Question

Explain the causes of the ruin of Stupa at Amravati.

Hint:

The fate of Amravati stands as a warning in archaeological history. While Sanchi survived because it was preserved in-situ (on-site), Amravati was destroyed because it was treated as a stone quarry and its sculptures were scattered across museums globally.

Answer 1

Step 1: Vandalism and Plundering by Local Rulers:
The great stupa at Amravati (modern Andhra Pradesh) was discovered in $1796$ by a local Raja who was looking for treasure. He decided to use the site as a quarry, pulling down the ancient structure and using its highly valuable stone and bricks to construct his own palace and local temples.

Step 2: Looting of Scuptures by British Officials:
Over the next several decades, colonial administrators systematically stripped the monument of its remaining beauty. In $1854$, Walter Elliot (Commissioner of Guntur) excavated the site and transported the exquisitely carved limestone slabs (known as the “Amravati marbles”) to Madras. Some slabs were even sent directly to London to decorate offices and museums, while others were installed in the gardens of British officials.

Step 3: Lack of an In-situ Preservation Policy:
Unlike Sanchi, where the local rulers (the Begums of Bhopal) actively funded on-site preservation, Amravati was discovered before the British developed a firm policy of in-situ preservation (preserving antiquities in their origil location). Leading scholars of the time, such as H.H. Cole, argued that taking origil carvings away to foreign museums was a tiol tragedy, but their warnings came too late to save Amravati.