map of usa with cities If you re pressed for time, APTDC runs three-day tours ( 1950) to Tirumala from Hyderabad. KSTDC (p

Launches ( 90, one hour) depart from Vijayapuri, on the banks of Nagarjuna Sagar, at 9.30am, map of usa with cities 11am and 1.30pm, and stay for one hour. To do the place justice, take the morning launch map of usa with cities out and the afternoon one back. Extra morning launches usually run on weekends and holidays. Fisherman out in their dish-shaped coracle boats provide good photographic map of usa with cities material.

Coco s INDIAN/CONTINENTAL $$ (off Map p902; %23540600; Rd No 2; mains 120325; h11.30am-11.30pm) This chilled-out rooftop restaurant/bar map of usa with cities almost succeeds in resembling a bamboo beach shack, though it s position on a busy road above a Chinese restaurant was always going to make it tough. Looking out over KBR Park, relaxed Coco s

If you re pressed for time, APTDC runs three-day tours ( 1950) to Tirumala from Hyderabad. KSTDC (p 849 ) and TTDC (p 998 ) offer the same from Bengaluru and Chennai, respectively. APTDC also has a full-day tour ( 340) of temples in the Tirupathi area.

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 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 map of usa with cities 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. map of usa with cities 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 map of usa with cities BC under Ashoka, who dispatched monks across his empire map of usa with cities to teach and construct stupas enshrined with relics of the Buddha. (Being near these was thought to help progress on the path to enlightenment.) map of usa with cities 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 through their sophisticated maritime network. It was also during the Satavahana map of usa with cities reign that Nagarjuna lived. Considered map of usa with cities 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. 1 Sights Fort FORT (Indian/foreigner 5/100; h9am-6.30pm) Warangal s fort was a massive construction with three distinct circular strongholds surrounded by a moat. Four paths with decorative gateways, set according to the cardinal points, led to the Swayambhava, a huge Shiva temple. The gateways are still obvious, but most of the fort is in ruins. It s easily reached from Warangal by bus or autorickshaw ( 200 return). Admission includes entry to nearby Kush Mahal, a 16th century royal hall with artefacts on display.