| Buddhist Sculptures - Amravati |
| Amaravati is a small town situated on the banks of the River Krishna 65 km from Vijayawada in the Guntur District. Amravati is famous for the Buddhist sculptures all over the world. Amravati is also famous for the Buddhist sculptures all over the world. It was also the capital of Satavahanas, the first great Andhra kings who ruled from the 2nd century BCE to the 3rd century CE, after the downfall of Maurya empire. |
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| According to Vajrayana traditional sources the Buddha preached at Dharanikota/Dhanyakatakam and conducted Kalachakra ceremony, which would take the antiquity of Amaravati back to 500 BCE.[2]. Taranatha, the Buddhist monk writes: "On the full moon of the month Caitra in the year following his enlightenment, at the great stupa of Dhanyakataka, Buddha emanated the mandala of "The Glorious Lunar Mansions" (Kalachakra).[3] This shows that Dhanyakatakam (Amaravati) was a very important place a the time of composition of this tantra. |
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| The recorded history of Amaravati and nearby Dharanikota is from 2nd century BCE.[4] It was the capital of Andhra Satavahanas who ruled from 2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE. After the decline of Satavahanas, Andhra Ikshvakus and later Pallava kings ruled Krishna river valley. Subsequently, Eastern Chalukyas and Telugu Cholas held sway over the region. Kota Kings were in control of Amaravati during the medieval times. Kota kings were subdued by Kakatiyas in 11th century CE and Amaravati became part of the unified Telugu empire. |
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| The origin of the temple shrouded in mystery, though there are many legends, puranic and historical, about it. The region between Krishna and Godavari rivers was an important place for Buddhism from the 2nd century BCE and some ancient sculpture in low relief has been found here. During the Satavahana period (2nd century BCE-3rd century CE), Dharanikota near Amaravati was chosen as the capital. The stupa was then adorned with limestone reliefs and free standing Buddha figures. |
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The Amaravati Buddhist sculptures are world-famous. Slabs with Buddhist inscriptions were found in its groundwork, the temple is said to have been a Buddhist shrine in the previous times.famous for its world famous Buddhist sculptures. Home to best known 2000 years old Buddhist relics, which make the place an important pilgrimage for the Buddhists. The place is also identified as Dhanyakataka by several scholars, who connects Amravati with the origin of many Tantric teachings especially, Kalchakra.
Amravati Mahachaitya (The Great Stupa), built around the 2nd century must have been the largest stupa in the whole country. The stupa was earlier a simple structure with limestone crossbars and simple |
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| carvings, but when renovated by the Satavahana rulers, became a highly marked architectural monument. It is believed to have been constructed with the efforts of the great saint, Acharya Nagarjuna. |
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| Excavated a few years back, this stupa is engraved with intricate carvings that depict the life and teachings of Lord Buddha. Similar to Sanchi Stupa, the stupa was decorated with carvings of life and teachings of Buddha and events of Jataka Stories, e.g. taming of a rogue elephant by Buddha. The 95 ft tall stupa was made of brick with a circular dome and platforms protruding in four cardinal directions. Recent excavations have revealed remains of an Ashokan pillar, the first such example of Mauryan art to be found in South India. |
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| Amaravati is situated twenty miles northwest of Guntur and is connected with it by a high-quality motorable road. |
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| To get there |
By Air
The nearest airport is Vijayawada (82 km).
By Rail
The nearest railheads are Guntur and Vijayawada. A good network of connect Guntur to Amaravati.
By Road
Amaravati is situated 20 miles northwest of Guntur and is connected by a good motorable road.
Local Transportation
Taxis and buses are available from Guntur. |
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