Amaravati Art in the Context of Andhra Archaeology
by Sreyashi Ray chowdhuri | 2018 | 90,477 words
This page relates ‘Region Beyond The Coastal Lines (1): Dhulikatta’ 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.
Region Beyond The Coastal Lines (1): Dhulikaṭṭa
[Location: Dhulikaṭṭa (Peddapalli Taluk, Karimnagar District)]
Dhulikaṭṭa lies outside the Kṛṣṇā valley. It is a small village in the Peddapalli Taluk of the Karimnagar district. This historical site was an important centre of Buddhism in ancient Andhra. The most significant structure of the site is the stūpa which can be assigned to the 2nd century B.C.E. Investigations have revealed that the construction of the stūpa took place in two phases-pre Sātavāhana and Sātavāhana period.
The stūpa had a soild drum placed on a square platform. The square platform served the purpose of the pradakṣiṇapatha as in Bhaṭṭiprolu stūpa. The dome (aṇḍa) was raised several times to increase the height of the stūpa and give a hemispherical shape to the stūpa. At the top of the dome is a square brick cell probably indicating the existence of a harmikā. Fragments of chhatra have been recovered from the site. The drum is provided with four āyaka vedikās at four cardinal directions.
The dome is decorated with a number of sculptures. Among them mention may be made of two beautiful depictions of Nāga Muchilinda under a pipal tree protecting the feet of the Master. The beautiful depiction of mythical animals is seen on reliefs from the region (PL 12a). In the next phase the stūpa was enlarged by adding a second tyre to the drum. In addition to it four āyaka platforms were added. The drum was encased by carved limestone slabs. Here Buddha is symbolically represented by Buddhapada, Dharmachakra and the stūpa. Absence of anthropomorphic representation of the Master leads to the assumption that the site was not influenced by Mahayana Buddhism.
Dhulikaṭṭa was on the trade route connecting Paithan with Dhānyakaṭaka and hence the architecture and sculpture closely resembles the art of Amarāvatī. It is believed by scholars that the sculptures in low relief belong to the early phase of the Buddhist art[1].
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Das.D Jithendra, Op. cit, pp 52-54