Art of Nagarjunikonda

he Art of Nāgārjunikoṇḍa by P. R. Ramachandra Rao, first published in 1956 by Rachana, Madras, is a focused study of the Buddhist art, architecture, and archaeological heritage of Nāgārjunikoṇḍa in Andhra Pradesh. The book places the site within the historical setting of the Ikṣvāku dynasty, examines its royal and female patrons, and traces its artistic relationship with the earlier Amarāvatī tradition. A major part of the volume is devoted to the stūpas, monasteries, sculptural reliefs, architectural remains, and narrative scenes from the life of the Buddha. The illustrated plates include representations of the Mahācetiya, early Andhra stūpas, the division of the Buddha’s relics, the First Sermon, the Buddha’s Descent from Tuṣita Heaven, Siddhārtha’s renunciation, Māra’s temptation, and other Buddhist themes. The book is therefore a useful reference for the study of Andhra Buddhist art, Buddhist archaeology, sacred architecture, and narrative sculpture in early India.