ludington daily Tirupathi is the service town at the bottom of the hill, with hotels, restaurants, and transport; a

From the 2nd century BC the Satavahana empire, also known as the Andhras, reigned throughout the Deccan plateau. It evolved from the Andhra people, ludington daily whose presence in southern India may date back to 1000 BC. The Buddha s teaching took root here early on, and in the 3rd century BC the Andhras fully embraced it, building huge edifices in its honour. In the coming centuries, the Andhras would develop a fl ourishing civilisation that extended from the west to the east coasts of South India.

Tirupathi is the service town at the bottom of the hill, with hotels, restaurants, and transport; ludington daily a fleet of buses constantly ferries pilgrims the 18km up and down. You ll find most of your worldly needs around the Tirupathi bus station (TP Area) and, about 500m away, the train station.

Masala ludington daily INDIAN $$ (Signature Towers, 1st fl, Asilmetta; mains 60-180; h11.30am-3.30pm & 7-11pm) Near Sampath Vinayaka ludington daily Temple, Masala does out-of-this-world Andhra, tandoori and Chinese. Try the chepa pulusu (Andhrastyle fish; 130).

Hyderabad s long-distance bus stations are mind-bogglingly efficient. Mahatma Gandhi bus station (Map p900; %24614406), more commonly known as Imlibun, has advance booking offices (%23434269; h8am-10pm). For trips to Karnataka, go with KSRTC (%24656430). Visit www.apsrtc.co.in for timetables and fares.