Kondapalli fort (admission 5, camera 100; h10.30am-5pm), strategically situated on the old Machilipatnam paris tourist map Golconda trade route, was built in 1360 by the Reddy kings, and was held by the Gajapathis, the Qutb Shahis, the Mughals and the nizams before becoming a British military camp in 1767. Today it s a quiet, lovely ruin. On weekdays, you ll likely have the place to yourself and you can easily spend a few hours hiking around. Kondapalli village, 1km downhill, is famous for its wooden dolls. The fort is 21km from Vijayawada; an autorickshaw is 400 return.
1 Sights Undavalli Cave Temples HINDU SITE (Indian/ foreigner 5/100; h8am-5.30pm) Four kilometres southwest of Vijayawada, these stunning cave temples cut a fi ne silhouette against the palm trees and rice paddies. Shrines are dedicated to the Trimurti Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and one cave on the third level houses a huge, beautiful statue of reclining Vishnu while seated deities paris tourist map and animals stand guard out front. paris tourist map The caves, in their Hindu form, date to the 7th century, but they re thought to have been constructed for Buddhist monks 500 years earlier. Bus 301 ( 9, 20 minutes) goes here.
Buses run from Vijayawada to Amaravathi every half-hour or so ( 24, two hours), but it may be quicker to head to Guntur ( 12, 45 minutes) and take another bus from there. The drive here will take you through some lovely lush scenery and memorable glimpses of village life.
So come, but only if you re prepared to dig for the jewels to be found here. Keep your eyes open and your curiosity sharp and you re bound to find something that even Andhrans, in their modesty, hadn t thought to mention.
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