interstate 287 new jersey 910 STATE OF GOOD KARMA In its typically understated way, Andhra Pradesh doesn t make much of its va

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 interstate 287 new jersey 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 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 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 interstate 287 new jersey evidence for it, but some even say that the Buddha himself visited the area. Andhradesa s first practitioners were likely disciples interstate 287 new jersey 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 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 interstate 287 new jersey through their sophisticated maritime network. interstate 287 new jersey 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, interstate 287 new jersey and he wrote several ground-breaking interstate 287 new jersey works that shaped contemporary Buddhist thought. Other important monk-philosophers would emerge from the area in the following centuries, making Andhradesa a sort of Buddhist motherland of the South.

B E N G A L B A Y O F N A D U T A M I L KARNATAKA M A H A R A S H T R A P R A D E S H M A D H Y A O D I S H A (Masulipatnam) Machilipatnam (Madras) Hanamkonda Bhongir Bengaluru Ramatirtham Guntupalli Bhattiprolu Chandavaram Chandragiri Vellore Kazhipet Nagarjunakonda Palampet Jagdalpur Kondagaon Medak Khamman Srisailam Kondapalli interstate 287 new jersey Penukonda Hindupur Sri Kalahasti Chennai Bidar Nanded Kakanida (Bangalore) Bheemunipatnam Anantapur Puttaparthi Dharmavaram Mahbubnagar Amaravathi Macherla Anakapalle Vizianagaram Nellore Kurnool Adoni Guntakal Gooty Cuddapah Rajahmundry Eluru Vijayawada Tenali Ongole Guntur Tirupathi Chittoor Secunderabad Warangal Nizamabad Wildlife Sanctuary interstate 287 new jersey Pakhal RiverPenneri interstate 287 new jersey Sagar Nagarjuna River Godavari Araku Valley CoastCoromandel Borra RiverKrishna Kirandul 4 7 4 18 18 5 9 9 7 Bavikonda Thotlakonda Sankaram Araku Lepakshi Visakhapatnam Tirumala Hyderabad 0 200 km 0 100 miles B E N G A L B A Y O F N A D U T A M I L KARNATAKA M A H A R A S H T R A P R A D E S H M A D H Y A O D I S H A (Masulipatnam) Machilipatnam (Madras) Hanamkonda Bhongir Bengaluru Ramatirtham Guntupalli Bhattiprolu Chandavaram Chandragiri Vellore Kazhipet Nagarjunakonda Palampet Jagdalpur Kondagaon Medak Khamman Srisailam Kondapalli Penukonda Hindupur Sri Kalahasti Chennai Bidar Nanded Kakanida (Bangalore) Bheemunipatnam Anantapur Puttaparthi Dharmavaram interstate 287 new jersey Mahbubnagar Amaravathi Macherla Anakapalle Vizianagaram Nellore Kurnool Adoni Guntakal Gooty Cuddapah Rajahmundry interstate 287 new jersey Eluru Vijayawada Tenali Ongole Guntur Tirupathi Chittoor Secunderabad Warangal Nizamabad Wildlife Sanctuary Pakhal RiverPenneri Sagar Nagarjuna River Godavari Araku Valley CoastCoromandel Borra RiverKrishna Kirandul 4 7 4 18 18 5 9 9 7 Bavikonda Thotlakonda Sankaram Araku Lepakshi Visakhapatnam Tirumala Hyderabad 0 200 km 0 100 miles

Museum of Habitat (admission 10; h10am1pm & 2-5pm) with exhibits on indigenous life. APTDC runs tours ( 500) from Vizag, which take in a performance of Dhimsa, a tribal dance, and the million-year-old limestone Borra Caves (admission 40, camera interstate 287 new jersey 100; h10am-1pm & 2-5pm), 30km from Araku.

oWaterfront ASIAN FUSION $$$ (Map p902; %65278899; Necklace Rd; mains 175-650; hnoon-2.30pm & 7-11pm) The outdoor deck here on the water (dinner service only) may have the best ambience in all of Hyderabad, with soft lighting overhead, the Buddha Statue and the entire Hussain interstate 287 new jersey Sagar and the Birla Mandir all twinkling in the distance. Eating indoors, alongside enormous picture windows, isn t bad either. But it s the Chinese, Indian interstate 287 new jersey and Thai food that s to die for their take on phad kea mou (noodles with tasty bok choy) is a must-eat.