A major Buddhist pilgrimage site located near the ancient Satavahana capital, Dhanyakataka, is now called Amaravati.

It was one of the four renowned Buddhist centers of learning in the country which attracted students from all over the world.

It gave fillip to art, architecture, trade, and facilitated the spread of Buddhism on the east coast.

Today in South India, Buddhists consider it the most sacred pilgrim centre. Many years ago, an emissary of Emperor Ashoka, who went to propagate Buddhism in this region, laid the foundation of the Great Stupa at Amaravati.

The dome, now missing, seems to have been built solidly of large-sized bricks measuring 57 x 28 x 7.6 cm. Presently it has a height of about 1.55 m and a diameter of 49.30 m.

The stupa may well have been the one to have the largest marble-surfaced dome in the world!

The dome and the outer and inner sides of the railing were richly adorned with carvings, depicting events from the life of Buddha. Locally, the Mahastupa is known as 'Deepaladinne' or 'Mound of lamps'.

To give you a glimpse of the past, a miniature model of the stupa and some of the original panels, have been preserved in a museum on the site.

You can see several statues and friezes relating Jataka stories.

How to Get There:
Rail: The nearest railheads are Guntur and Vijayawada. There are good bus connections from Guntur to Amaravati.

Road: Amaravati is situated twenty miles northwest of Guntur and is connected it by a good motorable road. Taxis and buses are available from Guntur.

Andhra Pradesh -
Amaravati, Basar, Chandavaram, Guntupalli, Hyderabad, Nagarjunakonda, Salihundam, Sankaram, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Vishakhapattnam, Warangal