The next colonial excavation at Amaravati, in around 1850, resulted in hundreds of sculptures being moved to Madras, allegedly to rescue them from destruction by locals.
In 1880, the British Museum received 121 Amaravati sculptures. Nearly two thirds were from the group ‘rescued” in 1850, while the others were from the set removed by antiquarians in 1817.
For over a hundred years, the museum-based “rescue narrative” has dominated our understanding of the Amaravati sculptures’ history, while their earlier “antiquarian” usages have been glossed over.
Narratives surrounding the 51 sculptures removed by antiquarians reveal some curious usages of these ancient Buddhist sculptures in the early nineteenth century.
The contrasting antiquarian and rescue narratives of the Amaravati sculptures reveal some amusing double-standards and offer a coherent, engaging way to decolonise museum collections.
