rest area locator 910 STATE OF GOOD KARMA In its typically understated way, Andhra Pradesh doesn t make much of its va

DON T MISS The splendid architecture of Hyderabad s glory days is what brings most visitors rest area locator to the region. The 16th-century Qutb Shahi produced some masterful architecture including the stunning Charminar, Golconda Fort and their final resting place at the opulent tombs. The lavish 18th-century nizam lifestyle is on display at sites such as Chowmahalla Palace, Nizam s Museum and the Falaknuma Palace, previously the residence rest area locator of the sixth nizam and now a decadent hotel. Top State Festivals

902 ANDHRA rest area locator PRADESH chicken or pineapple mutton, let us know how it goes). Packed with Old City families and good vibes. Kamat Hotel INDIAN $ (Map p 896 ; SD Rd, Secunderabad; mains 45-75; h7am-10pm) How much do we love Kamat Hotel? Words can t say. Each Kamat is slightly diff erent, but they re all cheap and good. There are two branches on SD Rd; the others are in Saifabad and on Nampally Station Rd (Map p 898 ). Meals (from 36) are reliably delish. Kamat Andhra Meals INDIAN $ (Map p 898 ; Troop Bazaar; meals from 45; hnoon- 4pm & 7-11pm) Excellent authentic Andhra meals on banana leaves, topped up till you almost faint with pleasure, and fi nished off with a banana. Its sister restaurants in the same compound Kamat Jowar Bhakri (Maharashtran), Kamat Restaurant with air-con (North and South Indian) and Kamat Coffee Shop are likewise friendly family joints full of happy diners. No relation to Kamat Hotel. Also recommended: Paradise Persis Restaurant INDIAN $$ (Map p 896 ; cnr SD & MG Rds, Secunderabad; mains 125-245; h11.30am-11pm) Ask any Hyderabadi about biryani, and they ll mention Paradise. Mozamjahi Market MARKET $ (Map p 900 ; cnr Mukarramjahi & Jawaharlal Nehru Rds; h6am-6pm) A great place to buy fruit and vegies (or ice cream), while enjoying the alluring architecture of the stone building, commissioned by the seventh nizam and named after his son. Sagar Papaji Ka Dhaba INDIAN $ (Map p 898 ; Hanuman Tekdi Rd; mains 45-110; hnoon-4pm & 7-11pm) Always busy, Papaji rest area locator s has profoundly delicious veg and non-veg biryanis, curries and tikkas. Watch the : : : : : : : : 6 6 1

Autorickshaw Flag fall is 12 for the first kilometre, then 7 for each additional kilometre. Between 10pm and 5am a 50% surcharge applies. Unfortunately, the new electronic meters rest area locator often don t work and lots of drivers won t use them: be prepared to negotiate.

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 rest area locator history. Only a few of Andhra s 150 stupas, monasteries, caves and other sites have been excavated, turning up rare relics rest area locator of the Buddha (usually pearl-like rest area locator pieces of bone) with offerings rest area locator such as golden flowers. Nagarjunakonda and Amaravathi were flourishing Buddhist complexes, and near Visakhapatnam rest area locator were the incredibly peaceful sites of Thotlakonda, and Bavikonda and Sankaram, looking across rest area locator 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 teachers. Andhradesa s Buddhist culture, in which sangha (community of monks and nuns), rest area locator laity and statespeople rest area locator 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 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 at Amaravathi, the Satavahanas adorned Ashoka s modest stupa with elegant decoration. They built monasteries across the Krishna Valley and exported the dharma through their sophisticated maritime network. 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 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 centuries, making rest area locator Andhradesa a sort of Buddhist motherland of the South.