Amaravati Art in the Context of Andhra Archaeology
by Sreyashi Ray chowdhuri | 2018 | 90,477 words
This page relates ‘Upbringing in the Palace’ 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.
Upbringing in the Palace
[Full title: Depiction of scenes from the life of Buddha: Upbringing in the Palace]
Story:-
From his childhood, Siddhārtha was provided with luxury and pleasure so that he never experienced misery or distress. He was provided with all sorts of comfort in the palace. His father made efforts to attach him to the mundane life and abide him with sexual pleasure[1].
Four rear depictions of the antahpura scenes at Amarāvatī show the luxury and pleasures which Siddhārtha experienced in the palace life.
Depiction:-
In one depiction preserved in the Madras Government Museum, Siddhārtha is represented aniconically as a throne seat on which two cushions are placed. Women lie on the floor in different postures[2]. The description of female dancers and musicians attending the prince is contained in the Mahavāstu, Nidānakathā and Buddhacarita of Aśvaghoṣa. Each of them mentions the disgust that Siddhārtha felt on seeing the slumbering women. The sculptor had chiseled the gestures and postures of women in such a way that they evoke ugliness rather than grace. Presence of mṛdanga or a stringed instrument also shows artists knowledge of the literary description.
Another depiction of a sleeping woman in Siddhārtha’s palace is quite interesting. Siddhārtha is represented on a seat as a young prince calmly watching the disgusting sight. In this relief the composition is arranged in two tiers, the upper tier consisting of seats on which some women and Siddhārtha are seated and the lower tier indicating the sleeping women on the floor. In this sculpture one can see the mastery of the artists in the delineation of the female form. Two reclining women engaged in an awkward embrace is a notable feature of this relief. This portion of the relief is a part of the four sections present in the British Museum collection[3] (Pl 20c).
Two palace scenes from Amarāvatī now preserved in the Madras Government Museum are carved together in one long slab. Both these sections are identical. These two reliefs depict the palace life of Siddhārtha being entertained by female attendants and the moment before the woman fell asleep. Siddhārtha remained unresponsive to the seduction of women. Siddhārtha is held by ropes tied around his chest which are allegorical suggestions of fetters of craving (tṛṣṇā)[4].
In the second relief it is important to see that the narrative runs from the middle scene towards the left. In the middle scene the three ropes are -the lust of flesh, lust of life and love of the present world held by a man. The man is probably Udayin triumphantly raising his right hand. All the female and male attendants observe the incident. The female musicians, the male guards etc make a circular movement. In this relief Siddhārtha tries to break loose from the three fetters. The women seated on stools look vacantly. The male figure in the last section looks like Siddhārtha himself as if ready to step out of the palace.
The Nāgārjunakoṇḍa sculptors also chiseled Antahpur scene again showing disgust like the Amarāvatī reliefs[5].
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
Parimoo Ratan, Op.cit, fig 175.
[3]:
Knox Robert, 1992, Op.cit, fig 57
[4]:
Sivaramamurti C, Op.cit, pl LIX C
[5]:
Stone Elizabeth Rosen, 1994, Buddhist Art of Nāgārjunakoṇḍa, Delhi, fig 227.