The stūpa at Amarāvatī is one the most celebrated Buddhist monuments in India. Flourishing between c. 200 BCE and 250 CE, it was a key Buddhist place in the Andhra region until it was finally abandoned in the 14^th century.

Numerous sculptures and inscriptions were found during successive excavations in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. However due to use of the stūpa as quarry for building material and the unsystematic nature of early surveys, many sculptures were removed from the site and their contexts lost. Amarāvatī sculptures are now found in museums throughout India and other parts the world.

As per official agreement between the Archaeological Survey of India and the British Museum, the aim of this community is to assemble the stūpa's scattered remains alongside documentation connected with the site, and to encourage a multidisciplinary and international discussion of Amarāvatī, Buddhism and Buddhist archaeology.