Amaravati Buddhist Site, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh India

Amaravati near Guntur City, formerly called as Dhanyakataka and Andhranagari, is one of the most important Buddhist sites in the country. Acharya Nagarjuna constructed the country's largest stupa here, 2000 years back. Amaravati is considered the most sacred pilgrim centre for Buddhists in South India. It also has an Amareswara temple.

he place flourished as an important Buddhist centre of art and culture in Southern India in the third century AD and remained in prominence till the 13th Century. This historic fact is attested by a large number of inscriptions found at the site itself. The nucleus of the main stupa called Maha chaitya, which formed the principal focus of the Buddhist establishment, goes back most probably to the 3rd century BC. The discovery of a large number of stone and bronze images of Lord Buddha and also of the stone figures of Buddhist deities like Maitreys, Manjusari, Lokesvara, Vajrapani, Heruka etc. of the 6th to 11th century AD testifies the prosperity of the Buddhist art patronized by contemporary rulers. The period also is marked for the gradual evolution of Buddhism in its final tantric Vajrapani forum.

The main stupa dome was embellished with slabs of lime stone with beautiful carving of Jataka stories and scenes from the life of Buddha. Around the base of the drum and concentric with it was processional path paved with slabs of gray limestone. The floor was found to be perforated with large number of holes apparently as a marking of insertion of free standing pillars crowned by Dharama – Chakra, stupa and other symbols.

Amarvati shows progressive development of style. A progression from simple to elaborate decoration are manifested in the surviving remains of both the railing and drum slab. The work on the grey lime slabs to embellish the stupa has no doubt the highest water mark in the development of art in the Southern Indian during the 3rd century AD. The majority of the existing votive inscriptions, however, record the gifts of caved casing slabs, pillars, upright crossbars, coping stones etc.; offered by hundreds of devotees, monks, nuns, worshipers from different parts of India belonging to the 2nd century AD, when the mahachaitya including its railing underwent additions.