405 fwy closure The Hill of Nagarjuna, 150km southeast of Hyderabad, is a peaceful island in the middle of the Nagar

The Hill of Nagarjuna, 150km southeast of Hyderabad, is a peaceful island in the middle of the Nagarjuna dam peppered with ancient Buddhist structures. From the 3rd century BC until the 4th century AD, the Krishna River valley was home to powerful empires that supported the sangha (Buddhist community of monks and nuns), including the Ikshvakus, whose capital was Nagarjunakonda. It s estimated that this area alone had 30 monasteries.

The bus station has a train reservation booth (h8am-noon & 5-7pm Mon-Sat, 8am-2pm Sun). For Hyderabad, an overnight train goes daily to Kacheguda (7604; sleeper/3AC/2AC 240/650/870, 10 hours). Overnight train 8564 runs to Visakhapatnam (sleeper/3AC/2AC 340/940/1300, 405 fwy closure 20 hours), stopping at Vijayawada. The daily Udyan Express (6530) 405 fwy closure heads to Mumbai (sleeper/3AC/2AC 350/950/1300, 21 hours).