I will be honest with you. When someone first suggested I visit Amaravati, I pictured a mundane town with your usual ancient ruins. However, I was pleasantly mistaken.
Amaravati is a small town in Andhra Pradesh sitting right along the Krishna River, and it holds more local history than most places I have ever visited. Two thousand years of stories are buried here, and somehow the place still feels alive with them.
Amaravati Was a Powerhouse Long Before You Were Born
Once a bustling metropolis, Amaravati was known previously as Dhanyakataka, the primary city of the Satavahana Empire. The history of Amaravati dates back to approximately 3rd BCE to 3rd CE. While this was an opulent time for the Satavahana rulers, it was simultaneously an equally rich period for the city of Rome. Many merchants travelled to this region to conduct trade, many Buddhist monks established centres of learning, while many other people from different cultures began their lives here, as the city became an important commercial and ideational centre.
The rulers of the Satavahana dynasty were great supporters of both religious and artistic development. Therefore, many large artistic and architectural projects were commissioned that ultimately evolved into some of the largest and finest Buddhist monuments in India today.
The Great Stupa That the World Largely Forgot
The Maha Chaitya, or the Great Stupa, is the reason most history lovers make the trip to Amaravati. It began around the 3rd century BCE, and over the following centuries, it was expanded into something truly magnificent. At its tallest, it stood approximately 30 metres high, wrapped in carved limestone panels showing scenarios from the Buddha’s life, celestial beings, royal processions, and stories from the Jataka tales.
The carvings were so distinctive and so skilfully done that scholars gave them their own name. The Amaravati School of Art became recognised as one of the great sculptural traditions of ancient India, known for its graceful figures and its gift for telling a story through stone.
Unfortunately, much of the stupa was dismantled in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the carved panels were carried off by colonial collectors. Some of the finest pieces ended up in the British Museum in London, and more are in the Government Museum in Chennai. What you see on site today is a large earthen mound where the stupa once stood. It is quieter than you might expect, but I found it strangely moving to stand there knowing what had once risen from that spot.
The Museum Next Door Is Absolutely Worth Your Time
The Amaravati Archaeological Museum is located next to the stupa, and I urge you to visit it. You can find original carvings, sculptural fragments, and detailed reconstructions that bring everything to life like nothing else. You will begin to appreciate just how grand and beautiful the complete stupa must have appeared.
I thought I would be there for only a few minutes, but I was there for more than an hour because the carvings were so impressive. I suggest you hire a guide when entering the museum to gain insight into the stories behind the panels.
The Town Itself Has Not Forgotten Its Roots
One aspect I found interesting about Amaravati is that even though it’s an archaeological site, it doesn’t seem currently to be experiencing declining visitation numbers. The Amareswara Swamy Temple, in the centre of town, is currently used as a place of worship by devotees of Lord Shiva. This temple is one of five Pancharama Kshetras (or five holy temples dedicated to Lord Shiva) in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Many pilgrims come to this temple throughout the year for blessings and offerings to Lord Shiva.
As I walked around after spending the morning down the road at the stupa site, I had the feeling that both historical and modern-day religious practices were coexisting harmoniously within the confines of this town.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go
Vijayawada is your nearest base, and it is well connected by rail and air. From there, hiring a car or hopping on a local bus gets you to Amaravati without any hassle. Most visitors stay in Vijayawada and come here as a day trip, which works perfectly well. I would suggest booking your hotels online in advance if you are visiting between October and March, as that is the popular season and good rooms go quickly.
October to March is genuinely the best time to come. The heat is manageable, the light is beautiful, and walking around the site is actually enjoyable rather than something you need to survive.
One full day is enough to do Amaravati properly. The stupa site, the museum, the temple, and a walk along the Krishna River. It is a satisfying, unhurried kind of day, and you will likely leave knowing a great deal more about ancient India than when you arrived.
