Amarāvatī

views updated May 21 2018

Amarāvatī (Skt., ‘abode of the deathless’).
1. The ‘deathless’ are the gods, hence A. is the abode of the gods, i.e., heaven. ‘To enter Amarāvatī’ = ‘to die’.

2. A Buddhist ceremonial and pilgrimage centre situated along the Kistna river, Andhra Pradesh. The site dates from the Śuṅga period (185–75 BCE). However, the central building, the Great Stūpa, is the most important structure dating from the late Āndhra (25 BCE–320 CE).