Examine the salient features of the Amaravathi School of Art?

 Buddhist art was not confined to north India alone and a very large religious complex grew around Amaravati. It represents the evolution of uniquely beautiful regional art style based on a thriving commercial and imperial system. The rise and fall of the ruling dynasties of the region influenced the construction of the monument, as did the doctrinal changes in Buddhism itself. 

The Amaravati stupa is the largest and the grandest of all stupas found in the region though many other stupas have been found in Andhradesha region such as at Jagayyapeta, Goli, Ghantasala, Bhattiprolu and Nagarjunakonda. 

The stupa of Amaravati was product of a complex package made up of civilization, polity and economy of the area. An architectural site of this scale suggests that there was a large Buddhist population in the area who not only undertook the project of building this but whose spiritual needs were met through this stupa. 

It also presupposes that there was an adequate supply of raw material as well as the presence of skilled artisans to work on these in the area. Thirdly and most importantly there existed adequate resources based on economic surplus that could patronize the building over the large period of its construction.

These resources must have been provided by the ancient city of Dharanikota which is about half a kilometer downstream on the mouth of river Krishna. This was a port on the river that allowed an enormous waterway, that could be easily navigated by large ships, .into the hinterland of Andhradesha The port and the hinterland had prosperous commercial relations with distant countries included the west from the beginning of the Christian era. 

Donative inscriptions found carved on the stupa refer to merchants as well as royal patrons who must have derived their riches from this trade. Buddhism was significant in the religious milieu of Andhradesha from the Mauryan period onwards, and the society was literate, complex and highly organized. At Amaravati one sees the transition from aniconic representations characteristic of Theravadin Buddhism to representing the Buddha in his anthropomorphic form.

The stupa consisted of a huge, solid dome mounted on a cylindrical, drum like platform and the whole was surrounded by a great railing. Like at Sanchi, this railing is made up of pillars, crossbars and a coping. There is a gateway or torana at each of the cardinal points that lets into the railing into the pradikshanapatha or the circumambulatory processional path that is paved with black flag stones. All these along with the drum and the dome are decorated with sculptures in high relief. There are early engravings dating from the third century to the first century BC and were influenced by the art of Bharhut and Sanchi. However the best known sculptures come from the second and third centuries AD that coincide with the rule of Satavahanas in Andhradesa, and the later the Ikshavakus continued to adorn the stupa here at Amaravati and also at Nagarjuanakonda

The sculptures at Amaravati have a profound and quiet naturalism in human, animal and floral forms. There is a sense of movement and energy in the sculptures. The human figures are slender and slightly elongated. The faces are oval with sharp and well delineated and expressive features. The animals such as makaras have scaly naturalism and the vegetation environment is lush. There is emphasis on the narrative element with stories from the life of Buddha and bodhisattva dominating such episodes relating to the Birth, the miracles, Enlightenment and the victory over Mara, Sundari and Nanda, Tushita heaven, Angulimala. There are few Jataka scenes such as the Shibi, Nalagiri and Chhadanta Jatakas. The perfection of form and proportion seen in the middle phase of Amaravati as well as some of the themes continued to influence art at Nagarjuankonda and also later Vakataka and Gupta art styles

Explain Salient features of Amaravati School of Art

 Features of Amravati School of Art 

 • The stupas at Amaravati are predominantly made of a distinctive white marble. 

• The sculptures at Amaravati have a profound and quiet naturalism in human, animal and floral forms. There is a sense of movement and energy in the sculptures. 

• The human figures are slender and slightly elongated.

• The faces are oval with sharp and well delineated and expressive features.

• The animals such as makaras have scaly naturalism and the vegetation environment is lush  

• There is emphasis on the narrative element with stories from the life of Buddha and bodhisattva dominating such episodes relating to the Birth, the miracles, Enlightenment and the victory over Mara, Sundari, Nanda, Tushita heaven and Angulimala.

• There are few Jataka scenes such as the Shibi, Nalagiri and Chhadanta Jatakas.

• The technical excellence of sculptures in caging plants and flowers; particularly die lotuses at Amaravati are most admirably represented in this school. 

• The Buddha is mostly represented by symbols. 



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