Amaravati sculpture

Style of sculpture found in the Andhra region of southeastern India. It flourished there from about the 2nd century BC to the end of the 3rd century AD, during the rule of the Satavahana dynasty. Carved in relief on greenish-white limestone, these sculptures depict events in the life of the Buddha. The compositions are dynamic, sensuous, and dramatic, with overlapping figures and diagonals suggesting depth. The style spread from the Amaravati ruins west to Maharashtra Pradesh, to Sri Lanka (Ceylon), and to much of South Asia. The Amaravati stupa was one of the largest in Buddhist India; it was largely destroyed in the 19th century by building contractors to make lime mortar.

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