naidu’s return as Andhra Pradesh CM brings the spotlight back on Amaravati, one of the most important sites of Buddhism in South Asia.

Amaravathi and the Making of Andhra Buddhism

• Buddhism in the Andhra Region: Buddhism emerged in the fifth century BCE in the ancient kingdom of Magadh, located in the eastern Ganges plain of Southern Bihar. It appears to have reached the Andhra region in the Krishna River Valley fairly early on, mainly through trade. 
  • The real impetus to Andhra Buddhism though, came in the 3rd century BCE when the emperor Ashoka set up an inscription in the region. 
• Thrive: Buddhism had thrived in the region for almost six centuries till about the 3rd century CE. Although, in isolated sites such as Amaravathi, Nagarjunakonda, Jaggayapeta, Salihundam and Sankaram, the religion seems to have lingered on till as late as the 14th century CE.
• Significance of Amaravathi: It was the birthplace of Mahayana Buddhism. 
  • Acharya Nagarjuna who propounded the Madhyamika philosophy which is the basis of Mahayana Buddhism, lived in Amaravathi for a long time, and his teachings brought about a significant shift in the practice of Buddhism. 
  • From Amaravathi, Mahayana Buddhism spread across South Asia, China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. Before the cultural revolution in China in 1969, Mahayana Buddhism was the largest faith in the world.

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Distinctive Features of Buddhism developed in Andhra Region

• Important Patrons: In North India, there are so many legends about Buddha talking to king Bimbisara or Ajatashatru, in contrast, Andhra don’t have a lot of legends about royal patronage. Merchants were important patrons of the Amaravathi Stupa.
  • At Amaravathi, patrons came from a broad cross-section of society, especially traders, craftsmen and wandering monks who were involved in accepting and spreading Buddhism.
• Easy Absorption of Local Practices into the Buddhist Doctrines: The whole concept of the Buddhist stupa here seems to have been a natural transition from the existing practice of venerating the dead in megalithic burials. 
  • • Megaliths were massive stones set up over pits in which the dead were buried, and are said to have been predecessors of the Buddhist stupas which were commemorative monuments housing the relics of Buddhist monks. 
  • Other local forms of religious expression popular in the Andhra region such as Goddess and Naga (snake) worship were also incorporated into the Buddhist corpus.
• Aesthetic Sculptures: The largest quantity of highly aesthetic sculpture which encased the drum of the stupa and their sheer scale is quite unparalleled.
  • They were sculpted on a special kind of limestone called Palnad marble, which allowed very fine and intricate carvings.
• No External Influence: There is yet no evidence that there was any external influence on the art at Amaravathi, unlike Mathura and Gandhara where there was a lot of Graeco-Roman influence.
• Material Used: White marble
• Carving of Sculpture: In a naturalistic manner. 
  • Example: Taming of an elephant by the Buddha.
• Reflects: Narratives theme based on life of Buddha and Jataka stories
• Depiction: Buddha is depicted both in human as well as in animal form
  • Both religious and secular images were present.
• Elegant and Sophisticated: The sculptured panels of Amaravati are characterised by delicacy of forms and linear grace. Numerous scenes of dance and music adorn these reliefs.

The Amaravathi School of Art and its Influence

• It is regarded as one of the three most important styles of ancient Indian art along with Mathura and Gandhara.
• Amaravathi stupa is popularly known to be the “jewel in the crown of early Indian art”.
• Made Influence on World: It went on to influence Buddhist artistic productions in several other parts of India, such as the Ajanta caves, as well as other parts of South and Southeast Asia. 

The Decline of Amaravathi, and Buddhism, in Andhra Region

• Rise of Shaivism: Chinese travelers who came to Andhra in the seventh century CE found that the stupas were on a decline but the Shiva temples were thriving, and receiving patronage from aristocrats and royals.
• Socio-economic Conditions: The appeal of Buddhism among traders lay in its emphasis on a casteless society, which meant fewer barriers to conducting commerce. The religion underwent a decline six centuries later with the economic degradation of the region.
• Colonial Interest in the Monument: Following Mackenzie’s survey, a considerable number of sculptures were removed from the site and sent to places like Masulipatam, Calcutta, London, and Madras.
• No Priority for Conservation: In the early 19th century when Amaravathi was first surveyed, the conservation of ancient monuments was hardly a priority among government circles. 
  • Indeed, the local people had regarded the old stupa as convenient sources of building materials, while British officials also used them for construction of canals and roads.
  • The British made the first landscape drawings of the Amaravathi Heritage Town, but never excavated Amaravathi Stupa in a systematic way.
• Lack of Consciousness: Lack of consciousness among Indians, especially Andhra people about their own heritage is equally responsible for the decline of the “largest Buddhist stupa in South Asia.”
• Scattered Across the World: Today the sculptures from the Amaravathi stupa and other sites in Andhra are scattered across the world. 
  • While the British Museum has one of the largest collections, they can also be found in Chicago, Paris, New York, Chennai and New Delhi among others.
    • In recent years Australia remains to be the only country to have returned a stolen Amaravathi style sculpture from Chandavaram. 
    • Australia returned the sculpture because of their own policies on provenance research and repatriation.

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