Location | Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, India |
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Coordinates | 16°34′28″N80°21′29″E / 16.5745°N 80.3581°E |
Type | Archaeological Museum |
The Amaravathi Archaeological Museum is a museum located in, a village in of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It features an impressive collection of relics that span thousands of years, primarily reflecting the region's history from the 3rd century B.C. It houses sculptures from the Mahachaitya (the Giant Stupa), providing insights into ancient Buddhist art and culture. It includes a model of the reconstructed Mahachaitya in its courtyard. Visitors can explore various galleries that showcase significant artifacts, including life-size Buddha statues and intricate carvings, representing the rich artistic traditions of Amaravathi.
The Archaeological Museum in Amaravati houses a wealth of relics dating back thousands of years, unearthed through extensive excavations. Its collections reflect the rich history of Amaravati, particularly from the 3rd century B.C., including sculptures that were part of the Mahachaitya (the Giant Stupa). [1] The site was first discovered by Colonel Mackenzie in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, [2] leading to significant archaeological efforts by Smith and Elliot (1985), [3] Sewell (1877), [4] James Burgess (1881), [5] and Alexander Rea (1888-89, 1905-06, 08-09) to uncover sculptural remains. [6] In the post-independence period, further excavations were carried out by Subramaniyam and Krishnamurthy (1958-59), Karthikeya Sharma (1974-75) in Amaravati, and Venkataramayya and Raghavachary (1962-65) in Dharanikota, [7] enhancing the understanding of the architectural and historical significance of the Mahachaitya and the Dharanikota citadel. [8]
The Key Gallery presents important examples of Amaravati's artistic traditions. The lotus and Puranakumbha motifs symbolize auspiciousness and abundance. Two drum slabs in bas relief illustrate the structure of stupas, while the early representation of Buddha is depicted symbolically, including a "Svastika" on a cushioned seat beneath the Bodhi tree. Notably, the life-size standing Buddha, dated to the 8th century A.D., is a significant piece in this gallery. [9]
Gallery II features a life-size standing image of Buddha characterized by the Maha Purusha Lakshanas (Marks of a Great Man). Among the remarkable pieces, a beautifully carved round panel depicts the episode of Rahula's presentation to Buddha by his father, King Suddhodana. This gallery also includes drum and dome slabs related to stupa worship, alongside various antiquities like gold coins and beads from that period. [9]
Gallery III showcases sculptures from the 2nd century B.C., including a Yakshi of Bharhut tradition, a stele with labeled panels, and a fragment of Asoka's pillar edict. Other notable exhibits include images of Buddha from Alluru, the Dharma Chakra from Lingarajapalli, Bodhisattvas, and a dome slab representing the Three Jewels of Buddhism (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) through a Bodhi tree and stupas. The centerpiece is a couple in round, exemplifying the vitality of Amaravati art during the Satavahana period. Additionally, the life-size Nandishwara (bull) from the same period is a highlight of this gallery. [10]
The museum's courtyard features a model of the stupa and reconstructed railing, illustrating key moments such as Gautama Siddhartha's departure, the return of the horse Kanthaka, and the story of Nalagiri, the royal elephant of Ajata Satru. The courtyard displays panels depicting female devotees worshipping Buddha's feet, alongside Jataka tales like Mandhata Chaddanta, Vessantara, and Losaka. Notable pieces include earlier representations of Ganesa and Ganesani and a panel illustrating the division of Buddha's relics among disputing princes. [9]
Amaravati is the legislative capital and the de facto seat of government of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Sarnath is a place located 10 kilometres northeast of Varanasi, near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Sanchi Stupa is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometers from Raisen town, district headquarter and 46 kilometres (29 mi) north-east of Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh.
In Buddhism, a stupa is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics that is used as a place of meditation.
Buddhist symbolism is the use of symbols to represent certain aspects of the Buddha's Dharma (teaching). Early Buddhist symbols which remain important today include the Dharma wheel, the Indian lotus, the three jewels and the Bodhi tree.
Amaravathi is a village located on the banks of the Krishna River in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It serves as the administrative centre of Amaravathi mandal and is part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region. The state's newly planned capital city, Amaravati, located 35 km (22 mi) to the east, derives its name from this historic village.
Bharhut is a village located in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, central India. It is known for its famous relics from a Buddhist stupa. What makes Bharhut panels unique is that each panel is explicitly labelled in Brahmi characters mentioning what the panel depicts. The major donor for the Bharhut stupa was King Dhanabhuti.
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Sculpture in the Indian subcontinent, partly because of the climate of the Indian subcontinent makes the long-term survival of organic materials difficult, essentially consists of sculpture of stone, metal or terracotta. It is clear there was a great deal of painting, and sculpture in wood and ivory, during these periods, but there are only a few survivals. The main Indian religions had all, after hesitant starts, developed the use of religious sculpture by around the start of the Common Era, and the use of stone was becoming increasingly widespread.
Ratnagiri is the site of a ruined mahavihara, once the major Buddhist monastery in modern Odisha, India. It is located on a hill in between the Brahmani and Birupa rivers in Jajpur district. It is close to other Buddhist sites in the area, including Lalitagiri and Udayagiri, and 100 km (62 mi) from the state capital Bhubaneswar and 70km from the former state capital Cuttack.
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The Amaravati Collection, sometimes called the Amaravati Marbles, is a series of 120 sculptures and inscriptions in the British Museum from the Amaravati Stupa in Amaravathi, Guntur in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Amaravati artefacts entered the Museum's collection in the 1880s. The Amaravati sculptures were sometimes also called the Elliot Marbles on account of their association in with Sir Walter Elliot, who had them removed from the site to Madras in the 1840s.
Buddhavanam is a tourism project in Nagarjuna Sagar, Telangana created by the Telangana Tourism Development Corporation. The project was sanctioned by the Government of India viz., Integrated Development of Nagarjunasagar as part of Lower Krishna valley Buddhist circuit with a view to attract large number of domestic and foreign tourists particularly from the South-East Asian countries.
Amarāvati Stupa is a ruined Buddhist stūpa at the village of Amaravathi, Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh, India, probably built in phases between the third century BCE and about 250 CE. It was enlarged and new sculptures replaced the earlier ones, beginning in about 50 CE. The site is under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India, and includes the stūpa itself and the Archaeological Museum.
Chandavaram Buddhist site is an ancient Indian Buddhist site in Chandavaram village in Prakasam district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Situated on the bank of Gundlakamma River, the site is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northwest of Donakonda railway station. The Chandavaram Buddhist site was built between the 2nd century BCE and the 2nd century CE during the Satavahana dynasty and was discovered by Veluri Venkata Krishna Sastry in 1964.
The Dhyana Buddha is a statue of Gautama Buddha seated in a meditative posture located in Amaravathi, Andhra Pradesh, India. Completed in 2015, the statue is 125 ft (38 m) tall and is occupies a 4.5-acre site on the banks of the Krishna River. It is embellished with modern reproductions of sculptures from the Amaravati School of art which flourished in the region from 200 BC to 200 AD.
Ancient Indian architecture ranges from the Indian Bronze Age to around 800 CE. By this endpoint Buddhism in India had greatly declined, and Hinduism was predominant, and religious and secular building styles had taken on forms, with great regional variation, which they largely retain even after some forceful changes brought about by the arrival of first Islam, and then Europeans.
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