|| Nagarjunakonda ||

Nagarjunakonda

On the south bank of the river Krishna lies Nagarjunakonda, 149 km from Hyderabad. This was the home of a famous Buddhist savant Nagarjuna, who lived here 2,000 years ago. Excavations have brought to light the relics of a great Buddhist centre, including stupas, monasteries, and a university, that once spread over the and hills. What is more, it had a Mahastupa-- containing, the sacred relics of the Buddha. The numerous interesting finds of this place are preserved in a museum on a hill, shaped like a Buddhist Vihara. The Nagarjunasagar, a multipurpose project, is the tallest masonry dam in world.

Andhra's Buddhist roots are old, and the doctrine came there in the lifetime of the Buddhist sites survive today. One of the greatest Buddhist sites is the Nagarjunakonda. With the coming up of the Nagarjunasagar Dam, this ancient Buddhist site was getting submerged. As a significant move, the structures were relocated to a hill, which now sites as an island on the reservoir. The hill was christened Nagarjuna, the founder of Mahayana Buddhism. A museum on the island, shaped like a Vihara, displays reliquary from the Buddhist centre of Sriparvata and Vijaypuri, while the remnants of a Buddhist University have been relocated to Anupu, 4 km from here. The most important Buddhist site in Andhra is Amaravati which was the capital of the Satavahanas. The largest stupa in India is housed here.

Nagarjunakonda

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