Place · Satavahana Buddhist town · India
Gudivāda / Vidarbhapuri
/ɡuːdiˈvɑːdə/
Also known as Gudivāda, Gudivada
The historic Krishna-district town in central Andhra Pradesh, 80 kilometres from Vijayawada, that served as a Satavahana-period Buddhist centre (2nd c. BCE to 3rd c. CE) with excavated viharas and stupas, and in the medieval period as a Reddi-dynasty regional capital. The Gudivada stupa complex, excavated by Alexander Rea in the 1890s, yielded limestone reliefs now in the Chennai Museum. The town's modern identity is as a political and agricultural hub of the Krishna delta — Gudivada Lok Sabha constituency has returned both Congress and TDP members since 1952, and the town is a central node of the Krishna-Godavari river basin politics. The 2016 state-level cultural heritage listing recognised the Satavahana Buddhist layer.
- Date
- c. 2nd century BCE–5th century CE
- Periods
- Second Urbanisation, Classical and Puranic Age, Regional Flourishing, Islamic Age and Bhakti Traditions, Early Modern Age, British Colonial Age, Republic and Living Practice
- Function
- Religious institution & practice
- Patron dynasty
- Satavahana
- Confidence
- Established / referenced — The Buddhist presence is archaeologically established, but the exact extent of Gudivada’s political importance and its relationship to particular ruling dynasties should be treated cautiously.
- Location
- 16.436, 80.996
Worth knowing
Vidarbhapuri is the ancient, historical name of Gudivada. The current name Gudivada was derived from Telugu word Gudi meaning Temple and Vada means Settlement or town in Telugu language. The "Gudi" in Gudivada refers to the Sri Bhimeswara Swamy Temple built by a king.
Connections (1)
- Companion in the same setGhantasala
Ghantsala and Gudivada preserve Buddhist remains from the early historic Krishna region, making them useful markers of the dense network of Buddhist establishments that developed across the lower Krishna landscape.
On these journeys
Sources
Archaeological and historical sources on early Buddhist Andhra; Government of Andhra Pradesh material on Andhra’s Buddhist heritage.
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