Amaravati Art in the Context of Andhra Archaeology
by Sreyashi Ray chowdhuri | 2018 | 90,477 words
This page relates ‘Lower Krishna Valley (15): Chandavaram’ 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 (15): Chandavaram
[Location: Chandavaram (Lat 16014’N Long 8008’E Nadendia Mondal, Prakāsam District)]
Presently Chaṇḍavaram is a village about 10 kms to the north-west of Donakonda in Darsi Taluk of Prakāsam District. It was a Buddhist centre and a Buddhist establishment on a hillock known as Siṅgarakoṇḍa confirms this assumption. It was first discovered in 1972-73. The site yielded stūpas, caityagṛhas and vihāra complexes. In addition to it several stone slabs with sculptures, Roulette and Black and Red Wares, lead coins etc. are found. Trial excavation in 1994-95 exposed certain terracotta figurines, beads, coins, two inscribed slabs and pottery. The lead coins with horse and bull symbol belong to the Sātavāhanas. Moreover one lead coin on the obverse bears a legend ‘Rāno Siri Sātakanisa’.
The Mahāstūpa at Candavaram is a splendid structure with a medhī, aṇḍa and harmikā. However, the chhatra is missing[1]. The basal diameter of the stūpa is 24m and the dome is about 5.4 m. The āyaka platform was constructed at four cardinal points[2]. The Mahāstūpa was built in three phases. The stūpa was enlarged by adding circular wall around the original structure with the gap being filled with rubble packing and courses of brick wall. The pradakṣiṇapatha is paved with bricks and is fronted by stone railing.
The casing slabs were decorated with Buddhist scenes and motifs like Bodhi tree, Dharmachakra, stūpa, Purṇaghaṭa, Nāga Muchilinda (PL 10a) and animals. (true and mythical). These sculptures undoubtedly recall the first phase of Amarāvatī art and belong to the 2nd -1st century C.E.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Das. D. Jthendra, Op.cit, p 43