Amaravati (village, Andhra Pradesh)

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Amaravati
Amaravati (village, Andhra Pradesh) (India)
Red pog.svg
State : IndiaIndia India
State : Andhra Pradesh
District : Guntur
Sub-district : Amaravati
Location : 16 ° 34 ′  N , 80 ° 21 ′  E Coordinates: 16 ° 34 ′  N , 80 ° 21 ′  E
Height : 36 m
Residents : 13,400 (2011)
Amaravati - Amareswara Swamy Temple, Dhyana Buddha statue, Krishna river, remains of the stupa
Amaravati - Amareswara Swamy Temple, Dhyana Buddha statue, Krishna river, remains of the stupa

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The small town of Amaravati ( Telugu : అమరావతి) in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh , with around 14,000 inhabitants, is best known for its Buddhist stupa from the 2nd century BC (only preserved as a ruin) . Chr.

The settlement is not identical to the city of Amaravati , which has been the designated capital of Andhra Pradesh since 2015.

location

Amaravati lies at a height of about 35 m. ü. d. M. on the south bank of the Krishna river about 270 km southeast of the metropolis of Hyderabad and approx. 450 km north of the metropolis of Chennai . The closest major city is Vijayawada, about 40 km to the east .

population

The vast majority of the Telugu and Hindi- speaking population are followers of Hinduism ; only about 2% belong to other religious communities. In contrast to the usual census in northern India, the male population is around 10% lower than the female.

economy

The Agriculture has traditionally played the biggest role in the economic life of the population. In addition, the small town acts as a craft, mercantile and cultural center for the villages in the surrounding area. The tourism is of little significance.

history

Amaravati belonged to the 3rd century BC. At times to the huge Ashoka empire ; but already towards the end of his reign and lifetime the place was part of the Shatavahana kingdom. The Ikshvaku dynasty of Andhra ruled here from around the 2nd century AD and the Pallava dynasty, which is important for large parts of southern India, from the 6th to the 9th centuries . The eastern Chalukya and the Tamil Chola kings also stretched out their feelers here in the High Middle Ages. At the end of the Middle Ages, Amaravati became part of the Telugu Empire. It is assumed that from Amaravati and later also from Sri Lanka, Buddhism advanced to Southeast Asia ( Thailand , Java , Annam etc.).

Attractions

Gate hall ( gopuram ) of the Amareswara Shiva temple
  • The Great Stupa of Amaravati, nearly 50 m (168 feet) in diameter and an estimated height of approximately 30 m (90 to 100 feet) - well ahead of those at Sanchi , Bharhut and Sarnath - was one of the largest monuments of its kind in all Indian cultural area. Towards the end of Buddhist dominance and the (re) strengthening of Hinduism , the brick- built structure lost its importance and was gradually removed and destroyed by human hands or by natural forces. It was not rediscovered and excavated by the British until the beginning of the 19th century - the most important finds ended up in museums in Madras , Calcutta , Boston , London and Paris ; only the less significant pieces remained in place.
  • The Archaeological Museum of Amaravati shows a scaled-down replica of the stupa as well as numerous finds (statues, reliefs, etc.).
  • The Amareswara temple, which is one of the five holy Shiva temples ( Pancharama Kshetras ) in Andhra Pradesh, is an important pilgrimage site. In its current form it dates from around 1800. Its figure-adorned and colored entrance gate hall ( gopuram ) is particularly worth seeing .
  • In a park area on the banks of the Krishna River is the largest Dhyana Buddha statue in the world with a height of 125 feet (approx. 38 m); it was started in 2003 and completed in 2011. The Buddha depicted in the meditation gesture ( dhyana mudra ) sits with closed eyes on a lotus flower above a circular substructure.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Amaravati in the British Museum, London  - Collection of images
Commons : Amaravati in the Indian Museum, Kolkata  - Collection of pictures

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.census2011.co.in
  2. ^ Birth of a new capital: All you need to know about Amaravati, a 'futuristic world-class city'. Firstpost.com, October 23, 2015, accessed April 11, 2017 .