This is the fifth part of a series of short films about Buddhism and especially its artistic and cultural contributions in India and surrounding countries by the renowned Indian cultural historian Benoy H. Behl, whose films I have featured many times on this website.
In this episode we see how Buddhist art developed over the centuries by focusing on the monuments and relief works found in the Krishna River Valley in Andhra Pradesh. Amongst the great works found in this area are the Amaravati Stupa, and the remains at Nagarjunakonda.
There are indeed hundreds of other sites preserved there also, and many of them have fine art work and sculpture, as we see on brief visits to many of the sites. Both Mahāyāna and Theravāda flourished in this area and it is home to some of the finest relief work that Buddhism managed to produce.
This is one of the areas in India I do hope to visit and photograph myself one day if I get a chance.
