Phanigiri: Interpreting an Ancient Buddhist Site in Telangana

The Jewel in the Crown: Lessons on Heritage from Phanigiri
Illustrated lecture by Naman P. Ahuja, Curator and Professor, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University

A Gateway to Phanigiri: Reading Architecture, Constructing Narrative at an Early Buddhist Site
Illustrated lecture by Parul Pandya Dhar, Professor of Indian and Southeast Asian Art History, Dept. of History, University of Delhi

Chair: Prof. Nayanjot Lahiri

The remains of what must have been a jewel of a Buddhist monastery, perched high on a granite massif, have been found at Phanigiri, 150 km away from Hyderabad. The main construction and artefacts date between the 2nd to 4th centuries AD – a decisive period when Buddhism was sharing space with a rising number of organised sects. Naman Ahuja will take the audience through the astounding quality of sculpture at Phanigiri and focus on just one piece: a stele that shows Siddhartha sacrificing his turban, the mark of his inheritance. This narrative forms one of the key moments in Buddhist art. Parul Pandya Dhar will speak about the unique torana gateway of the stupa, which is the only one of its kind in all of peninsular India

(Collaboration: The Marg Foundation)