Chandavaram Buddhist site is an ancient Indian

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

site in Chandavaram village in Prakasam district in the Indian state of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. Situated on the bank of

Gundlakamma River The Gundlakamma River ( te, గుండ్లకమ్మ నది) is a seasonal waterway that flows through the east-central part of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It arises in the Nallamala Hills, an offshoot of the Eastern Ghats. Its m ...

, the site is northwest of Donakonda railway station. The Chandavaram Buddhist site was built between the 2nd century

BCE Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...

and the 2nd century CE during the

Satavahana dynasty The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the la ...

and was discovered by Veluri Venkata Krishna Sastry in 1964. Much of the sculpture has been removed from the site, and the best collection is in the

Telangana State Archaeology Museum Telangana State Archaeology Museum or Hyderabad Museum is a museum located in Hyderabad, India. It is the oldest museum in Hyderabad. History Archaeologist Henry Cousens first explored the site in the beginning of the 19th century, and around ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

. Some of the best pieces from the site museum have been stolen in recent decades. It is in the

Amaravati style The Amarāvati ''Stupa'', is a ruined Buddhist ''stūpa'' at the village of Amaravathi, Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh, India, probably built in phases between the third century BCE and about 250 CE. It was enlarged and new sculptures repla ...

History

The first of its kind in the state of

, the Chandavaram Buddhist site was constructed between the 2nd century

and the 2nd century CE. It was an active center for

religious activities, and was also inhabited at the time. The age of the site was determined by the carbon dating of artifacts discovered during excavation. The sculptural panels in the site are of the

Amaravati school The Amarāvati ''Stupa'', is a ruined Buddhist '' stūpa'' at the village of Amaravathi, Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh, India, probably built in phases between the third century BCE and about 250 CE. It was enlarged and new sculptures repla ...

which also suggests that the site was built between the 2nd century

and the 2nd century CE. The Chandavaram Buddhist site was used as a resting place by Buddhist monks travelling from

Kashi Kashi or Kaashi may refer to: Places * Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India **Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas **Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi * Kashgar, a cit ...

Kanchi Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its templ ...

. Discovered in 1964, the site was constructed during the

. Ayaka pillars are absent from the site, indicating that the

Hinayana Hīnayāna (, ) is a Sanskrit term literally meaning the "small/deficient vehicle". Classical Chinese and Tibetan teachers translate it as "smaller vehicle". The term is applied collectively to the ''Śrāvakayāna'' and ''Pratyekabuddhayāna'' pa ...

form of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

was prevalent in Chandavaram. The site houses a double terraced MahaStupa on a hilltop which is next in importance only to

Sanchi Stupa Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometres from Raisen town, district headquarter and north-east of Bho ...

. The hill on which the MahaStupa is located is called Singarakonda.

Construction and structure

Telangana State Archaeology Museum 047 (cropped)

Constructed during the

, the Chandavaram Buddhist site houses a double terraced main stupa built on an elevated platform situated on a hilltop. The MahaStupa exhibits the characteristics of stupas built under the

form of

. The main dome (MahaStupa) is in circumference and high. It has carved panels that portray the

Dharmachakra The dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र; Pali: ''dhammacakka'') or wheel of dharma is a widespread symbol used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and especially Buddhism.John C. Huntington, Dina Bangdel, ''The Circle o ...

(the wheel of '' Dharma'', one of the Ashtamangala of Indian religions such as

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle bein ...

and Buddhism). Apart from the main stupa, the site also houses several viharas, Brahmi inscriptions and other stupas. In the MahaStupa, there is a

chaitya A chaitya, chaitya hall, chaitya-griha, (Sanskrit:''Caitya''; Pāli: ''Cetiya'') refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple or prayer hall in Indian religions. The term is most common in Buddhism, where it refers to a space with a stupa and a rounded ...

which is high and wide. The MahaStupa resembles the

Dharmarajika The Dharmarajika Stupa ( ur, ), also referred to as the Great Stupa of Taxila, is a Buddhist stupa near Taxila, Pakistan. It was built over the relics of the Buddha by Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. The stupa, along with the large monastic c ...

stupa in Taxila, Pakistan. The panels on the main stupa are made of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. The panels and the drum sections of the main stupa exhibit the

Buddha footprint Buddha's footprints ( sa, Buddhapada) are Buddhist icons shaped like an imprint of Gautama Buddha's foot or both feet. There are two forms: natural, as found in stone or rock, and those made artificially. Many of the "natural" ones are acknowled ...

, stupas, Bodhi trees and also narratives in the form of

Jataka tales The Jātakas (meaning "Birth Story", "related to a birth") are a voluminous body of literature native to India which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. According to Peter Skilling, this genre is ...

along with other stories. Since 1964, the Chandavaram Buddhist site has been excavated four times, and fifteen regular-sized and approximately one hundred small stupas have been discovered. The site comprises the following: * Main Stupa (MahaStupa) * Maha Chaitya *Museum *Silamandapa * Vihara * Votive Stupas Hyderabad Dec2011 15

Modern statue of Buddha

In 1985, a project called the "Buddha Poornima Project" was proposed. Under this project, the world's tallest standing

monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often ma ...

statue of

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

was to be erected on the site. Made out of

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

, the statue was carved by 200 sculptors in two years and on completion it weighed 440 tonnes with an overall height of . However, the

Buddha statue Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as Buddharūpa (literally, "Form of the Awakened One") in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure i ...

was transported to city of

in 1988 instead, where it was erected in 1992 in the Hussain sagar lake, where it stands today.

Archeological finds

One MahaStupa, fifteen regular-sized and approximately one hundred small Stupas have been discovered in the Chandavaram Buddhist site. Apart from the Maha Chaitya, Silamandapa, Vihara and the Votive Stupas, more than two dozen "Buddhist slabs" (decorated with designs and inscriptions) have also been discovered.

Thefts from museum

Robberies of artefacts has been reported at the Chandavaram Buddhist site since the year 2000. In Oct 2000, two long panels, with engravings of the Bodhi tree and of the Chaitra were uprooted from a cement platform and stolen from the site's museum. In February 2001, three pillars, each measuring long and including one in which the

was represented as fire were stolen. In March 2001, three more ornate pillars and a lotus medallion were stolen.

Geographic location

Gallery

;All

File:Telangana State Archaeology Museum 022.jpg, Drum panel of the chaitya with model stupa depicting the worship of

Mucalinda Mucalinda, Muchalinda or Mucilinda is the name of a nāga, a snake-like being, who protected the Gautama Buddha from the elements after his enlightenment. It is said that six weeks after Gautama Buddha began meditating under the Bodhi Tree, t ...

the

nagaraja Nagaraja ( sa, नागराज ', ) is a title used to refer to the nagas, the serpent-like figures that appear in Indian religions. It refers to the kings of the various races of the nāga, the divine or semi-divine, half-human, half-serpen ...

, before 300 File:Telangana State Archaeology Museum 049.jpg, Scenes from the life of Buddha; below, his birth. Before 100 File:Telangana State Archaeology Museum 038.jpg, Worship of a stupa, which has a

Jataka The Jātakas (meaning "Birth Story", "related to a birth") are a voluminous body of literature native to India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, th ...

scene. Before 100 File:Telangana State Archaeology Museum 031.jpg, Worship of thrones with

dharmachakra The dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र; Pali: ''dhammacakka'') or wheel of dharma is a widespread symbol used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and especially Buddhism.John C. Huntington, Dina Bangdel, ''The Circle o ...

(above) and Bodhi tree (below), 2nd century

References

{{Indian Buddhist Caves Archaeological sites in Andhra Pradesh Buddhist monasteries in India Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India Buddhist sites in Andhra Pradesh Buildings and structures in Prakasam district Colossal Buddha statues Former populated places in India Stupas in India Buddhist buildings in India