Origin
of Chaitya
The
nucleus of this Buddhist monument came into existence when the Maha
sanghikas first settled down here probably with an initial memorial stupa or
chaitya for their worship. There are three categories among the chaityas Dhatugrabha containing the relic of the Lord, Paribhojaka with one of his
associated objects enshrined in and Uddesika, a memorial. The Chaitya here was
a dhatugrabha containing the relic of the master from a subsequent period
Chaitya
and its components
Being
the biggest in Andhra it was invariably mentioned as Maha-chaitya in all the
inscriptions. Originally mounted on a circular drum (Medhi) of about 1.55 Mts.
Height, 49 30 mts. diameter, the dome of the hemispherical superstructure
(Anda) (42 mts. dia) crowned by a railed harmika and a chhatra was raised to a
height half of its diameter Four platforms (7.20 X 2.10 mts each) called 'Ayaka
Vedikas projected out of the drum at the cardinal directions, a characteristic
architectural feature of the stupas in Andhra.-each carrying five free-standing
Ayaka pillars representing symbolically the five important events of the
Buddha's life viz... Birth, Great Renunciation, Enlightenment, First Sermon, and
Extinction. A circular railing measuring about 54 mts. in diameter, pierced on
all four sides with lofty gateways, enclosed the stupa and the
circumambulatory path about 4 mts. width around. It consisted of uprights,
connected by crossbars and headed by heavy coping stones fixed in the tenonsocekt
method.
Both
the drum and the Ayaka platforms fully and the dome to a height of about 2.3
Mts. were embellished by encasing with sculptured limestone slabs and above
that probably decorations with stucco were made. The uprights cross bars and
the coping stones of the railing on both sides were extensively sculptured
with lotus medallions, religious symbols, and garland with bearers and with
different panels with events from the life of Buddha and the Jatakas, his
previous birth stories
A Gajabrushta Vimana Shrine base.
Stage
of Development
Its
development was gradual as noticed in five phases. During the Asokan period (in the 4th & 3rd Cent. B.C.E) it was well established with a pillar edict of the
emperor, partial railing in granite having characteristic Mauryan polish and
limestone cross bars and copings with simple carvings of religious symbols and
linear drawings. In the second phase (2nd & 1st Cent B.C.E), the site
further developed more and more connections with other Mahajanapadas and
Buddhist centers in the north such as Vaissalı, Saravastı, Rajagriha,
Kushinagar, Pataliputra and Ujjain as attested by the varieties of N.B. P
wares, Punch marked Coins, sculptural representations and label inscriptions.
People from distant lands and different walks of life used to visit this
monument on pilgrimage However, by the early centuries of the Christian era in
the third phase (1st & 2nt Cent CE), in its heyday during the Sada
Satavahana period, the Chaitya attained its glorious status as Maha-chaitya in
wider dimensions with several additions and alterations from time to time and a
lofty railing in limestone exuberantly sculptured. This glory continued in the fourth and fifth phases (3-6 & 7-12 Cent. CE), up to medieval times when it
was praised (1182 CE) as chaitya matyunnatam yastra nanachitra suchitritam"
lofty, and well adorned with varied sculptural panels Even in the 14th Cent. CE,
we hear of Sthavıra Dharamakırtı from Ceylon (village Gadaladeniya, Dt. Candy)
who paid a visit to this monument (1344 CE) and endowed some amount to the
double-storeyed shrine of Buddha here.
In
18th Cent. CE this monument fell into ruins and remained as
"Deepaladınne" (mound of lamps) till Colonel Colin Mackenzie
rediscovered and brought to light its past glory (1796 CE).
Discovery
of the site
Ever
since its discovery by Colonel Mackenzie (1797 and 1816), hectic efforts were
made by Archaeologists like Smith and Elliot (1985), Sewell (1877), James
Burgess (1881), Alexander Rea (1888-89, 1905-06, 08-09) to unearth the
sculptural remains. In the Post-independence period, further excavations were
conducted by Subramaniyam and Krishnamurthy (1958-59) Karthikeya Sarma
(1974-75) in Amaravati and Venkataramayya and Raghavachary (1962-65) in
Dharanikota to get the full amount-architectural, sculptural, and historical-
of the Maha-chaitya and Dharanikota citadel.
Today
shorn of all its aura and grandeur the monument consists of the drum of the brick stupa, the paved Pradakshinapatha, and the circular alignment of the
railing of Asokan times.
Mini Stups for the disciples
Maha
Chaitya at Amaravati
The
great stupa or Maha Chaitya at Amaravati was one of the biggest in Andhra
Pradesh with a probable diameter of 50 meters and a height of 27 meters. It has a
brick-built circular vedika or drum with projecting rectangular ayaka platforms
in four cardinal directions measuring 7.20 x 2.10 meters each. Five Ayaka
pillars must have stood on each platform symbolically representing the five
main events in Buddha’s life viz. the birth, the great renunciation, the
enlightenment, the first sermon, and the final extinction. The drum and Ayaka
platforms were covered with sculptured slabs. Five crystal caskets containing
bone pieces, pearls, and gold flowers were discovered from the southern Ayaka
platform. This is a sariraka type of stupa and hence its great importance,
mounted on this circular drum stood an anda or hemispherical dome. Tall
sculptured dome slabs covered the vertical part of the dome, above which came
decorations in stucco. Scenes from the life of Buddha, Jataka stories, animal
motifs, and floral decorations, formed the subject matter of these sculptures
carved on the locally available light green limestone. The dome was crowned by
a harmika or box-like structure over which stood a chhatra or umbrella all now
missing except the remains of the plinth. The drum of the stupa had a well-laid
pradakshinapatha or circumambulatory path of 4 meters paved with cuddapah
slabs protected by a railing in stone on its extreme end, pierced on all four sides by gateways projecting out. The railing consisted of updmvapatas or
upright pillars, three suchis or cross bars connecting each pair of upright
pillars, and ushnisha or coping stone running on top of those pillars, seated
lions stood on pillars guarding either side of the gateways. The stone railing
of later periods was highly ornamental.
The
history of Maha Chaitya is spread over a period of roughly over a thousand and
seven hundred years (Circa 3rd Century BCE to circa 14th Century CE). The
foundation of this maha stupa must have been laid by the great Mahadeva Bikshu
an emissary of Emperor Asoka who was deputed to Mahishamandala for the
propagation of the Buddhist norm. The first construction is believed to have
been plain and modest.
The
ornamental renovations were brought later during the next seven centuries. The
stupa had received its rich patronage from Kings like Vasistiputra Pulumavi,
Sivaskanda, Satakarni, Gautamiputra Yajna Sri Satakarni, Buddhist Monks like
Acharya Nagarjuna, and Nuns like Nanda and lay Devotees like Utara, Khalata, etc.
Bricks length is more than 1.5 feet
Evidence
shows that the stupa was an object of worship receiving attention during the
reign of the dynasties of the Satavahana, Ikshvaku, Chalukya, Pallava,
Salankayaha, Vishnukundin Kakatiya and Kota kings.
The
Chinese Traveller Yuvan Chwang and the Tibetan Historian Taranath glorified in
their accounts the greatness of this ancient seat of Buddhism. Colonel Colin
Mackenzie of the trigonometrical survey discovered the remains of this
stupa in 1791 CE. Subsequently, Archaeologists like Mr. Burgess, Mr. Rea, Sri TN
Ramachandran, Dr. R. Subrahmanyan, Dr. K. Krishnamurthy, and Dr. I. Karthikeya
Sarma have worked on it.
Out
of the vast sculptural wealth, this stupa has yielded, a good number have become
the objects of exhibition in the galleries of the British Museum London, Musee
Guimet Germany, National Museum, New Delhi, Indian Museum, Calcutta, and
Government Museum, Madras. The rest are on display in the site museum.
Ref
The
display board at the site, by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
LOCATION
OF THE MAHA CHITYA: CLICK HERE
---
OM SHIVAYA NAMA---
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