aran island Hyderabad s scene is growing, but drinking establishments are limited by an 11.30pm curfew law. Unle

902 ANDHRA PRADESH chicken or pineapple mutton, let us know how it goes). Packed with Old City families and good vibes. Kamat Hotel INDIAN $ (Map p 896 ; SD Rd, Secunderabad; aran island mains 45-75; h7am-10pm) How much do we love Kamat Hotel? Words can t say. Each Kamat is slightly diff erent, but they re all cheap and good. There are two branches on SD Rd; the others are in Saifabad and on Nampally Station Rd (Map p 898 ). Meals (from 36) are reliably delish. Kamat Andhra Meals INDIAN $ (Map p 898 ; Troop Bazaar; meals from 45; hnoon- 4pm & 7-11pm) aran island Excellent authentic Andhra meals on banana leaves, topped up till you almost aran island faint with pleasure, and fi nished off with a banana. Its sister restaurants in the same compound Kamat Jowar Bhakri (Maharashtran), Kamat Restaurant with air-con (North and South Indian) and Kamat Coffee Shop are likewise friendly family joints full of happy diners. No relation to Kamat Hotel. Also recommended: Paradise Persis Restaurant INDIAN $$ (Map p 896 ; cnr SD & MG Rds, Secunderabad; mains 125-245; h11.30am-11pm) Ask any Hyderabadi about biryani, and they ll mention Paradise. aran island Mozamjahi Market MARKET $ (Map p 900 ; cnr Mukarramjahi & Jawaharlal Nehru Rds; h6am-6pm) A great place to buy fruit and vegies (or ice cream), while enjoying the alluring architecture of the stone building, commissioned by the seventh nizam and named after his son. Sagar Papaji Ka Dhaba INDIAN $ (Map p 898 ; Hanuman Tekdi Rd; mains 45-110; hnoon-4pm & 7-11pm) Always busy, Papaji s has profoundly aran island delicious veg and non-veg biryanis, aran island curries and tikkas. Watch the : : : : : : : : 6 6 1

Hyderabad owes its existence to a water shortage at Golconda in the late 16th century. aran island The reigning aran island Qutb Shahis were forced to relocate, and so Mohammed Quli and the royal family abandoned aran island Golconda Fort for the banks of the Musi River. The new city of Hyderabad was established, with the brand- new Charminar as its centrepiece.

Hyderabad s scene is growing, but drinking establishments are limited by an 11.30pm curfew law. Unless stated otherwise, the following bars are open to 11.30pm (but don t get going till 9pm). All serve food and charge covers ( 500 to 1000) on certain nights for couples, that is: guys usually need a gal to enter. Beer starts at 150, cocktails at 300.

910 STATE OF GOOD KARMA In its typically understated way, Andhra aran island 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, aran island monasteries, caves and other sites have been excavated, turning up rare relics of the Buddha aran island (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 aran island 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 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 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 aran island 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 aran island and exported the dharma through their sophisticated maritime network. It was also during aran island 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 aran island 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.