The Andhra Pradesh government’s plan to attract world tourists to Amaravati, the new capital area, by showcasing its robust Buddhist heritage has sparked hope, setting off a clamour among various sections to bring back its treasured artefacts, currently on display at a gallery in London Museum. Josephe Hotung Gallery in the British Museum displays masterpieces of Buddhist sculptures from Amaravati. A stunning collection of over 120 pieces depicting the famed Amravati sculptures are on display after over three decades of oblivion in the basement of the museum. Excavated by the British almost 140 years ago, the sculptures were shipped to the U.K. from Madras in 1859.
With the A.P. government spelling out its latest plan to set up a ‘Monastery Boulevard’ in Amaravati to enable Buddhists from across the world build monasteries on the lines of Bodh Gaya in Bihar, people here feel that it’s time Andhra Pradesh staked claim to the Amaravati relics that reflect its hoary past.
Veeranjaneyulu Jasti, chairman, Amaravati Development Authority, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has urged the Centre to do the needful to bring back the sculptures. He says half of the Hotung Gallery has been devoted to Chinese bronzes, jades, paintings, ceramics and Buddhist sculptures, while the second half has Amaravati structures which include “the greatest collection of Indian religious sculptures outside the sub-continent.”
A copy of Mr. Veeranjaneyulu’s letter has been forwarded to the Director-General, Archaeological Survey of India.
State plans to attract world tourists to new capital region
