The Great Amravati School of Art
Amravati School of art is famous for its Amravati stupa. This school was one among three renowned schools which rose along with the spread of Buddhism. The spread of Buddhism was on the rise during the first and second century, which lead to the establishment of three schools of Arts in India, which had their styles and distinctions. These three schools of arts were Gandhara school of Art, Mathura school of Art and Amaravati school of Arts. They derive their name after the places of their prominence.
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Historical Information
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Description
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Duration
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Flourished in India for approximately six centuries, from 200 to 100 BC.
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Patron
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The Satavahanas were the first patrons of this school.
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Development
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Developed and flourished in the lower valleys of the Krishna and Godavari rivers in Andhra Pradesh.
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Sculpture Forms
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Included both religious and secular images.
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Notable Locations
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Amravati, Nagarjunikonda, Goli, Ghantasala, and Vengi.
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Influence
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Indigenous, with no outside influences.
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Later Developments
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Pallava and Chola buildings evolved from this style later.
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Major Features of the Amaravati School of Art
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Features
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Description
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Narrative Art
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A prominent feature of the Amaravati school.
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Medallions
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Carved in a way that depicts natural occurrences.
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White Marble
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The Amravati stupas are made of striking white marble.
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Sculpture Forms
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Amaravati sculptures have a sense of movement, vitality, and profound naturalism.
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Symbolism
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Includes a symbolic picture of Buddha’s life, yet he is also personified in two or three places.
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Pradakshina Patha
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The Amaravati Stupa has a pradakshina patha contained by a vedika on which various narrative stories from the life of Buddha and bodhisattva predominate, but its structural anatomy is more intricate.
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Comparison
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Aspect
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Amaravati style
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Mathura style
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Gandharan style
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Geographical location
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Southern India
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Northern India
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Present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan
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Time period
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3rd century BCE to 250 CE
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2nd century BCE to 12th century CE
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1st century CE to 7th century CE
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Material
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White limestone
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Red sandstone, schist
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Grey-blue schist
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Sculptural form
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Slim, intense emotions, tribhanga pose
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Full-bodied, sensuous
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Naturalistic, Greco-Roman influence
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Influence
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South India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia
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Northern India
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Central Asia, western regions of the Indian subcontinent
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Comparison of other features
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School
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Gandhara School
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Mathura School
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Amravati School
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External Influence
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Influenced by Greek or Hellenistic sculpture, hence called Indo-Greek art
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Developed indigenously
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Developed indigenously
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Material used
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Early period used bluish-grey sandstone, later period used mud and stucco
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Sculptures made of spotted red sandstone
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Sculptures made of white marble
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Religious Influence
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Mainly influenced by Buddhist imagery, influenced by Greco-Roman pantheon
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Influenced by all three major religions of the time i.e. Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism
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Mainly influenced by Buddhist imagery
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Patronage
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Kushana rulers
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Kushana rulers
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Satavahana rulers
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Area of development
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Developed in North-West Frontier, in modern-day area of Kandahar
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Developed in and around Mathura, Sonkh, and Kankalitila, famous for Jain sculptures
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Developed in the Krishna-Godavari lower valley, in and around Amravati, Nagarjunakonda, Goli, Ghantasala, and Vengi
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Features of Buddha sculpture
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Spiritual Buddha, Sad Buddha, Bearded Buddha, less ornamentation, great detailing, Buddha in Yogi postures, Greek influence
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Delighted Buddha, less spiritual, shaven head and face, muscularity, energetic, graceful posture of Buddha, seated in Padmasana
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Symbolic representation of Buddha’s life, lives of Buddha in both human and animal forms
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Amaravati School of Art
- Amaravati School of Art flourished for nearly six centuries, beginning from 200-100 BCE.
- The main area of the Amaravati school of art is the Vengi region which lies majorly in between the Krishna River and Godavari River in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
- the famous stupa sites of Vengi in Andhra Pradesh shown on the map above are :
- Jagayyapetta,
- Amaravati,
- Bhattiprolu,
- Nagarjunkonda,
- Goli
- Amaravati School of Arts got patronage from, first by the Satavahanas and later by the Ikshvakus kingdom.
Features of Amravati School
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Features
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Description
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Development location
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Banks of the Krishna River, in Andhra Pradesh, India
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Patronage
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Satavahana rulers
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Sculptural form
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Intense emotions, slim figures with movement, complex anatomy
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Material used
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White limestone
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Prominent places
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Amravati, Nagarjunikonda, Goli, Ghantasala and Vengi
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Symbolic representation of Buddha’s life
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Symbolic representation, narrative stories from Buddha’s life
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Religious and secular images
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Both religious and secular images were present in this style
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Transformation
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Later transformed into Pallava and Chola architecture
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Carving preservation
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Sculptural remains are in the British Museum and the Madras Museum, Carvings of Nagarjunakonda are preserved almost in entirety at the site
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Main features of Amaravati school of arts
- The material used in the Amravati School of Art, predominantly in the ”Stupa” is a distinctive white marble.
- A most distinguishing characteristic of the Amaravati School of Art is its narrative art.
- Religious as well as secular images were present in this school of art.
- Buddha and his life events in the Amravati school of Arts were predominantly represented by symbolic figures, though at two three-place “Buddha” is also shown personified.
- Sculpture figures found in the Amravati School Of Art display intense emotion.
- Figures found here are slender, shows a lot of movement, and often the bodies appear with three bents (i.e. tribhanga).
- The sculptural composition found in the Amravati school of arts is more complex than at Sanchi.
- Sculptures crafted to look flexible rather than linear, the dynamic movements shown creates a sense of 3D space and breaks the stillness of forms.
- Pronounced volume, angular bodies and complex overlappings here create three-dimensional space in the relief sculptures.
Important Sites
Some of the important places which are an example of Amravati school of Arts are:
- Amravati Mahachaitya
- Amaravati Stupa
- Guntapalle- a rock-cut cave site near Eluru
- Rock-cut stupas at Anakapalle near Vishakhapatanam
- Sannati is the largest stupa site excavated in Karnataka.
Amravati stupa
The famous Amaravati school of art site Amravati stupa is discussed in brief here:
- Amaravati Stupa experienced the best development in the period of the first and second centuries CE. But there is evidence of construction activities during the third century BCE also.
- Amaravati Stupa has pradakshinapatha ( Circumbulatory path ) enclosed within a vedika portrayed with much narrative sculpture.
- One of the unique features of the Amravati stupa is that the domical stupa structure covered with relief stupa sculptural slabs.
- The Torana (Entrance gate)of the Amaravati Stupa has disappeared over time.
- The stupa art forms present here depicts the events from the life of the Buddha and the Jataka stories.
- As in Sanchi Stupa, the early phase of Amaravati stupa is devoid of Buddha images except in the later stage during the second and third centuries CE Buddha images were carved upon the drum slabs and at many other places.
Major characteristics of Amaravati Stupa
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Characteristic
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Description
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Location
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Amaravathi, Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh, India
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Period of construction
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3rd century BCE to 250 CE, with enlargement and replacement of sculptures beginning around 50 CE
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Protection
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Under the Archaeological Survey of India
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Sculptures
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Mostly in relief, lacking large iconic Buddha figures
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Influence
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Considered one of the three major styles of ancient Indian art; had great influence on art in South India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia
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