sayville flea market 910 STATE OF GOOD KARMA In its typically understated way, Andhra Pradesh doesn t make much of its va

Around 36km east of Tirupathi, Sri Kalahasti is known for its important Sri Kalahasteeswara sayville flea market Temple and for being, along with Machilipatnam near Vijayawada, a centre for the ancient art of kalamkari. These paintings are made with natural ingredients: sayville flea market the cotton is primed 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, sayville flea market plants and flowers. sayville flea market 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) sayville flea market is an old family business with 40 artists.

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 sayville flea market and the entire Hussain Sagar and the Birla Mandir all twinkling in the distance. Eating indoors, alongside enormous picture windows, isn t bad either. But it s the Chinese, Indian sayville flea market and Thai food that s to die for their take on phad kea mou (noodles with tasty bok choy) is a must-eat.

Visit Visakhapatnam also called Vizag (vie-zag) during the holiday season and you ll see domestic tourism in rare form: balloons, fairy floss (cotton candy) and, of course, weddings! But the crowds only enhance the area s kitschy coasts. The rundown sayville flea market boardwalk along Ramakrishna Beach has lots of spunk, and the beach at nearby Rushikonda is Andhra s best.

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, sayville flea market 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 sites of Thotlakonda, and Bavikonda and Sankaram, looking across seascapes 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 sayville flea market 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 sayville flea market 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. (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 sayville flea market at Amaravathi, the Satavahanas adorned Ashoka s modest stupa with elegant decoration. They built monasteries across the Krishna sayville flea market Valley and exported sayville flea market the dharma through their sophisticated maritime network. sayville flea market It was also during the Satavahana reign that Nagarjuna lived. Considered by many to be the progenitor of Mahayana Buddhism, the monk was equal parts logician, philosopher sayville flea market 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 sayville flea market centuries, making Andhradesa a sort of Buddhist motherland of the South. 1 Sights sayville flea market Fort FORT (Indian/foreigner 5/100; h9am-6.30pm) Warangal s fort was a massive construction with three distinct circular strongholds surrounded by a moat. Four paths with decorative gateways, set according to the cardinal points, led to the Swayambhava, a huge Shiva temple. The gateways are still obvious, but most of the fort is in ruins. It s easily reached from Warangal by bus or autorickshaw sayville flea market ( 200 return). Admission includes entry to nearby Kush Mahal, a 16th century sayville flea market royal hall with artefacts on display. sayville flea market