jetfoil AP State Museum MUSEUM (Map p898; Public Gardens Rd, Nampally; admission 10, camera/video 100/500; h

Around 36km east of Tirupathi, Sri Kalahasti is known for its important Sri Kalahasteeswara Temple and for being, along with Machilipatnam near Vijayawada, a centre for the ancient art of kalamkari. These paintings are made with natural ingredients: the cotton is primed jetfoil with myrabalam (resin) and cow s milk; figures are drawn with a pointed bamboo stick dipped in fermented jaggery and water; and the dyes are made from cow dung, ground seeds, plants jetfoil and flowers. You can see the artists at work in the Agraharam neighbourhood, 2.5km from the bus stand. Sri Vijayalakshmi Fine Kalamkari Arts (%9441138380; door No 15890) is an old family business with 40 artists. jetfoil

The bus stand has a helpful enquiry desk (%2522200). Frequent services run to Hyderabad (deluxe/Volvo 193/375, jetfoil six to seven hours), Amaravathi ( 38, two hours), Warangal (deluxe 180, 5 hours) and Visakhapatnam (deluxe/Volvo 270/540, nine hours).

AP State Museum MUSEUM (Map p898; Public Gardens Rd, Nampally; admission 10, camera/video 100/500; h10.30am5pm Sat-Thu) The continually renovated State Museum hosts a rather dusty collection jetfoil of important archaeological finds from the area, as well as a Buddhist sculpture gallery, with some relics of the Buddha and an exhibit on Andhra s Buddhist history. There are also Jain and bronze sculpture galleries, a decorative-arts gallery and a 4500-year-old Egyptian mummy. The museum, jetfoil like the gorgeous Legislative Assembly building (Map p 898 ) down the road (both commissioned by the seventh nizam), is floodlit at night.