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A great Buddhist stupa on the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh, centre of the distinctive Amaravati school of sculpture.
The Amaravati Stupa is a major Buddhist monument at Amaravathi in Andhra Pradesh, on the lower Krishna river. Known in antiquity as the Mahachaitya, or great shrine, it was built and enlarged in phases between roughly the third century BCE and the third century CE. The site stood at Dhanyakataka, a capital of the Satavahana dynasty, and the stupa was patronised first by the Satavahanas and later by the Ikshvakus. Its carved limestone railings and casing slabs define the Amaravati school of sculpture, one of the three great schools of early Indian art alongside Gandhara and Mathura.
Type: PhenomenonLocated at Amaravathi in Andhra Pradesh, on the lower Krishna river, at the ancient site of Dhanyakataka
Known in antiquity as the Mahachaitya, the great shrine
Built and enlarged in phases from about the third century BCE to about 250 CE
Patronised by the Satavahanas and subsequently by the Ikshvakus
Carved in a distinctive white-to-greenish limestone, often loosely called marble
Gives its name to the Amaravati school of sculpture, one of the three major schools of early Indian art
Frequency: The three schools of early Indian sculpture are among the most frequently examined topics in UPSC Prelims art and culture
The stupa grew over a very long period, beginning as a modest structure and being progressively enlarged and richly cased in carved limestone under Satavahana patronage. Dhanyakataka, the settlement at which it stood, was one of the principal cities of the Satavahana realm, which dominated the Deccan for roughly five centuries. After the Satavahanas the Ikshvakus continued to patronise Buddhist establishments in the lower Krishna valley. The monument was largely ruined by the time European attention reached it, and Colonel Colin Mackenzie, the first Surveyor-General of India, had it surveyed and drawn in 1816-17. Many of its sculptured slabs were subsequently removed, and a large collection, known as the Amaravati Marbles, is held in the British Museum.
Earliest construction phase of the stupa begins
Satavahana rule over the Deccan; the stupa is enlarged and cased with carved limestone
The principal phases of construction and embellishment conclude
Colin Mackenzie's team surveys the site and produces detailed drawings of the sculptures
| Aspect | Gandhara | Mathura | Amaravati |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | North-west, around Peshawar and Taxila | Mathura, in the upper Ganga-Yamuna doab | Lower Krishna valley, Andhra |
| Medium | Grey schist and stucco | Red sandstone | White to greenish limestone |
| Chief patrons | Kushanas | Kushanas | Satavahanas and Ikshvakus |
| Stylistic influence | Strong Graeco-Roman influence | Indigenous, developed from Yaksha traditions | Indigenous, marked by slender figures and crowded narrative panels |
| Later reach | Central Asia and East Asia | Across northern India | Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia |
A stupa is a solid hemispherical mound raised over relics of the Buddha or a revered monk, built to be walked around rather than entered. Its principal elements are the anda, the hemispherical dome; the harmika, the railed square platform at the summit; the yashti, the central mast rising from it, bearing tiered chhatras or umbrellas; the medhi, the raised drum on which the dome sits; and the vedika, the stone railing enclosing the pradakshina path for circumambulation. At Amaravati the vedika and the casing slabs of the drum carried the dense narrative carving for which the school is known.
The stupa is less a building than a monument you orbit — like a memorial in a park that is meant to be circled rather than walked into.
Amaravati Stupa: Andhra Pradesh, on the lower Krishna river, at ancient Dhanyakataka
Ancient name: Mahachaitya
Built in phases from about the 3rd century BCE to about 250 CE
Patrons: Satavahanas, later the Ikshvakus
Medium: white to greenish limestone
One of the three great schools of early Indian sculpture, with Gandhara and Mathura
Surveyed by Colin Mackenzie, first Surveyor-General of India, in 1816-17
It stands at Amaravathi in Andhra Pradesh, on the lower reaches of the Krishna river, at the site of the ancient city of Dhanyakataka.
The Satavahanas were its principal patrons, and the Ikshvakus continued patronage of Buddhist establishments in the region after them.
It is carved in white to greenish limestone and is known for slender, elongated figures and densely crowded narrative panels, in contrast to the Graeco-Roman manner of Gandhara and the red sandstone work of Mathura.
They are the sculptured limestone slabs removed from the stupa in the colonial period, a large collection of which is held in the British Museum in London.