Mahayana Buddhism In Andhradesa

Andhras played a remarkable role in the development of Buddhism and its geographical expansion. This study attempts to give a comprehensive account of the emergence and growth of the Mahayana in Andhradesa. It makes extensive use of original literary sources as well as archaeological evidences to show that Andhradesa is the original home of Mahayana, Buddhism.

Dr. Jagarlamudi Sitaramamma is an Associate professor in the Centre for Mahayana Buddhist Studies, Acarya Nagarjuna University, Guntur Andhra Pradesh. She worked on History of Mahayana Buddhism in South East Asia for her doctoral thesis. She worked on the areas such as Andhra Buddhism, Andhaka sects and their contribution to the development of Mahayana, the status of women in Buddhism, Buddhist literature in Telugu, Buddhist Educa tion, Buddhist Art and Architecture, and relevance of Buddhas teachings to contemporary society. She is an active member in the Indian Society for Buddhist Studies.

Buddhism had been a strong force in the social and cultural history of Andhradeśa for about 1000 years. The new gospel was responsible for uniting the Andhras into a single race and in return the Andhras played a remarkable role not only in its geographical extension but also in developing and enriching the Buddhist philosophy and religion. The Andhras appear to have been in the forefront of all the movements that took place in the development of Buddhist doctrine.

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