exit 9 gift emporium Legends about the hill itself and the surrounding area appear in the Puranas, and the temple s histo

Legends about the hill itself and the surrounding area appear in the Puranas, exit 9 gift emporium and the temple s history may date back 2000 years. The main temple is an atmospheric place, though you ll be pressed between hundreds of devotees when you see it. The inner sanctum itself is dark and magical; it smells of incense, exit 9 gift emporium resonates with chanting and may make you religious. There, Venkateshwara sits gloriously on his throne, inspiring bliss and love among his visitors. You ll have a moment to make a wish and then you ll be shoved exit 9 gift emporium out again. exit 9 gift emporium Don t forget to collect your delicious ladoo (sweet made of fl our, sugar, exit 9 gift emporium raisins and nuts) from the counter. exit 9 gift emporium

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 history. Only a few of Andhra s 150 stupas, monasteries, caves and other sites have been excavated, turning up rare relics of the Buddha (usually pearl-like pieces of bone) with offerings exit 9 gift emporium such as golden flowers. Nagarjunakonda and Amaravathi exit 9 gift emporium were flourishing Buddhist complexes, and near Visakhapatnam were the incredibly peaceful sites of Thotlakonda, exit 9 gift emporium and Bavikonda and Sankaram, looking across seascapes and lush countryside. They speak of a time when Andhra Pradesh or Andhradesa was a hotbed of Buddhist exit 9 gift emporium 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), laity and statespeople exit 9 gift emporium 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 exit 9 gift emporium 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 Andhradesa a sort of Buddhist motherland of the South.

The Kirandol passenger train ( 20, five hours) leaves exit 9 gift emporium Vizag at 6.50am and Araku at 3pm. It s a slow, spectacular ride; sit on the right-hand side coming exit 9 gift emporium out of Vizag for best views. For Jungle Bells, get off at Tyda station, 500m from the resort. Frequent buses ( 58, 4 hours) leave from Araku to Vizag every hour until 7pm.