The objective of this paper is to highlight the processes that have led to the reinvention of Buddhism and Buddhist sites in modern India. A major aspect of this reinvention is the conversion of members of the Scheduled Castes to Buddhism, a movement especially associated with B. R. Ambedkar. Another important factor is the exile and internationalization of Tibetan Buddhism. These have coalesced with the pervasive visibility of the material remains of ancient Buddhism; state interest in promoting spiritual tourism; global movements of pilgrim-tourists; improving bilateral ties between India and Japan; and Japanese investment in the conservation of ancient Buddhist sites in India. The convergence of all these factors has led to a revitalization of Buddhist tourism-cum-pilgrimage circuits and to a dramatic resurrection, or rather reinvention, of ancient Buddhist sites. This is demonstrated with special reference to the site of Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh. Extinct sites such as this one offer wide open spaces that can be appropriated by various religious and secular groups and by agencies seeking to strengthen their presence, visibility, and/or profit. The paper emphasises that histories of ancient sites must take cognisance of their transformations in the modern, increasingly globalized world.
Figure 9. Railing of the Nagarjunasagar dam
Today the most imposing edifice at Nagarjunakonda is a modern construction – the gigantic Nagarjunasagar dam, the largest masonry dam in the world, the centrepiece of a massive project which took place between the 1950s and the 1970s.While laying its foundation stone on 12 December 1955 Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru declared that he was founding one of the many new temples of humanity that were being built all over India. This excerpt from his speech is displayed prominently on the outer walls of the lift tower of the dam, both in English and in Telugu translation. However the ancient Buddhist links of Nagarjunakonda can be seen everywhere, even at the dam site. A modern artist’s painted portraits of Nāgārjuna hang in the dam gallery, while a gilded concrete image of the monk stands prominently at the gallery exit. Even the dam railing is a crude modern copy of a typical ancient Buddhist railing (Figure 9).