road travel maps MMTS trains (www.mmts.co.in) are convenient, particularly for the three main train stations. There a

MMTS trains (www.mmts.co.in) are convenient, particularly for the three main train stations. road travel maps There are two main lines: Hyderabad (Nampally) road travel maps to Lingampalli (northwest of Banjara Hills) has 11 stops, including Lakdikapul, Khairatabad, Necklace Rd, Begumpet and Hitec City; the Falaknuma road travel maps (south of Old City) to Secunderabad road travel maps line passes by Yakutpura, Dabirpura, Malakpet and Kachiguda among others. Trains will be labelled with their start and end point: HL is Hyderabad Lingampalli, FS is Falaknuma Secunderabad and so on. Trains are efficient but only run every 30 to 40 minutes. Tickets are 3 to 10.

Another Buddhist road travel maps site 10km from the launch point is the peaceful Anupu with remains of a stupa, road travel maps university and amphitheatre; likewise relocated piece by piece prior to the construction of the dam. A tree here was planted by the Dalai Lama during his visit in 2006.

Masala INDIAN $$ (Signature Towers, 1st fl, Asilmetta; mains 60-180; h11.30am-3.30pm & 7-11pm) Near Sampath Vinayaka road travel maps Temple, Masala does out-of-this-world Andhra, tandoori and Chinese. Try the chepa pulusu (Andhrastyle fish; 130).

910 STATE OF GOOD KARMA In its typically understated way, Andhra Pradesh doesn t make much of its vast archaeological and karmic wealth. But the state is packed with impressive ruins of its rich Buddhist history. Only a few of Andhra s 150 stupas, monasteries, caves and other sites have been excavated, turning up rare relics of the Buddha (usually pearl-like pieces of bone) with offerings such as golden flowers. Nagarjunakonda and Amaravathi were flourishing Buddhist complexes, and near Visakhapatnam road travel maps were the incredibly peaceful sites of Thotlakonda, and Bavikonda and Sankaram, looking across seascapes and lush countryside. They speak of a time when Andhra Pradesh or Andhradesa was a hotbed of Buddhist activity, when monks came from around the world to learn from some of the tradition s most renowned road travel maps teachers. Andhradesa s Buddhist culture, in which sangha (community of monks and nuns), laity and statespeople all took part, lasted around 1500 years from the 6th century BC. There s no historical evidence for it, but some even say that the Buddha himself visited the area. Andhradesa s first practitioners were likely disciples of Bavari, an ascetic who lived on the banks of the Godavari River and sent his followers north to bring back the Buddha s teachings. But the dharma really took off in the 3rd century BC under Ashoka, who dispatched monks across his empire to teach and construct stupas enshrined with relics road travel maps of the Buddha. (Being near these was thought to help progress on the path to enlightenment.) Succeeding Ashoka, the Satavahanas and then Ikshvakus were also supportive. At their capital at Amaravathi, the Satavahanas adorned Ashoka s modest stupa with elegant decoration. They built monasteries across the Krishna Valley and exported the dharma road travel maps through their sophisticated maritime network. It was also during the Satavahana reign that Nagarjuna lived. Considered by many to be the progenitor of Mahayana Buddhism, the monk was equal parts logician, philosopher and meditator, and he wrote several ground-breaking works that shaped contemporary Buddhist thought. Other important monk-philosophers would emerge from the area in the following road travel maps centuries, making Andhradesa a sort of Buddhist motherland of the South. 1 Sights Fort FORT (Indian/foreigner 5/100; h9am-6.30pm) Warangal s fort was a massive construction with three distinct circular strongholds road travel maps surrounded by a moat. Four paths with decorative gateways, set according to the cardinal points, led to the Swayambhava, a huge Shiva temple. The gateways are still obvious, but most of the fort is in ruins. It s easily reached from Warangal by bus or autorickshaw ( 200 return). Admission includes entry to nearby Kush Mahal, a 16th century royal hall with artefacts on display.