In which one of the following regions was Dhanyakataka, which flourished as a prominent Buddhist centre under the Mahasanghikas, located?
- A.Andhra
- B.Gandhara
- C.Kalinga
- D.Magadha
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Andhra. Dhanyakataka is the ancient Dharanikota, beside Amaravati on the Krishna river in present-day Andhra Pradesh.
Dhanyakataka was a capital of the Satavahanas, who ruled the Deccan around the beginning of the Common Era, and the great Amaravati stupa stood close by. The region became a stronghold of the Mahasanghika school of Buddhism and its offshoots, the Chaitika sects, which helped shape early Mahayana ideas. The Amaravati school of sculpture, with its delicate white limestone reliefs of the Buddha's life, developed here. Tradition also links the area with the Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna, and the Tibetan Kalachakra teachings say the Buddha first taught them at Dhanyakataka.
B is wrong: Gandhara, in today's north-west Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, is known for Greco-Buddhist art and Taxila.
C is wrong: Kalinga, roughly present-day Odisha, is known for Ashoka's war and Dhauli.
D is wrong: Magadha, in Bihar, had Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda, not Dhanyakataka.
Exam tip: Dhanyakataka = Dharanikota near Amaravati, Andhra; Satavahana capital, Mahasanghika centre, Amaravati school of art.
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