Frequent discoveries of precious artefacts of the Buddhist era in ancient Amaravati town and its surrounding areas are telltale signs of the criminal neglect of our cultural wealth. This region abounds in untapped historic wealth.

A survey conducted in and around Nidamarru, a village in the CRDA, close to Mangalagiri town, yielded yet another image of Buddha of the Vajrayana phase.

The team involved in the survey was led by E. Sivanagi Reddy, archaeologist and CEO of The Cultural Centre of Vijayawada.

The ancient find is an Amitabha sculpture of Buddha in dyana mudra in Padmasana. Amitabha’ means ‘infinite light’; it is also called ‘The Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Light’.

Practitioners of the Pure Land Schools of Buddhism (found in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan) believe that reciting the holy name of Amida (Amitabha) Buddha with devotion will direct their consciousness into his “pure land after death”.

The 4-ft-high and 3-ft-wide sculpture is carved out of black basalt stone.

“The unique feature of this image lies in the Ushnisha , the flaming décor on the head of Buddha, symbolising the enlightenment,” says Prof. Nagireddy.

Pointing to the position of the sculpture’s arms which indicate that the hands are held on the lap in a gesture of meditation, he says it suggests that this sculpture represents Amitabha, a celestial Buddha who presides over the pure land of paradise of Sukhavati in the western quadrant of the cosmos.