Virtual Pilgrimage: reimagining India’s Great Shrine of Amaravati

Interesting small interactive exhibition at the British Museum looking at the one of India’s largest and earliest Buddhist monuments.

In the centre of the display was a relief carving of the shrine which was founded in 200 BC. The front of the relief showed what the shrine looked like and the back showed the Buddha evoked as an empty throne, a Bodhi tree and a pair of footprints, perhaps suggesting his liberation from the earthly realm. The site is now an archaeological site.

There were two good interactive displays both operated by your mobile phone. There was a large picture of the relief with different elements highlighted which you could activate with your phone to hear more about the symbolism. The other was the large pictures of actors playing the pilgrims who visited the site and who had donated money for its construction and upkeep. Again you activated these with your phone and the figure came to life and told you their story.

This was a great way to give a lot of information in a small exhibition. 

Closed on 8 October 2017

 

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