The Great Amravati School of Art [2023]

Amravati School of art is famous for its Amravati stupa. This school was one among three renowned schools which rose along with the spread of Buddhism. The spread of Buddhism was on the rise during the first and second century, which lead to the establishment of three schools of Arts in India, which had their styles and distinctions. These three schools of arts were Gandhara school of Art, Mathura school of Art and Amaravati school of Arts. They derive their name after the places of their prominence.

This article deals with the Amravati School of Art.

Table 1: Historical Background of the Amaravati School of Art

Historical InformationDescription
DurationFlourished in India for approximately six centuries, from 200 to 100 BC.
PatronThe Satavahanas were the first patrons of this school.
DevelopmentDeveloped and flourished in the lower valleys of the Krishna and Godavari rivers in Andhra Pradesh.
Sculpture FormsIncluded both religious and secular images.
Notable LocationsAmravati, Nagarjunikonda, Goli, Ghantasala, and Vengi.
InfluenceIndigenous, with no outside influences.
Later DevelopmentsPallava and Chola buildings evolved from this style later.

Table 2: Major Features of the Amaravati School of Art

FeaturesDescription
Narrative ArtA prominent feature of the Amaravati school.
MedallionsCarved in a way that depicts natural occurrences.
White MarbleThe Amravati stupas are made of striking white marble.
Sculpture FormsAmaravati sculptures have a sense of movement, vitality, and profound naturalism.
SymbolismIncludes a symbolic picture of Buddha’s life, yet he is also personified in two or three places.
Pradakshina PathaThe Amaravati Stupa has a pradakshina patha contained by a vedika on which various narrative stories from the life of Buddha and bodhisattva predominate, but its structural anatomy is more intricate.

Comparison of Amaravati, Mathura, and Gandharan styles of ancient Indian art

AspectAmaravati styleMathura styleGandharan style
Geographical locationSouthern IndiaNorthern IndiaPresent-day Pakistan and Afghanistan
Time period3rd century BCE to 250 CE2nd century BCE to 12th century CE1st century CE to 7th century CE
MaterialWhite limestoneRed sandstone, schistGrey-blue schist
Sculptural formSlim, intense emotions, tribhanga poseFull-bodied, sensuousNaturalistic, Greco-Roman influence
InfluenceSouth India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast AsiaNorthern IndiaCentral Asia, western regions of the Indian subcontinent

More Detailed Comparison of Gandhara, Mathura and Amravati Schools of Art

SchoolGandhara SchoolMathura SchoolAmravati School
External InfluenceInfluenced by Greek or Hellenistic sculpture, hence called Indo-Greek artDeveloped indigenouslyDeveloped indigenously
Material usedEarly period used bluish-grey sandstone, later period used mud and stuccoSculptures made of spotted red sandstoneSculptures made of white marble
Religious InfluenceMainly influenced by Buddhist imagery, influenced by Greco-Roman pantheonInfluenced by all three major religions of the time i.e. Hinduism, Jainism and BuddhismMainly influenced by Buddhist imagery
PatronageKushana rulersKushana rulersSatavahana rulers
Area of developmentDeveloped in North-West Frontier, in modern-day area of KandaharDeveloped in and around Mathura, Sonkh, and Kankalitila, famous for Jain sculpturesDeveloped in the Krishna-Godavari lower valley, in and around Amravati, Nagarjunakonda, Goli, Ghantasala, and Vengi
Features of Buddha sculptureSpiritual Buddha, Sad Buddha, Bearded Buddha, less ornamentation, great detailing, Buddha in Yogi postures, Greek influenceDelighted Buddha, less spiritual, shaven head and face, muscularity, energetic, graceful posture of Buddha, seated in PadmasanaSymbolic representation of Buddha’s life, lives of Buddha in both human and animal forms

Amaravati School of Art

  • Amaravati School of Art flourished for nearly six centuries, beginning from 200-100 BCE.
  • The main area of the Amaravati school of art is the Vengi region which lies majorly in between the Krishna River and Godavari River in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
  • the famous  stupa sites of Vengi in Andhra Pradesh shown on the map above are :
    • Jagayyapetta, 
    • Amaravati, 
    • Bhattiprolu, 
    • Nagarjunkonda, 
    • Goli
  • Amaravati School of Arts got patronage from, first by the Satavahanas and later by the Ikshvakus kingdom.

Table : Features of Amravati School

FeaturesDescription
Development locationBanks of the Krishna River, in Andhra Pradesh, India
PatronageSatavahana rulers
Sculptural formIntense emotions, slim figures with movement, complex anatomy
Material usedWhite limestone
Prominent placesAmravati, Nagarjunikonda, Goli, Ghantasala and Vengi
Symbolic representation of Buddha’s lifeSymbolic representation, narrative stories from Buddha’s life
Religious and secular imagesBoth religious and secular images were present in this style
TransformationLater transformed into Pallava and Chola architecture
Carving preservationSculptural remains are in the British Museum and the Madras Museum, Carvings of Nagarjunakonda are preserved almost in entirety at the site

Main features of Amaravati school of arts

  • The material used in the Amravati School of Art, predominantly in the ”Stupa” is a distinctive white marble.
  • A most distinguishing characteristic of the Amaravati School of Art is its narrative art.
  • Religious as well as secular images were present in this school of art.
  • Buddha and his life events in the Amravati school of Arts were predominantly represented by symbolic figures, though at two three-place “Buddha” is also shown personified.
  • Sculpture figures found in the Amravati School Of Art display intense emotion.
  • Figures found here are slender, shows a lot of movement, and often the bodies appear with three bents (i.e. tribhanga).
  • The sculptural composition found in the Amravati school of arts is more complex than at Sanchi.
  • Sculptures crafted to look flexible rather than linear, the dynamic movements shown creates a sense of 3D space and breaks the stillness of forms.
  • Pronounced volume, angular bodies and complex overlappings here create three-dimensional space in the relief sculptures. 

Important Sites

Some of the important places which are an example of Amravati school of Arts are:

  • Amravati Mahachaitya
  • Amaravati Stupa 
  • Guntapalle- a rock-cut cave site near Eluru 
  • Rock-cut stupas at Anakapalle near Vishakhapatanam 
  • Sannati is the largest stupa site excavated in Karnataka.

Amravati stupa

The famous Amaravati school of art site Amravati stupa is discussed in brief here:

  • Amaravati Stupa experienced the best development in the period of the first and second centuries CE. But there is evidence of construction activities during the third century BCE also.
  • Amaravati Stupa has pradakshinapatha ( Circumbulatory path ) enclosed within a vedika portrayed with much narrative sculpture.
  • One of the unique features of the Amravati stupa is that the domical stupa structure covered with relief stupa sculptural slabs
  • The Torana (Entrance gate)of the Amaravati Stupa has disappeared over time.
  • The stupa art forms present here depicts the events from the life of the Buddha and the Jataka stories
  • As in Sanchi Stupa, the early phase of Amaravati stupa is devoid of Buddha images except in the later stage during the second and third centuries CE Buddha images were carved upon the drum slabs and at many other places.

Table : Major characteristics of Amaravati Stupa

CharacteristicDescription
LocationAmaravathi, Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh, India
Period of construction3rd century BCE to 250 CE, with enlargement and replacement of sculptures beginning around 50 CE
ProtectionUnder the Archaeological Survey of India
SculpturesMostly in relief, lacking large iconic Buddha figures
InfluenceConsidered one of the three major styles of ancient Indian art; had great influence on art in South India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia
amaravati stupa
amaravati stupa

Download Amaravati School of Art Image

Share This Article
UCN Team
UCN Team

UCN Team: Combining expertise in UPSC Exams and Tech to deliver high-resolution, insightful content for aspiring civil servants

One comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *