interstate 84 map 4 Sleeping & Eating Hotel Ashoka HOTEL $$ (%2578491; Main Rd, Hanamkonda; r from 600; ai) Good-value

4 Sleeping & Eating Hotel Ashoka HOTEL $$ (%2578491; Main Rd, Hanamkonda; r from 600; ai) Good-value rooms near the Hanamkonda bus stand and the 1000-Pillared Temple. Also in the compound are a restaurant, a bar-restaurant, a pub and the veg Kanishka (mains 75 to 125).

From the 2nd century BC the Satavahana empire, also known as the Andhras, reigned throughout the Deccan plateau. interstate 84 map It evolved from the Andhra people, whose presence in southern India may date back to 1000 BC. The Buddha s teaching took root here early on, and in the 3rd century BC the Andhras fully embraced it, building huge edifices in its honour. In the coming interstate 84 map centuries, the Andhras would develop a fl ourishing civilisation that extended from the west to the east coasts of South India.

The Vizag area s natural harbours have long been conducive to dropping anchor, which helped monks from Sri Lanka, China and Tibet come here to learn and practice meditation. Bavikonda (h9am-6pm) and Thotlakonda (h10am-3pm) were popular hilltop monasteries on the coast that hosted up to 150 monks at a time with the help of massive rainwater tanks and, at Thotlakonda, a natural spring.