Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said he would look into the possibility of bringing back artefacts belonging to the Capital region from museums in Chennai and Hyderabad. He stressed the need to claim objects of historic importance preserved in the Museum of London too but refrained from giving any commitment thereof.
Releasing a book titled ‘Amaravati Prabhuvu Vasireddy Venkatadri Nayudu written by veteran journalist Potturi Venkateswara Rao and published by Emesco Books here on Friday, Mr. Naidu said he was impressed with the rich collection of artefacts belonging to the dynasties that ruled the erstwhile Amaravati, safeguarded in the London Museum.
Exclusive gallery
The fact that Amaravati has an exclusive gallery there reflected its global significance as an ancient civilisation. The only other empire that found a place in that world-famous museum is Greece.
“I came to know that Buddhism spread to China, Japan and other Southeast Asian countries from Amaravati. It is imperative that an International Buddhist Research Centre is established in the emerging capital city as suggested by those who wanted to see it regain its past glory,” he observed.
Mr. Naidu said ‘history was sometimes surprising’ as Amaravati which had global trade linkages, reached a stage where it could set an example as the best city in the modern times.
“Efforts are under way to protect its culture and heritage by all means and if we succeed in reclaiming our pieces of legacy elsewhere, it will be a great achievement”, he added. Mr. Venkateswara Rao said the greatness of Amaravati would not be known to the masses if the State remained unified.
“There are several great men like Raja Vasireddy Venkatadri Nayudu who made the region rich for generations to come. Many kings of those days were enslaved by the British but Raja Vasireddy Venkatadri Nayudu was an exception. He survived the oppressive British regime and went on to rule the people like few kings of his time did,” he pointed out.
Earlier, the descendants of Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu and Challapalli Jamindars felicitated the Chief Minister and pledged their support for development of the capital.
Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad, Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao, and Emesco Books owner D. Vijaya Kumar were among those present.
