Amaravati Art in the Context of Andhra Archaeology
by Sreyashi Ray chowdhuri | 2018 | 90,477 words
This page relates ‘Sankhapala Jataka� of the study on Amaravati Art in the Context of Andhra Archaeology, including museum exhibitions of the major archeological antiquities. These pages show how the Buddhist establishment of Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) survived from 4th century BCE to 14th century CE. It includes references and translations of episodes of Buddha’s life drawn from the Avadanas and Jatakas which are illustrated in Amaravati art.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
³§²¹á¹…k³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹ ´³Äå³Ù²¹°ì²¹
[Full title: ´³Äå³Ù²¹°ì²¹²õ and ´¡±¹²¹»åÄå²Ô²¹²õ in the ´¡³¾²¹°ùÄå±¹²¹³ÙÄ« Art: ³§²¹á¹…k³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹ ´³Äå³Ù²¹°ì²¹]
Story:-
Once Bodhisattva was born as the son of the king of Magadha. He was known as Duyyodhana. After acquiring knowledge the king made his son as the successor and he took to religious life. He started living in the royal garden. Every day Bodhisattva used to see his father. This act affected his concentration and the king failed to perform the preparatory rites that led to mystic meditation. Thus the king decided to leave the royal park. He set up his hut near Mount Canda. In a bend of river Kaṇṇapeṇṇa where it issues out of the lake ³§²¹á¹…k³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹ [³§²¹á¹ƒk³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹], he developed the faculty of mystic meditation.
Once the ²ÔÄå²µ²¹ king ³§²¹á¹…k³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹ visited the abode of the ascetic and listened to him. Since then he frequently visited ascetic’s hut. Bodhisattva found his father’s abode. There he saw ³§²¹á¹…k³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹ listening to the law. He asked his father about the king. The ascetic introduced ³§²¹á¹…k³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹ to his son. Seeing the magnificence of the ²ÔÄå²µ²¹ he desired a longing for the ±·Äå²µ²¹ World. He returned to his city. In order to go to the ±·Äå²µ²¹ World he gave alms throughout the subcontinent. At the end of his life he was reborn in the ±·Äå²µ²¹ World as serpent king ³§²¹á¹…k³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹.
³§²¹á¹ƒk³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹ decided to sacrifice himself by way of charity. He left the ±·Äå²µ²¹ World and settled near the river Kaṇṇapeṇṇa on the ant hill. He observed moral law. He thought that whoever desires his skin will take it. Every first day of each fortnight he returned to the ±·Äå²µ²¹ World.
One day when the ²ÔÄå²µ²¹ king was on the ant hill sixteen hunting men saw him and decided to kill him. But they feared about its size. So they decided to catch the snake with stakes and not with hands. On hearing the footsteps of the hunters ³§²¹á¹…k³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹ decided to sacrifice himself. The men carried the ²ÔÄå²µ²¹ king by fastening it with a bamboo stick and laid it on the road. All that moment a landowner named ´¡±ôÄå°ù²¹ saw sixteen men holding the Bodhisattva. ´¡±ôÄå°ù²¹ offered all his wealth and released Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva immediately returned to the ±·Äå²µ²¹ World and invited ´¡±ôÄå°ù²¹ there. ´¡±ôÄå°ù²¹ took to ascetic life and went to the Himalayas.
One day ´¡±ôÄå°ù²¹ went to Banaras and met the king. He appraised what he witnessed in the ²ÔÄå²µ²¹ palace. After a year ´¡±ôÄå°ù²¹ left for Himalayas[1].
Depiction:-
The ´³Äå³Ù²¹°ì²¹ is represented on a fine limestone pillar from ´¡³¾²¹°ùÄå±¹²¹³ÙÄ« in the British Museum. Though the sides and top roundel are damaged partly it retains the details of the ´³Äå³Ù²¹°ì²¹. The first panel portrays the capture of the snake King ³§²¹á¹…k³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹. The central fluted area illustrates the ²ÔÄå²µ²¹ palace of ³§²¹á¹ƒk³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹.
After the release of Bodhisattva, King ³§²¹á¹…k³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹ invited ´¡±ôÄå°ù²¹ to the palace.
Here ³§²¹á¹…k³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹ is depicted with seven hoods sitting on the throne and next to it is ´¡±ôÄå°ù²¹ with raised hand. The ²ÔÄå²µ²¹ king offers garland to ´¡±ôÄå°ù²¹. The left fluted area of the panel depicts the ²ÔÄå²µ²¹ king ³§²¹á¹…k³ó²¹±èÄå±ô²¹ with his attendants. It probably depicts fairwell scene of ´¡±ôÄå°ù²¹[2] (Pl 18c).
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Cowell E.B, Op.cit, Vol V–VII, No. 524,, pp 84-91
[2]:
Knox Robert, Op.cit, pp 64-66, pl 14 (inner face)