As part of the British Museum’s South Asia season, the Asahi Shimbun DisplayVirtual pilgrimage: reimagining India's Great Shrine of Amaravati focuses on a double-sided
relief from the Great Shrine of Amaravati in south-east India. Founded around 200 BC, the Shrine was one of the earliest, largest and most important Buddhist monuments in the world.
Located near the ancient city of Dharanikota in the present-day state of Andhra Pradesh, the site flourished for over a thousand years – the city had important trade links throughout South and Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka and the Mediterranean world.
One side of the relief reveals what the Shrine, now an archaeological site, may have looked like. It shows the dome covered in Buddhist symbols and stories, while the Buddha himself stands in bodily form at the gateway, flanked by devotees.On the other side the Buddha is evoked as an empty throne, a Bodhi tree and a pair of footprints, perhaps suggesting his liberation from the earthly realm and the confines of the human body.
The Shrine's domed structure, or stupa, contained a relic – perhaps of an important
spiritual teacher, or of the Buddha himself, who died sometime between 490 and 400 BC. Pilgrims from many walks of life funded its construction and adornment over hundreds of years. The identities of these donors are revealed through Prakrit inscriptions written in Brahmi, one of India’s oldest scripts, carved onto individual sculptures.
They include a female disciple who donated the relief on display,a 1st-century BC perfumer called Hamgha who donated a pillar, a 1st-century AD Buddhist monk called Budhi who donated a ‘lion-seat’ (probably a support for a lion statue) with his sister Budha(a nun), and a 2nd-century AD woman called Kumala who donated an elaborately carved railing pillar.
In the display, these four individuals will be dramatically brought to life by actors and projected onto the gallery walls. Using new mobile technology, visitors will have the opportunity to use their smartphones to interact with these characters and explore the Shrine in more detail.
This creative approach to storytelling will highlight the importance of ancient inscriptions, which are crucial for understanding the historical and social significance of sites such as the Great Shrine. 'Opening up' the gallery walls will allow us to playfully experiment with its otherwise protected and untouched surfaces. By reimagining the donors that made the Amaravati site possible, this display will explore the power of patronage in ancient India.
The Great Shrine was gradually abandoned during the 14th century, and by the late 18th century materials from the shrine were being recycled for new buildings and temples. In the 19th century a series of archaeological campaigns recovered the surviving sculptures. Today, the pieces are shared across a number of museum collections in India and around the world. The British Museum houses more than 120 sculptures from Amaravati, forming the single most important group of Indian sculptures outside the subcontinent. Manywill be on permanent display when the Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery of China and South Asia and the Asahi Shimbun Gallery of Amaravati sculpturesreopen in November 2017.
Notes to editors
The Asahi Shimbun Display
Virtual pilgrimage: reimaginingIndia’s Great Shrine of Amaravati
10 August – 8 October 2017
Room 3, British Museum
Supported by The Asahi Shimbun
Opening times: Saturday–Thursday 10.00–17.30, Friday 10.00–20.30
Related events
Meet the donors:
the power of patronage at Amaravati
Tue 15 Aug, 13.15, Room 3
A gallery talk by Curator Imma Ramos.
Free, just drop in
Amaravati: local, national and international perspectives
Wed 30 Aug, 13.15, Room 3
A gallery talk by Curator Richard Blurton.
Free, just drop in
Following the Buddhist path:
insights on the nature of mind
Fri 22 Sep, 18.30, BP Lecture Theatre
Theravada Buddhist nun and teacher AjahnSundara and TV presenter and psychotherapist Alistair Appleton reflect on their own experiences of Buddhist practice.
£5 (£3)
Reading inscriptions at Amaravati: unlocking the Great Shrine's mysteries
Sat 30 Sep, 13.15, Room 3
A gallery talk by Vincent Tournier, SOAS.
Free, just drop in
You can explore the object in 3D here:
The Asahi Shimbun Displays are a series of regularly changing displays which look at objects in new or different ways. Sometimes the display highlights a well-known item, sometimes it surprises the audience with extraordinary items from times and cultures that may not be very familiar. This is also an opportunity for the Museum to learn how it can improve its larger exhibitions and permanent gallery displays. These displays have been made possible by the generous sponsorship of The Asahi Shimbun Company, who are long-standing supporters of the British Museum. With a circulation of about 6.5 million for the morning edition alone, The Asahi Shimbun is the most prestigious newspaper in Japan. The company also publishes magazines and books, and provides a substantial information service on the Internet. The Asahi Shimbun Company has a century long tradition of staging exhibitions in Japan of art, culture and history from around the world.
Related galleries
The Museum will open the renovated Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery of China and South Asia on 10 November 2017. The display will include a new narrative for China and South Asia which will bring the story up to the present. This will allow different types of objects to be included, such as paintings, prints and textiles which need regulated conditions. The gallery will introduce new research, allowing visitors to engage with these extraordinarily important parts of the world.The Asahi Shimbun Gallery of Amaravati sculptures and the Selwyn and Ellie Alleyne Gallery of Chinese jade have also been refurbished and will reopen on the same date.
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Further information
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