aran islands ferry 907BUSES FROM HYDERABAD DESTINATION FARE ( ) DURATION (HR) FREQUENCY (DAILY) Bengaluru 480-775 12-10

910 STATE OF GOOD KARMA In its typically understated way, Andhra aran islands ferry Pradesh doesn t make much of its vast archaeological aran islands ferry 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 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 aran islands ferry 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 BC under Ashoka, who dispatched monks across his empire aran islands ferry to teach and construct stupas enshrined with relics of the Buddha. (Being near these was thought aran islands ferry 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 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 Andhradesa a sort of Buddhist motherland of the South.

907BUSES FROM HYDERABAD DESTINATION aran islands ferry FARE ( ) DURATION (HR) FREQUENCY (DAILY) Bengaluru 480-775 aran islands ferry 12-10 7 (evening) Bidar 80 4 half-hourly Chennai 550-880 12-14 3 (evening) Hospet 280 9 2 Mumbai 550-985 14-12 6 (evening) Mysore 599 15 1 Nagarjuna Sagar 85-116 4 8 Tirupathi 435-735 12 12 Vijayawada 197-390 6 hourly Visakhapatnam 470-865 14 12 Warangal aran islands ferry 77 3 half-hourly and Kacheguda, which is convenient for Abids. See p908, for key routes. You can book at Hyderabad and Secunderabad stations aran islands ferry from 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday (to 2pm Sunday). Both stations aran islands ferry have a tourist counter. For general enquiries, phone %139; for reservation status, %135.