Buddhism in southern Andhra: the evidence of Amaravati

Buddhism in southern Andhra: the evidence of Amaravati

  • 11 Feb
    12 Feb
    2019

    Buddhist Aesthetics

    Richard Blurton

Buddhism in southern Andhra: the evidence of Amaravati

Image: Drum slab from the stupa at Amaravati. British Museum. 1880,0709.79

These seminars will consider the sculpture from Amaravati as a way to explore Buddhism in Andhra in the early centuries AD. This will primarily be carried out through the collection held in the British Museum in London, much of which has recently been re-presented. An attempt will be made to connect imagery with doctrinal and devotional change over a period of immense importance in the spread of Indian culture elsewhere in South Asia, and then throughout Southeast Asia.

Duration -

February 11, 12, 2019

Timing: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Fees

Rs. 2,000

Registrations Closed

Richard Blurton

Richard Blurton

Richard Blurton studied in Birmingham and Cambridge. He then worked on archaeological excavations in London, Africa, southern Afghanistan, and Karnataka. He joined the British Museum as a curator in 1986 and retired as head of its South and Southeast Asian collections in September 2018. Among his many curations, The Enduring Image opened in New Delhi in 1997 and was shown in Mumbai in 1998. In 2006, he curated Voices of Bengal. His more recent exhibitions include Krishna in the Garden of Assam (2016) and Between Assam and Tibet: Cultural change in Arunachal Pradesh (2014). Last year, Blurton opened the Hotung Gallery in the British Museum, housing collections from South Asia and China from 1.5 million years ago to 2011. His latest project refurbishes and contextualizes the Amaravati displays.