Important Notice

ANDHRA PRADESH, CIRCA 3RD CENTURY
Limestone
26.75 in (68.2 cm) high

NON-EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY

PROVENANCE
Property of a Distinguished Gentleman, Mumbai


The Great Stupa at Amaravati, in what is now Andhra Pradesh, was one of the most important Buddhist sites in India from the Mauryan period. The stupa was located on the banks of the Krishna river, close to the ancient city of Dharanikota. The kings of the Satavahana dynasty were instrumental in the refurbishing of the Great Stupa between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. Limestone was shipped upriver and used for much of the building.

Dharanikota was an important port city and part of the ancient trade route between Europe, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. The influence of interactions between these cultures is seen in the sculpture and architecture from this region. "It combined a highly original sculptural aesthetic with extraordinary craftsmanship..." (Robert Knox, Amaravati: Buddhist Sculpture from the Great Stupa, London: British Museum Press, 1992, p. 9) Sculptures of the Buddha and the Boddhisatvas from Amaravati were unique in their expression, though Greco-Roman influences could be seen in the treatment of the drapery.

"The development of the Amaravati style of sculpture and the changing character of Buddhist doctrine in the Andhradesa are issues of great importance... The stupa at Amaravati... fulfilled a spiritual and an aesthetic, civilising role as a centre of religion and as one of the greatest artistic achievements of its time." (Knox, p. 9) Being concurrent with the Gandhara style in the northwestern region of India, there are similarities in the treatment and carving of the folds and drapery, but the Buddhist sculptures in Amaravati retained a distinctly regional style.

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