Guided by Tarun Sharma
Andhra Pradesh was a major hub for Buddhism during the Mauryan and Satavahana periods, with Amaravati gaining global significance. The Mahachaitya (Great Stupa) in Amaravati, one of the largest Buddhist stupas, features intricate carvings that depict the Buddha's life and teachings from the Amaravati School of Art. Amaravati played a key role in spreading Mahayana Buddhism to Southeast Asia, influencing Buddhist architecture in Sri Lanka and Myanmar, cementing its status as a global Buddhist landmark. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said that Amaravati is the most sacred site for him.
Aerial view of the Amaravati Stupa today
Drum slab from Amaravati
© The Trustees of the British Museum.
The Ghantasala Stupa
The Present State
Despite their global significance, Amaravati and other Buddhist sites in Andhra Pradesh face neglect. The Mahachaitya's artifacts are scattered worldwide, including in the British Museum and Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore. There is a lack of local awareness and inadequate promotion of these sites as tourist destinations. While efforts by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and UNESCO aim to preserve these sites, stronger conservation measures and global promotion are essential to protect this shared cultural heritage for future generations.
To systematically analyze the tourism ecosystem of Andhra Pradesh’s heritage sites, identify underlying challenges, stakeholder interconnections, systemic inefficiencies, and identify potential solutions to better utilise tourism potential of heritage sites in Andhra Pradesh.
Responsibilities Involved
Activities and Pilgrimage
This diagram shows the stakeholders involved, how they are related, and some of their responsibilities.
This diagram shows the top-down approach which is followed amongst the bodies involved despite there being no compulsion for such.
This analysis was done to identify the impact of each stakeholder on the overall outcome.
This analysis was done to identify patterns, structures, and mental models driving the situation.
This fishbone diagram was made to analyze the factors contributing to low footfall.
This diagram was made to identify the system of cause and effect among the variables involved. Reinforcing loop R2 here displays a vicious relation between the budget allocated for the development of the site and its footfall: since footfall is low, limited budget is invested which prevent the sites from to developing to their potential.
The following strategies are designed with the goal of establishing Andhra Pradesh as a global spiritual and cultural destination.
