Amaravati Art in the Context of Andhra Archaeology
by Sreyashi Ray chowdhuri | 2018 | 90,477 words
This page relates ‘Lower Krishna Valley (10): Kesanapalli’ of the study on Amaravati Art in the Context of Andhra Archaeology, including museum exhibitions of the major archeological antiquities. These pages show how the Buddhist establishment of Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) survived from 4th century BCE to 14th century CE. It includes references and translations of episodes of Buddha’s life drawn from the Avadanas and Jatakas which are illustrated in Amaravati art.
Lower Kṛṣṇā Valley (10): Kesanapalli
[Location: Kesanapalli (Lat 16021’ N Long 80007’E, Palnad Taluk, Gunṭur District)]
Kesanapalli is located on the bank of Naguleru River, a tributary of Kṛṣṇā in the Pālnad Taluk of the Gunṭur District. It is about I mile from Dachepalli and 95 kms from Gunṭur. The site was first excavated by Jouveau-Dubreuil. Later Archaeological Survey of India carried out excavation in 1962 which revealed that it was a habitational site from Neolithic period. The site was thoroughly excavated by Md. Abdul Waheed Khan in 1966.
His excavations brought to light the vestiges of a stūpa enclosed by brick wall on 4 sides and 19 courses of brick were seen on the western side. Remains of steps are found at the cardinal points of the platform. The platform is paved with limestone slabs with lotus designs, incised with inscriptions mentioning the names of donors[1].
The excavation also exposed two phases of the stūpa construction. This is evidenced by the tyre of the later stūpa superimposed over the earlier one. On the basis of the paleographic records the date of the early stūpa is assigned to c. 2nd-1st century B.C.E. A Brāhmī inscription of 3rd century C.E records a gift of an āyaka pillar by a guild of merchants of the Bahuśrutīya sect[2]. This is important for assuming the date of the later stūpa which may be early 3rd century C.E. It may be added that the merchants erected this pillar in the 13th regnal year of Vāśiṣṭhiputra Śrī Chamtaṃūla, the Ikṣvāku ruler.
The Buddhapada motif (PL 9a) with Triratna, Swastika, Śrīvatsa, Aṅkuṣa and other elliptical objects in low relief at Keśānpalli is reminiscent of Buddhapada motif in the Amarāvatī idiom. Another panel representing a vase from which sprouts lotus flowers in full bloom is carved in Early Amarāvatī style.
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
Khan Md Abdul Waheed, 1969, A Monograph on an Early Buddhist Stūpa at Keśānapalli, Hyderabad, p 1.