The historic legacy of Buddhism and the famous Amaravati School of art brought senior personnel from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art ('The Met') to the Amaravathi Heritage Town (ATH) by the banks of the Krishna river, 35km north of Guntur. The Met, among the most renowned museums in the world, is planning an exhibition on Buddhism in October 2020. Following the Buddha's footprints in Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Jeta Vanam, Nalanda and other places mainly in northern India, The Met's Deputy Director Carrie Barratt and Chief Curator Dr. John Guy spent a day in Amaravathi, with the Chief Curator of ATH and heritage advisor to the Andhra Pradesh government, Amareswar Galla.
Going around the town, Ms. Barratt was particularly taken with the theme of Ma Vooru Ma Kodallu ('Our Town Our Daughters-in-Law'), an initiative mediated by local women to bring together the people of the town. “Working with local women to turn the museum into a community centre for learning and engagement is an incredible thing and very inspiring,” said Ms. Barratt.
Limor Tomer, General Manager, MetLiveArts, The Met's performing arts programme, said such collaborations juxtapose art and sculpture with contemporary creativity and bring museum collections alive for diverse and growing audiences.
Dr. Galla said the significance of Buddhism in Andhra Pradesh is its outstanding universal value. Conservation and heritage tourism must integrate sites such as ATH, he said. “The birth of Mahayana Buddhism, based on the Madhyamika philosophy of Acharya Nagarjuna, makes Amaravathi and Nagarjunakonda among the most significant places for Buddhist pilgrimage and tourism,” he said.
