ferry bainbridge Puttaparthi is most easily reached from Bengaluru, 160km south; nine KSRTC buses (express/ Volvo 110

Puttaparthi is most easily reached from Bengaluru, 160km south; nine KSRTC buses (express/ Volvo 110/220, four hours) and eight trains (sleeper/3AC/2AC 133/323/420, three hours) head here daily. ferry bainbridge The KSRTC offi ce (%288938) is next to the bus station.

The monasteries flourished during the Theravada period (Bavikonda, from the 3rd century ferry bainbridge BC to the 3rd century AD, and Thotlakonda, from the 2nd century BC to 2nd century AD) and had votive stupas, congregation halls, chaitya-grihas, viharas and refectories. Today only the ruins of these massive ferry bainbridge monastic compounds remain, but they re impressive nonetheless, with a placid, almost magical, air and sea views to meditate on. Bavikonda and Thotlakonda are 14km and 16km, respectively, from Vizag on Bheemli Beach Rd. Vizag s autorickshaw drivers ferry bainbridge charge ferry bainbridge around 400 return to see both.

oWaterfront ASIAN FUSION $$$ (Map p902; %65278899; Necklace Rd; mains 175-650; hnoon-2.30pm & 7-11pm) The outdoor deck here on the water (dinner service only) may have the best ambience in all of Hyderabad, with soft lighting overhead, the Buddha Statue and the entire Hussain Sagar and the Birla Mandir all twinkling in the distance. Eating indoors, alongside enormous picture ferry bainbridge windows, isn t bad either. But it s the Chinese, ferry bainbridge Indian and Thai food that s to die for their take on phad kea mou (noodles with tasty bok choy) is a must-eat.

The Vizag area s natural ferry bainbridge harbours have long been conducive to dropping anchor, which helped monks from Sri Lanka, China and Tibet come here to learn and practice meditation. Bavikonda (h9am-6pm) and Thotlakonda (h10am-3pm) were popular hilltop monasteries on the coast that hosted up to 150 monks at a time with the help of massive ferry bainbridge rainwater tanks and, at Thotlakonda, a natural spring.