Amaravati: Once the capital of an empire, now the capital of a truncated state

Amaravati, a temple town on the banks of the river Krishna, is to be the new capital city of a truncated Andhra Pradesh.

The town was a capital once before in the long, long past.

Over 2300 years ago, Brahmin vassals of the Andhra-Telangana region of the then declining Mauryan empire were waiting for the end of Emperor Asoka to declare their independence. Soon after Asoka died, these vassals founded what later came to be known as the Satavahana Empire. Amaravati was their capital.

They ruled for around 450 years, usurped what are now the central provinces, parts of Maharashtra-Gujarat and Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh in scores of battles, thus becoming the first and perhaps only South Indian dynasty to ever rule over such a vast region of north and western India.

The Satavahanas are credited with introducing the Saka Calendar with the beginning of what is called the Saka Era in 78 AD to mark their victory over the Sakas, known to belong to east Iranian tribes. The first day of the Saka Calendar is celebrated as near year in Andhra, Telangana and Karnataka as Ugadi and in Maharashtra and Goa as Gudi Padwa.

(In Gujarat and neighbouring parts, the day after Diwali is celebrated as the first day of the Vikram Samvat calendar, established by the emperor of Ujjain in the year known as 56 BC by the Gre­gorian calendar. It is different from the Saka calendar, which has the new year falling in March.)

By the way, an interesting digression here: Do you know that the Modi government with effect from 2015 has put a stop to government publications using the Saka calendar dates and months along with the Gregorian calendar? Has anyone noticed it? Nevertheless it is a welcome step, considering nobody really knows anything about this calendar business. Suffice to know that the Saka calendar was officially adopted by the Indian government as its national calendar n 1957.

Amarvati became both the cultural and religious centre of the Krishna-Godavari region of the southern state during the Satavahana rule. It was also a prominent Buddhist centre. The Satavahanas were, apart from being Brahmins, supporters of Hinduism and this gives rise to speculation that they must have had a hand in the desecration or even destruction of Buddhist structures in the region.

If you take mythology into account, it is claimed that Amaravati finds mention in some of these ancient texts for being one of the five places in the Krishna-Godavari region where Siva temples sprung up following a fight between the so-called angels and demons. These five towns are collectively known as Pancha Khetras or Pancha Aramas. (Different from the 12 places where too there are Siva temples, collectively known as the Jyotirlingas.)

Today, Amaravati, is small temple town. The population is in the mere thousands. In Andhra Pradesh it is known for its high literacy rate. Not much happens there, not that much has happened ever there. There are guides who would tell tourists about the town's ancient, grand past with nothing to show as evidence but some boulders and damaged columns.

These guides will now have much to tell future tourists. 

It’s future is now to be re-written, as a capital town once again, its shape and structure decided by master planners of Singapore who may not have any idea how the Satavahanas planned this capital the first time round.