downtown asheville map Look for the 9m-long monolithic Nandi India s largest at the town s entrance. From here, you can see

C Courses Dhamma Vijaya MEDITATION (Vipassana downtown asheville map Meditation Centre; %08812-225522; www.dhamma.org; Eluru-Chintalapudi Rd) Offers intensive 10-day vipassana meditation courses free of charge in lush palm- and cocoa-forested downtown asheville map grounds. The centre is 15km from Eluru; call for details.

Birla Mandir & Planetarium HINDU TEMPLE, MUSEUM (Map p898) The Birla mandir (h7am-noon & 2-9pm), constructed of white Rajasthani marble in 1976, graces Kalabahad (Black Mountain), one of two rocky hills overlooking the Hussain Sagar. Dedicated to Venkateshwara, the temple is a popular Hindu pilgrimage downtown asheville map centre and affords excellent views over the city, especially at sunset. The library (h4- 8pm) here is worth a visit

Look for the 9m-long monolithic Nandi India s largest at the town s entrance. From here, you can see the temple s Naga-lingam (a phallic representation of Shiva) crowned with a seven-headed cobra. The temple is known for its unfinished Kalyana Mandapam (Marriage Hall), downtown asheville map depicting the wedding of Parvati and Shiva, and its Natyamandapa (Dance Hall), with carvings of dancing gods. The temple s most stunning features, though, are the Natyamandapa s ceiling frescoes.

Minerva Grand HOTEL $$$ (Map p 896 ; %66117373; www.minervagrand.com; SD Rd, Secunderabad; s/d incl breakfast from 4000 /4400; aiW) It s rare to find a hotel that has genuine style; this place has nailed it. Standard rooms (one wheelchair-accessible) have striking deep-fuchsia walls, white furniture, tasselled bedspreads and piles of pillows. More-expensive rooms are also bold in design, and all rooms have hardwood floors, gentle lighting and sleek, spacious bathrooms. A diamond in the rough of Sarojini Devi Rd.