Bhattiprolu

Located near the Krishna River of Guntur district, Bhattiprolu has what is considered to be the most ancient stupa. The ancient name of this settlement was Prathipalapura and the pre-Mauryan Stupa contained a Buddhist relic. The crystal casket in which the relic was secured is at present worshipped at the Mahabodhi Society temple at Kolkata. The Maha Chaitya built to enshrine the relic at Prathipalapura is over 40 metres in diameter. Bhattiprolu is about 40 kms from Guntur and can be reached by road or even rail on the Repalle line. State transport buses ply frequently from Guntur.