Introduction
Amaravathi emerged as a significant center of Buddhism before the Satavahanas rose to power.
During the Mauryan Empire, Emperor Ashoka (269–232 BC) constructed a stupa and monastery there.
In 1798, Colonel Colin Mackenzie, India’s first surveyor general, discovered the site and later conducted a thorough survey, leading to the rediscovery of the grand Amaravathi stupa.
Body
Significance of Amaravathi as a Prominent Buddhist Site in India
- Buddhism first appeared in the fifth century BCE in Magadh and quickly spread to the Andhra region of the Krishna River Valley, primarily through trade.
- In the third century BCE, Emperor Ashoka established an inscription in the region, promoting Buddhism which thrived for over six centuries.
- Historian Sree Padma notes that the presence of Buddhism in Andhra coincided with the region’s first urbanization process.
- Patrons at Amaravathi included traders, craftsmen, and itinerant monks who embraced and spread Buddhism.
- Local practices were easily incorporated into Buddhist beliefs, such as the evolution of the Buddhist stupa from the practice of venerating the dead in megalithic tombs.
- Andhra-specific religious practices, including Goddess and Naga worship, were absorbed into the Buddhist canon.
- Acharya Nagarjuna, who propounded the Madhyamika philosophy foundational to Mahayana Buddhism, lived in Amaravathi and significantly influenced the practice of Buddhism.
Rise and Decline of Amaravathi
- The Amaravathi stupa led to the development of the ‘Amaravathi school of art,’ one of the three most prominent schools of ancient Indian art, alongside Mathura and Gandhara.
- The ruined stupa at Amaravathi is regarded as a high point of Buddhist art and architecture.
- Scholars debate the various causes of Buddhism’s collapse in this region, with one likely reason being the emergence of Shaivism.
- Sree Padma’s studies suggest that the emergence and decline of Buddhism in Andhra is strongly related to the region’s socioeconomic conditions.
- Buddhism appealed to traders due to its emphasis on a casteless society, but the faith declined as the region’s economy deteriorated over six centuries.
Conclusion
The artistic influence of Amaravathi is evident in various other places, including the Ajanta caves, and extended to South and Southeast Asia.
According to Kinnard, the sculptures of Amaravathi presented a visual blueprint for ritual performances that established a model of Buddhist practice replicated for centuries in India and the Buddhist world.