greenport shelter island ferry 910 STATE OF GOOD KARMA In its typically understated way, Andhra Pradesh doesn t make much of its va

910 STATE OF GOOD KARMA In its typically understated way, Andhra Pradesh doesn t make much of its vast archaeological and karmic wealth. But the state is packed with impressive ruins of its rich Buddhist history. Only a few of Andhra s 150 stupas, monasteries, caves and other sites have been excavated, turning up rare relics of the Buddha (usually pearl-like pieces of bone) with offerings such as golden flowers. Nagarjunakonda and Amaravathi were flourishing Buddhist complexes, and near Visakhapatnam were the incredibly peaceful greenport shelter island ferry sites of Thotlakonda, and Bavikonda and Sankaram, looking across seascapes greenport shelter island ferry and lush countryside. They speak of a time when Andhra Pradesh or Andhradesa was a hotbed of Buddhist activity, when monks came from around the world to learn from some of the tradition s most renowned teachers. Andhradesa s Buddhist culture, in which sangha (community of monks and nuns), laity and statespeople all took part, lasted around 1500 years from the 6th century BC. There s no historical evidence for it, but some even say that the Buddha himself visited the area. Andhradesa s first practitioners were likely disciples of Bavari, an ascetic who lived on the banks of the Godavari River and sent his followers north to bring back the Buddha s teachings. But the dharma really took off in the 3rd century BC under Ashoka, who dispatched monks across his empire to teach and construct stupas enshrined with relics of the Buddha. greenport shelter island ferry (Being near these was thought to help progress on the path to enlightenment.) Succeeding Ashoka, the Satavahanas and then Ikshvakus were also supportive. At their capital at Amaravathi, the Satavahanas adorned Ashoka s modest greenport shelter island ferry stupa with elegant decoration. They built monasteries across the Krishna Valley and exported the dharma through their sophisticated greenport shelter island ferry maritime network. greenport shelter island ferry It was also during the Satavahana reign that Nagarjuna greenport shelter island ferry lived. Considered by many to be the progenitor greenport shelter island ferry of Mahayana Buddhism, the monk was equal parts logician, philosopher and meditator, and he wrote several ground-breaking works that shaped contemporary Buddhist thought. Other important monk-philosophers would emerge from the area in the following centuries, making Andhradesa a sort of Buddhist motherland of the South.

B E N G A L B A Y O F N A D U T A M I L KARNATAKA M A H A R A S H T R A P R A D E S H M A D H Y A O D I S H A (Masulipatnam) Machilipatnam (Madras) Hanamkonda Bhongir Bengaluru Ramatirtham Guntupalli Bhattiprolu Chandavaram Chandragiri Vellore Kazhipet Nagarjunakonda Palampet Jagdalpur Kondagaon Medak Khamman Srisailam Kondapalli Penukonda Hindupur Sri Kalahasti Chennai Bidar Nanded Kakanida (Bangalore) Bheemunipatnam Anantapur Puttaparthi Dharmavaram Mahbubnagar Amaravathi Macherla Anakapalle Vizianagaram Nellore Kurnool Adoni Guntakal Gooty Cuddapah Rajahmundry Eluru Vijayawada Tenali greenport shelter island ferry Ongole greenport shelter island ferry Guntur Tirupathi Chittoor Secunderabad Warangal Nizamabad Wildlife Sanctuary Pakhal RiverPenneri Sagar Nagarjuna River Godavari Araku Valley CoastCoromandel Borra RiverKrishna Kirandul 4 7 4 18 18 5 9 9 7 Bavikonda Thotlakonda Sankaram Araku Lepakshi Visakhapatnam Tirumala Hyderabad greenport shelter island ferry 0 200 km 0 100 miles B E N G A L B A Y O F N A D U T A M I L KARNATAKA M A H A R A S H T R A P R A D E S H M A D H Y A O D I S H A (Masulipatnam) Machilipatnam (Madras) Hanamkonda Bhongir Bengaluru Ramatirtham Guntupalli Bhattiprolu Chandavaram Chandragiri Vellore Kazhipet Nagarjunakonda Palampet Jagdalpur greenport shelter island ferry Kondagaon Medak Khamman Srisailam Kondapalli Penukonda Hindupur Sri Kalahasti greenport shelter island ferry Chennai Bidar Nanded Kakanida (Bangalore) Bheemunipatnam Anantapur Puttaparthi Dharmavaram Mahbubnagar Amaravathi Macherla Anakapalle Vizianagaram Nellore Kurnool Adoni Guntakal Gooty Cuddapah Rajahmundry Eluru Vijayawada Tenali Ongole Guntur Tirupathi Chittoor Secunderabad Warangal Nizamabad Wildlife Sanctuary Pakhal RiverPenneri Sagar Nagarjuna River Godavari Araku Valley greenport shelter island ferry CoastCoromandel Borra RiverKrishna Kirandul 4 7 4 18 18 5 9 9 7 Bavikonda Thotlakonda Sankaram Araku Lepakshi Visakhapatnam Tirumala Hyderabad 0 200 km 0 100 miles