west virginia turnpike toll Forty kilometres southwest of Vizag is this stunning Buddhist complex (admission free; h9am-6pm), be

Bheemunipatnam, 25km north of Vizag, a former Dutch settlement and the oldest municipality in mainland India, is worth a visit. Here you ll find more bizarre sculptures, a lighthouse dating from 1861, an interesting Dutch cemetery west virginia turnpike toll and Bheemli Beach, where local grommets surf on crude homemade boards. To get here catch bus 999 ( 19), or otherwise a shared autorickshaw

Forty kilometres southwest of Vizag is this stunning Buddhist complex (admission free; h9am-6pm), better known by the name of its two hills, Bojjannakonda and Lingalakonda. Used by monks from the 1st to 9th centuries AD (p910), the hills are covered with rock-cut

The citadel is built on a granite hill, 120m high and surrounded by crenellated ramparts constructed from large masonry blocks. The massive gates were studded with iron spikes to obstruct war elephants. Outside the citadel there stands another west virginia turnpike toll crenellated rampart, with a perimeter of 11km, and yet another wall beyond this. At Naya Quila (new fort), west virginia turnpike toll adjacent to the golf course, you can find a magnifi cent 400-year-old baobab tree (Hathiyan west virginia turnpike toll elephant tree), with a circumference of 25m, said to be planted by seedlings carried by African regiments from Abyssiania. Exploring the crumbling rampart in the area you ll find cannons strewn about (some with beautiful inscriptions) and great views of the fort and tombs.

Once the Andhran capital and a significant Buddhist centre, west virginia turnpike toll Amaravathi is India s biggest stupa (Indian/foreigner 5/100; h8am6pm), measuring 27m high and constructed in the 3rd century BC, when Emperor Ashoka sent monks south to spread the Buddha s teaching. Located 60km west of Vijayawada, all that remains are a mound and some stones, but the nearby museum (admission 5; h8am-5pm) has a small replica west virginia turnpike toll of the stupa, with its intricately carved pillars, marble- surfaced dome and carvings of scenes from the Buddha s life (no photography allowed in the museum). In the courtyard is a reconstruction of part of the surrounding gateway, which gives you an idea of the stupa s massive scale. It s worth the trip, but many of Amaravathi s best sculptures are in London s British Museum and Chennai s Government Museum in Tamil Nadu.