Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Krishna River valley was home to powerful empires that supported the sangha, including
the Ikshvakus, whose capital was Nagarjunakonda. This area alone had some 30 monas-
teries.
The remains here were actually discovered in 1926 in the adjacent valley. In 1953, in
anticipation of the new dam, which would flood the area with the
Nagarjuna Sagar
reservoir,
an excavation was launched to unearth the area's many ruins: stupas,
viharas
(monaster-
ies),
chaitya-grihas
(assembly halls with stupas) and
mandapas
(pillared pavilions), as
well as some outstanding white-marble depictions of the Buddha's life. The finds were re-
assembled on Nagarjunakonda.
The thoughtfully laid-out
Nagarjunakonda Museum
(Indian/foreigner ?5/100; 8am-5pm, closed Fri)
has Buddha statues and beautifully carved limestone slabs that once adorned stupas. The
reassembled
monuments
are arranged around the hilltop outside.
Boats (?90, one hour) depart for the island from Vijayapuri at 9.30am, 11.30am and
1.30pm, and stay for one hour. You'll want to take the morning launch out and the after-
noon one back.
Keeping Buddha's teachings alive in the region,
Dhamma Nagajjuna
( 9440139329,
9348456780;
www.nagajjuna.dhamma.org
; Hill Colony)
meditation centre offers free 10-day courses in
charming flower-filled grounds overlooking Nagarjuna Sagar. Apply in advance. If you
take a bus from Hyderabad, get down at Buddha Park.
At the convenient
Nagarjuna Resort
( 08642242471; r without/with AC ?674/1349; )
, across the
road from the boat launch, slightly shabby rooms have geysers and balconies with good
views. Two kilometres up the hill from the bus stand is the government
Vijaya Vihar Haritha
(
08680277362/3; r with AC on weekday/weekend from ?1574/2810;
)
, with rooms overlooking the
lake and APTDC on-site. Both hotels have restaurants.
The easiest way to visit Nagarjunakonda, other than with a private vehicle, is to go with
APTDC (
Click here
)
(?500) from Hyderabad; however, tours only run on weekends, when
the site can be crowded.
To make your own way there from Hyderabad, take a bus to Hill Station/Nagarjuna
Sagar (?144, four hours, hourly); get down at Pylon and catch a ?20 shared autorickshaw
to Vijayapuri.
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