bc ferries tsawwassen Vizag s well-organised RTC Complex (%2746400) has frequent bus services to Vijayawada (deluxe/Volvo

If you re travelling around Andhra Pradesh during Ramadan (known locally as Ramzan), look out for the clay ovens called bhattis. You ll probably hear them before you see them. Men gather around, taking turns to vigorously pound haleem inside purpose-built structures. Come nightfall, the serious business of eating begins. The taste is worth the wait. In September 2010, this love of the dish was taken a step further, being patented as Hyderabadi haleem ; prohibited to be served under that name unless it meets the strict quality guidelines.

from the 3rd century AD and depict scenes from the Buddha s life, interspersed with mithuna (paired male and female) figures languorously looking on. The reassembled monuments are spread around the hilltop outside.

Only a couple of buildings remain from this 15th-century fort (Indian/foreigner 10/100; h8am-5pm), 14km west of Tirupathi. Both the Rani Mahal and the Raja Mahal, bc ferries tsawwassen which houses a small museum (h10am-5pm Sat-Thu), were constructed bc ferries tsawwassen under Vijayanagar rule and resemble structures in Hampi s Royal Centre. There s a nightly sound-and-light show (admission 35; h8pm Mar-Oct, 7.30pm Nov-Feb), narrated by Bollywood great Amitabh Bachchan. Buses for Chandragiri ( 10) leave Tirupathi bc ferries tsawwassen bus station every half-hour. An autorickshaw is 200 return.

Vizag s well-organised RTC Complex (%2746400) has frequent bus services to Vijayawada (deluxe/Volvo 250/530, eight/seven hours) and, in the afternoon, Hyderabad bc ferries tsawwassen ( superluxury / Volvo 470/870, 14/12 hours).