About 17 centuries ago Nagarjunakonda was the greatest center of Buddhist learning south of the Vindhyas. Located on the river Krishna and known then as Vijayapuri it was a town where scholars and monks congregated. They come not just from India but from distant lands like Gandhara, China and Sri Lanka. The great Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna is said to have founded the university here.

Nagarjunakonda was a splendid with its Stupas chaityas, monasteries and marvellous sculpture ornamenting them. It had a large amphitheatre with perfect acoustic. An altar for the sacrifice of horses, royal baths, quays & bathing Ghats along the river and a well planned drainage system.
With the passage of time and the eclipse of Buddhism in India, Nagarjunakonda in the way of most ancient cities was abandoned and forgotten. It was only in 1956 that the excavation uncovered the ruins of this vast city.

In the fifties excavations were resumed with added urgency for the ambitious Nagarjunasagar Hydro Electric project that was coming up on the river Krishna would submerged the site of the ancient city. As work started on the project the ruins from the site were relocated brick by brick on the crest of a hill overlooking the river. When the project was completed Nagarjunakonda took on a new lease of life on the slopes of the Nagarjuna hill now on island in the immense lake.
The only way to this unusual land island museum is by boat. Here a replica of a Vihara houses beautiful marble sculptures depicting the life of Buddha, jewellery beads, coins and artifacts of a gentle age. Among the ruins on immense figure of the Lord Buddha watches over his new domain.

NAGARJUNAKONDA TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Within easy reach of Nagarjunasagar are the picturesque Ethipothala waterfalls and the thick forests of the Srisailam wildlife reserve. The reserve is part of project tiger and supports a variety of animals, birds and reptiles.

JAWAHAR CANAL, NAGARJUNA DAM

NAGARJUNA SAGAR, enroute to NAGARJUNA KONDA

BUDDHA AT NAGARJUNAKONDA

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM, NAGARJUNAKONDA

The museum established to collect, preserve and exhibit the antiquities retrieved from the excavations, is housed in a spacious structure simulating a Buddhist Vihara on plan. It is located amidst the remains of a medieval fortification, in the northern part of the island spanning about 2.5 km east-west and 1 km north-south. The museum presents precious artifacts of all cultural periods through which the valley and the region have passed. The objects displayed in five galleries include carved lime stone slabs, sculptures, inscriptions and other antiquities all assignable to 3rd-4th century AD constitute a majority of the exhibits.

More tourist attraction in Andhra Pradesh