Nagarjunakonda Buddha

Nagarjunakonda, about 150 km south-east of Hydrebad on the Krishna River.It is one of the largest and most important Buddhist centres from the 2nd century BC until 3rd century AD. Known in those days as Vijaynagar, Nagarjunakonda takes its present name from Nagarjuna, one of the most revered Buddhist monks, who governed the sangha for nearly 60 years around the turn of the 2nd century AD. The Madhyamika school he founded attracted students from as far afield as Sri Lanka and China. The site was discovered in 1926. Subsequent excavations, particularly in the '50s and '60s, have unearthed the remains of stupas, viharas, chaityas and mandapams, as well as some outstanding examples of white marble carvings and sculptures depicting the life of the Buddha. These finds were taken to a purpose-built museum on an island which was created following the decision to flood this entire area to build the enormous Nagarjuna Sagar Dam.

The Krishna Valley region has a rich heritage of Buddhist art befitting one of the greatest centres of Buddhism.
SCULPTURAL PANEL, PANIGIRI, c. 1st century A.D. (Andhra Pradesh State Museum, Hyderabad). The upper part of the panel shows the Buddha's headdress being carried up to the Tushita heaven. The lively and supple depictions of the figures are remarkable.
THE valley of River Krishna, in present-day Andhra Pradesh, was a fertile land, which, from ancient times, saw the blossoming of art infused with the life of the spirit. Here, the bounty of cotton textiles attracted Romans and others from afar, and there developed a prosperous, cosmopolitan culture. As everywhere in India then, philosophic thoughts preoccupied people. The search was for that which was beyond the material aims in life, and all permanent structures, art and monuments were dedicated to this eternal quest of the people.
This region of the Deccan has a very rich heritage of Buddhist art and architecture. An early cave at Guntupalli has a facade that is directly reminiscent of the Lomas Rishi caves at Barabar (in Bihar). These were made in the 3rd century B.C. by Emperor Asoka and his grandson Dasratha for the Ajivika sect of ascetics. The Barabar caves are known to be the earliest in India and perhaps the inspiration for the rock-cut architecture of the Deccan.
CHAITYA, SALIHUNDAM. THERE are many Buddhist stupas and a vast monastic complex on a hillock near the banks of the Vamsadhara river in Srikakulam district. The site was found in 1990. Excavations revealed stupas, a chaitya-griha, temples and sculptures of three phases of Buddhism - the Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana - dating from the 2nd century B.C. to the 12th century A.D.
The exquisite later reliefs of the Krishna Valley are similar in many ways to the art of the Ajanta paintings in the western Deccan. The reliefs exhibit a supple grace, and the lines and expressions convey a quality of introspection: a preoccupation with that which is beyond the worldly realm.
In the first two centuries A.D., great caves were hewn out of the mountains in the western Deccan. Enlightenment, the Great Truth beyond the world of forms, was the focus of meditation. The creative forces and the joy of life were represented in the form of divine Yakshas and Yakshis. They were filled with a sense of well-being and the fullness of life.
Joyous Devotees, Panigiri, 1st century A.D. Recent excavations carried out by the Department of Archaeology & Museums, Andhra Pradesh, have unearthed well-preserved exquisite reliefs on stupa railings and pillars of the 1st century A.D. There is a sophisticated sense of design and the figures are full of activity. They convey the joy and flourishing culture of the Krishna Valley in that period.
Meanwhile, in central India, by the 1st century A.D., the toranas of the gateways of Sanchi were complete. The Enlightenment of the Buddha and the path of dharma were represented by symbols that were universal to all religious streams in India. Yakshas, Yakshis and Lakshmi were presented in the art. On the plains of the Ganga and in Gandhara, in the first two centuries A.D., images of the Buddha, Jaina tirthankaras and Hindu deities had come into being.
The fertile valley of the Krishna river was the cradle of civilisation in the eastern Deccan. This area became one of the greatest centres of Buddhism, and over 140 early Buddhist sites have been listed in the region.
A SCULPTED MEDALLION from Panigiri. Recent excavations, conducted by the Department of Archaeology & Museums, Andhra Pradesh, have unearthed a rich treasure trove of fine sculptural reliefs made on stupa railings at Panigiri, about 110 km from Hyderabad. These date back to about the 1st century A.D. The stone is marvellously carved to convey the softness and pliability of human flesh.
Stylistic similarities with the art of Bharhut suggest that the early reliefs found here at stupa sites belong to the 1st century B.C. Jaggayapeta, on a tributary of the Krishna , had many stupas. A relief from Jaggayapeta shows a chakravartin, or a universal monarch, and his seven precious possessions. The shallow carving and other stylistic features are similar to Sunga period reliefs at Sanchi, Bodh Gaya and Bharhut.
The Buddhist site of Amaravati is on the banks of the Krishna, next to the ancient capital of Dharanikota in present-day Andhra Pradesh. The history of the stupas at this site covers at least 1,400 years, from the time of Emperor Asoka in the 3rd century B.C. The earliest railing pillars of the stupa are of granite and were installed by Asoka.
Prince Siddhartha on horseback, Amaravati (British Museum, London). The stupa at this site has a history of over 1,400 years, from the time of Emperor Asoka in the 3rd century B.C. There are many fine sculptural panels here of the various periods of the stupa
By the 1st century B.C., the stupa was enlarged and sculpted limestone slabs with narrative sculptures were added. A drum slab of the stupa shows the Buddha’s enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. Footsteps and parasols indicate his presence. The shallow relief, broad faces, turbans and heavy earrings are reminiscent of other Sunga period art. The Mahastupa
In the 2nd century A.D., the Satavahanas extended their rule to the eastern Deccan. Under them, the sculptural relief of the magnificent stupa reached its culminating phase. The entire stupa was covered with shimmering limestone slabs, with exquisite sculpture. An ornate stone vedika was also added. Today, only a mound remains of the Mahastupa, or Great Stupa, as it is called in inscriptions. In its time, its glory was known throughout the Buddhist world.
Sculptures, Panigiri, 1st century A.D. The graceful compositions of the Krishna Valley reliefs are among the finest in Indic art. The flow of lines is mellifluous and conveys the quality of grace that underlies all of creation. These railings and pillar fragments were excavated recently by the Department of Archaeology & Museums, Andhra Pradesh.
Fortunately, we have an idea of what the stupa looked like from depictions of it in the sculptural reliefs. This self-imaging of the monument is a tradition that continues from here onwards in Indian architecture. The Mahastupa was 162 feet (49.4 metres) in diameter. The railings were made 15 feet (4.6 m) away, taking the total diameter of the monument to 192 feet (58.5 m). The railings were richly sculpted. Their pillars, about 10 feet (3.05 m) high, had full-blown lotuses in the centre and half lotuses on the top and the bottom. The lotus, which rises in its beauty from murky waters, is a pan-Indian symbol of purity and transcendence.

Nagarjunakonda, about 150 km south-east of Hydrebad on the Krishna River