Nagarjunakonda

Nagarjunasagar, the largest masonry dam in the world, named after Acharya Nagarjuna, a famous Buddhist philosopher and teacher in Andhra Desa known as Vijayapuri in the ancient times, excavations revealed relics of a Buddhist civilization there. The entire complex including the Mahachaitya, the most sacred of the stupas, a university, monastery and Aswamedha sacrificial altar were relocated at Nagarjunakonda, an island in the middle of the Krishna River on which the dam has been constructed.

A museum at Nagarjunakonda has a model of the third century Buddhist settlement that is now submerged in the reservoir. No trip to Andhra Pradesh is complete without a visit to Nagarjunasagar and Nagarjunakonda, about 150 kms. from Hyderabad. Macherla in Guntur district is the nearest railhead but regular bus services are available from Hyderabad and Vijayawada (180 kms).