Kings as patrons of monasteries and stūpas in Early Āndhra: Sada rulers, the Rājagiriya fraternity, and the ‘Great Shrine’ at Amaravati

Vincent Tournier (1)

1 LMU - Ludwig Maximilian University [Munich] = Ludwig Maximilians Universität München

Despite the flourishing of Buddhism in the Āndhra region of Eastern Deccan between the 1st century BCE and the 2nd century CE, our knowledge of the role of political power in facilitating its institutional development remains very fragmentary. This article surveys evidence of the involvement of rulers of the Sada dynasty (r. late 1st century BCE–late 1st century CE) in the establishment of monasteries and stūpas in the Krishna and Godavari river valleys. In particular, it discusses an exceptional relief on a coping stone from Amaravati stūpa preserved at the British Museum, whose accompanying inscription has thus far been neglected. A close reading of the iconography of this exceptional piece, in the light of the study of its inscription, shows how the visual narrative is highly relevant to the issue of royal patronage in Āndhra during the period of the Sada rule. Indeed, I argue that the relief showcases the royal establishment of the monastic complex of Rājagiri. In fact, members of the lineage stemming from this monastery played a very important role in the development of the Amaravati stūpa, and endeavored to stress, visually and epigraphically, their proximity to the royal power.

Mots clés: Indian Buddhist Monasticism; Āndhra; Mahisaka district; Amaravati; Vaddamanu; Royal patronage; Sada and Sātavāhana dynasties; nikāyas; Rājagiriyas

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société; Religions

Vincent Tournier. Kings as patrons of monasteries and stūpas in Early Āndhra: Sada rulers, the Rājagiriya fraternity, and the ‘Great Shrine’ at Amaravati. Buddhism, Law and Society, 2023, Epigraphic Evidence on Patronage and Social Contexts of Buddhist Monasteries in Medieval South and Southeast Asia, 7 (2021-2022), pp.1-57. ⟨halshs-04137390⟩