Amaravati

Amaravati is a holy town in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh in India. It is located at about 33 km from Vijayawada on the banks of Krishna River. It is 20 miles northwest of Guntur city.

Amaravati is also known as 'Punyakshetra' and 'Amareswaram'. According to a tradition when Subramanya killed the demon Tarakasura, the Shivalingam in his throat broke and fell in five different spots, which became the Pancharama kshetras. The foremost of these is Amareswara at Amaravati where Indra and the Devas are believed to have worshipped Shiva.

Amareswaram is considered sacred because of three things, the Krishna River, an important 'Kshetra' with a 'Sthalamahatyam' and the 'Sri Mahalinga Murthy', which are three sacred principles embodied in one.

Amaravati was the capital of Satavahanas, the first great Andhra kings who ruled from the 2nd century BCE to the 3rd century CE, after the downfall of Maurya empire. It used to be the site of an ancient Buddhist settlement, which was known as Chintapalli. The stupa at this site was said to be bigger than the one at Sachi. This stupa was built in the 3rd century BC during the reign of King Ashoka. However, the structures are no longer there. One of the gateways was meticulously reconstructed. The carvings on the gateway highlight the life of Buddha.

There is a small museum that has collections right from the 3rd century to the 12th century AD and one of the images of Buddha has lotus symbols on the feet with long ear lobes and tight curls.

Amareswaram temple is particularly important which houses the Sri Mahalinga Murthy. Five different forms of Lord Shiva are called 'Pranaveswara', 'Agasteswara', 'Kosaleswara', 'Someswara' and 'Parthiveswara'. Lord Shiva, present in the form of a 15 ft. high white marble Shiva lingam. the temple is surrounded by four high gopuras built in typical Dravidian style

Original Shivalingam is said to have been held in worship by the seven rishis - Kasyapa, Atri, Gowtama, Kousika, Bharadwaja, Vasishta and Jamadagni. These rishis are believed to be present in the seven tributaries of Godavari.

According to Vajrayana traditional sources the Buddha preached at Dharanikota/Dhanyakatakam and conducted Kalachakra ceremony, which would take the antiquity of Amaravati back to 500 BCE.

The recorded history of Amaravati and nearby Dharanikota is from 2nd century BCE. It was the capital of Andhra Satavahanas who ruled from 2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE. After the decline of Satavahanas, Andhra Ikshvakus and later Pallava kings ruled Krishna river valley. Subsequently, Eastern Chalukyas and Telugu Cholas held sway over the region. Kota Kings were in control of Amaravati during the medieval times. Kota kings were subdued by Kakatiyas in 11th century CE and Amaravati became part of the unified Telugu empire.The origin of the temple shrouded in mystery, though there are many legends, puranic and historical, about it.

The Amaravati Buddhist sculptures are world-famous.Slabs with Buddhist inscriptions were found in its groundwork, the temple is said to have been a Buddhist shrine in the previous times. It is also home to best known 2000 years old Buddhist relics, which make the place an important pilgrimage for the Buddhists. The place is also identified as Dhanyakataka by several scholars, who connects Amaravati with the origin of many Tantric teachings especially, Kalchakra.

Amaravati Mahachaitya (The Great Stupa), built around the 2nd century must have been the largest stupa in the whole country. The stupa was earlier a simple structure with limestone crossbars and simple carvings, but when renovated by the Satavahana rulers, became a highly marked architectural monument. It is believed to have been constructed with the efforts of the great saint, Acharya Nagarjuna. Excavated a few years back, this stupa is engraved with intricate carvings that depict the life and teachings of Lord Buddha.