steamboat island The best beach for swimming is at Rushikonda, 10km north of town, one of the nicest stretches of coa

Tirumala Link buses have two bus stands in Tirupathi: next to the main bus stand and outside the train station. The scenic 18km trip to Tirumala takes one hour ( 54 return); if you don t mind heights, sit on the left side for views. A prepaid taxi is 350.

910 STATE OF GOOD KARMA In its typically understated way, Andhra Pradesh doesn t make much of its vast archaeological steamboat island 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. steamboat island Nagarjunakonda and Amaravathi were flourishing Buddhist complexes, and near Visakhapatnam were the incredibly peaceful sites of Thotlakonda, steamboat island and Bavikonda and Sankaram, looking across seascapes and lush countryside. steamboat island 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 steamboat island 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 steamboat island visited steamboat island the area. Andhradesa s first practitioners were likely disciples of Bavari, steamboat island an ascetic steamboat island 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, steamboat island who dispatched monks across his empire to teach and construct stupas 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 Valley and exported steamboat island the dharma through their sophisticated maritime network. It was also during the Satavahana reign that Nagarjuna 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 steamboat island Andhradesa a sort of Buddhist motherland of the South.

The best beach for swimming steamboat island is at Rushikonda, 10km north of town, one of the nicest stretches of coast you ll fi nd this side of India. Weekends get busy and take on a carnival-like atmosphere. Surfers keen for a paddle can rent decent boards from local surf pioneer, Melville, at SAAP