Amravati is quiet a familiar name for the Buddhists in India, It is a town located on the banks of the Krishna in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. It was the capital of the Satavahanas, the first great dynasty of the Andhra kings who ruled between 2nd century B.C to the 3rd century A.D. At that point of time, it was known as Dhanyakataka. Amravati was also once amongst the four major learning centres in India which attracted a large number of students from all over the world. It gave impetus to the development of art, architecture, trade and was instrumental in in spreading Buddhism to the east coast


Buddhist Attractions

• The Amravati Stupa : Also known as the Mahachaitya Stupa, the Amravati Stupa happens to be the largest stupa in the country. Today, only remains of the stupa can be seen, however, a number of tourists interested in the history of Buddhism make a visit to this site.
  
  
• Ashokan Pillar : Excavations in Amravati have also unearthed the ruins of an Ashokan Pillar which is perhaps the first example of the Mauryan art in south India.
  
  
• Amravati Museum : A small but interesting museum in Amravati display exhibits that range between 3rd century BC to 12th century AD. Some of the finest exhibits include statues of the Buddha with lotus symbols on his feet, curled hair and long ear lobes. Apart from this, there are also limestone sculptures of goddess Tara and bodhisattva Padmapani. A whole lot of other Buddhist sculptures that were excavated from here now adorn the Chennai Government Museum and the British Museum in London.

Other Attractions

• The Amareswara Temple : This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and houses a 15feet high white marble Shiva Lingam. On the four sides of the temple are huge gopurams in a typically Dravidian temple architectural style. As per a legend, the temple was initially a Buddhist one and was converted into a Hindu one only later. The walls of the temple have a number of inscriptions that tell us about the various kings who held power in the area.
  
  

Quick Getaways

• Vijaywada : Vijaywada is located on the banks of the Krishna river and is bordered by the Indrakiladri hills on the west and the Budameru River on the north. The primary attractions of the city include Prakasam Barrage, The Gandhi Stupa, Hazrathbal Mosque, Mogalrajapuram Caves, Akkana and Madanna Caves, Rajiv Gandhi Park, Gundala Church, Bhavani Island, KanakaDurga Temple, Malleswaraswami Temple and Vijayeswara Swami Temple.
  
  
• Undavalli Caves : The Undavalli Caves are located in the village of Undavalli which lies at a distance of 8 km from Vijaywada. The caves were sculpted in the 7th century AD and one of the best thing to see here is the 5 m long reclining statue of Lord Vishnu. This statue is carved out of a single block of granite.