Art of South India: Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh has a rich legacy of art and architectural creations, dating from 2nd century B.C. Indeed Andhra Pradesh is a veritable museum of Buddhist art and architecture; Amaravati providing one of the finest expressions of Indian art. The temple architecture, the beginnings of which can be traced to 2nd century B.C. in Andhra attains maturity of form from A.D. 600, imbibing the stylistic features of Nagara tradition prevalent in the areas of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Orissa. The broad strands of this architectural and art development are recounted in this book. This introductory study begins with an outline of the political, religious and architectural developments till the 3rd century B.C. The emergence of the Satavahanas as a major political power, the rise of Buddhism and the growth of internal and external trade ushers in the finest expression of stupa architecture and art are also clearly brought out. The major rock-cut temples of Buddhist and Brahmanical affiliation, the temple forms and the constituent elements with particular reference to their incidence in Andhra together are the development of temple architecture and art within the various geographical regions of Andhra Pradesh have been studied in detail. Thus for first time, the art history of Andhra Pradesh is presented in the wide context of Indian art history. The book replete with illustrations_ drawings and photographs_helps easy understanding of the art heritage of Andhra.