minoan lines You can also make your own way there from Hyderabad or Vijayawada. From Hyderabad, take a bus to Nag

You can also make your own way there from Hyderabad or Vijayawada. From Hyderabad, take a bus to Nagarjuna Sagar (from 85, four hours). From there, it s a 10 shared rickshaw to Pylon, and another 10 to the boat launch. The nearest train station is 22km away at Macherla, where buses leave regularly for Nagarjuna Sagar.

Once the Andhran capital and a significant Buddhist centre, Amaravathi is India s biggest stupa (Indian/foreigner 5/100; h8am6pm), measuring 27m high and constructed minoan lines in the 3rd century BC, when Emperor Ashoka minoan lines sent monks south to spread the Buddha s teaching. Located 60km west of Vijayawada, all that remains are a mound and some stones, but the nearby museum (admission 5; h8am-5pm) has a small replica of the stupa, with its intricately carved pillars, marble- surfaced dome and carvings of scenes from the Buddha s life (no photography allowed in the museum). In the courtyard is a reconstruction minoan lines of part of the surrounding gateway, minoan lines which gives you an idea of the stupa s massive scale. It s worth the trip, but many of Amaravathi s best sculptures are in London s British Museum and Chennai s Government Museum in Tamil Nadu.