(1) An area of southern India with a Buddhist stupa dating from the period c200 bc to 200 ad. It is built of limestone and finely decorated with scenes from the life of the Buddha. (2) An archaeologically significant territory of Champa, corresponding roughly to the present central Vietnamese province of Quang-nam, also called the Holy Land of Champa. The name undoubtedly derives from the Amaravati region in southern India, famous for its Buddhist art school (2nd-4th century ad) and denotes the antiquity as well as the origin of Indian influence on the eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula. See also Dong-Duong, Mi-Son and Tra-Kieu, the three most important sites in the territory.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied