east coast road map The bus stand has a helpful enquiry desk (%2522200). Frequent services run to Hyderabad (deluxe/Volv

trophobic metal cages ringing the temple. east coast road map Quick darshan tickets east coast road map ( 300) are recommended, and will get you through the queue faster, though you ll still have to brave the gauntlet of the cage, which is part of the fun, kind of Upon entry you ll also have to sign a form declaring your support of Lord Vishnu.

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 east coast road map 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 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 east coast road map 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 east coast road map Valley and exported the dharma through their sophisticated maritime network. It was also during the Satavahana reign that Nagarjuna east coast road map 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 centuries, making Andhradesa a sort of Buddhist motherland of the South.

The bus stand has a helpful enquiry desk (%2522200). Frequent services run to Hyderabad (deluxe/Volvo 193/375, six to seven hours), Amaravathi ( 38, two hours), Warangal (deluxe 180, 5 hours) and Visakhapatnam (deluxe/Volvo east coast road map 270/540, nine hours).

Hotel Bliss HOTEL $$ (%2237773; www.blisstirupati.com; Reniguta Rd; s/d from 1710/1980; ais) The most luxurious place in town with ultracomfortable rooms, professional staff and a glass lift with great views and droning east coast road map pilgrim elevator music.