After a long discussion with team members, we finally decided for a 2 day team outing to Nagarjunasagar.This was the first time, team was going for an outing outside Hyderabad.Some team members couldn’t make it, but the remaining member’s (9 of them) showed very energetic response.
We started in our personal vehicles (5 members in Innova and 4 members in Swift) to Nagarjunasagar at 6 o clock in the morning.
We have booked AP Tourism's Vijay Vihar hotel two days in advance from Hyderabad APTDC central reservation counter.
Route Map to Nagarjunasagar:
Hyderabad - Sagar ring road(take left if you are coming from Uppal ring road - LBNagar X roads - Sagar ring road;go staright if you are coming from Karmanghat;if you are coming from Koti - Dilsukh nagar - LBNagar X roads - take right here to reach Sagar ring road) - Ibrahimpatnam - Yacharam - Chintapalli - Mallepalli - Nagarjunasagar.
Accomodation at Nagarjunasagar:
After 3 hrs of road journey we have reached Nagarjunasagar. We went directly to our Vijay Vihar hotel rooms(A/C deluxe rooms)which were booked in advance.Here hotel is worth mentioning. Hotel room ambience is good,it's clean,spacious and the view of Nagarjunasagar from the hotel is awesome. You can have the beautiful view from hotel balcony itself. There's a good news for Boozers,it has a mini fridge inside the room. The food is best here and I suggest one to stick to the south indian fare.See the below pics of hotel and sagar view from the hotel.
Nagarjunasagar History and Dam:
Nagarjunasagar town is a prominent Buddhist site and derives its name from the Buddhist saint, Acharya Nagarjuna. The city was ruled by the Satavahanas, before it became the capital of Ikshvaku rulers in 3rd century BC. Situated between the cities of Guntur and Hyderabad, Nagarjuna Sagar is famous for its massive irrigation project on River Krishna which was completed in 1969. One of the earliest hydro-electric projects in India; Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is 124 m high and a kilometer long, making it the tallest masonry dam in the world.
After resting for sometime in the hotel, we have headed to see Nagarjunasagar dam.And as we neared we were stopped by the security and were told that public is not allowed on the dam now for some security reasons. With utter dissapointment, we headed back to a small temple near to a old broken bridge where we enjoyed coracle(Teppa) ride.If you want some jatkas to your trip, then go for Coracle ride,it's superb.To reach here one has to take middle route if you are coming from Vijay Vihar and heading to Ethipothala water falls.The straight(Down) route will take you to Ethipothala,first right will take you to a small village and Dam. After enjoying the coracle ride, we headed to Nagarjunakonda.
Places around Nagarjunasagar:
Nagarjunakonda,Ethipothala Water falls.
Nagarjunakonda History and Museum:
Nagarjunakonda is a historical Buddhist town, now an island located near Nagarjuna Sagar.It was formed when a hill was submerged in the waters of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, constructed in the 1960s.The Buddhist archaeological sites there were submerged, and had to later be dug up and transferred to higher land on the hill, which had become an island.
History of Nagarjunakonda:
The settlement of Nagarjunakonda was the capital of the Ikshvaku dynasty (225 AD - 325 AD), the successors of the Satavahanas in the eastern Deccan. It is believed that Sadvaha authorised the first monastic construction there during his reign.
During the early centuries AD, the site housed more than 30 Buddhist viharas; excavations have yielded art works and inscriptions of great significance for the scholarly study of the history of this early period.[2] Nagarjuna was the exponent of the philosophy of sunyata (void). At the time, Buddhism often spread to Sri Lanka and Burma after using the area and the bustling Bay of Bengal ports of the Andhra to re-stock for the impending journey. Archaeological inscriptions at the site show that Sri Virapurusadatta, the second ruler of the dynasty was a Buddhist, as were his son Ehuvula and their descendants. The inscriptions also show state-sponsorship of construction of temples and monasteries, through the funding of the queen of Ikshvaku. Camtisiri in particular, is recorded as having funded the building of the main stupa for ten consecutive years. The support also spread beyond the noble classes, many non-royal names being inscribed in the relics. At its peak, there were more than thirty monasteries and it was the largest Buddhist centre in South India. Inscriptions showed that there were monasteries belonging to the Bahusrutiya and Aparamahavinaseliya sub-schools of the Mahasa?ghika, the Mahisasaka, and the Mahaviharavasin, from Sri Lanka. The architecture of the area reflects that of these traditions. There were other monasteries for Buddhist scholars originating from the Tamil kingdoms, Orissa, Kalinga, Gandhara, Bengal, Ceylon (the Culadhammagiri) and China. There is also a footprint at the site of the Mahaviharavasin monastery, which is believed to be a reproduction of that of Gautama Buddha.
The region declined after the death of Rudrapurusa, the last Ikshvaku king. Excavations began in 1927, and the first finds were made by English archaeologists in 1928. The excavations were continuous until 1931. They unearthed the ruins of stupas and chaityas in 1926 at what was once an immense centre for Buddhist learning in ancient India. This was expanded in 1954 to include the whole valley, unearthing more than 100 further relics dating from the stone age to the 16th century AD.
The great stupa at Nagarjunakonda belongs to the class of uncased stupas, its brickwork being plastered over and the stupa decorated by a large garland-ornament. The original stupa was renovated by the Ikshvaku princess Chamtisiri in the 3rd century AD, when ayaka-pillars of stone were erected. The outer railing, if any, was of wood, its uprights erected over a brick plinth. The stupa, 32.3 m in diameter, rose to a height of 18 m with a 4 m wide circumambulatory. The medhi stood 1.5 m and the ayaka-platforms were rectangular offsets measuring 6.7 by 1.5 m.[3]
An archaeological catastrophe struck in 1960, when an irrigation dam was constructed across the nearby Krishna River, submerging the original site under the waters of a reservoir. In advance of the flooding, several monuments were dug up and relocated to the top of Nagarjuna's Hill, where a museum was built in 1966. Other monuments were relocated to the mainland, east of the flooded area. Dedicated archaeologists managed to recover almost all of the relics.
Getting to Nagarjunakonda:
To reach Nagarjunakonda one has to travel through boat from the banks of the Nagarajuna Sagar to the island of Nagarjunakonda.The Nagarjunakonda Museum is open on all days except Fridays from 9.30 in the morning to 4.45 in the evening. However the last boat from Nagarjunasagar dam is at :1:30 PM.
Please see the below timings of boats from Nagarjunasagar:
First boat from Monday to Thursday,Saturday and Sunday starts at : 9:30 AM.
Last boat from Monday to Thursday,Saturday and Sunday starts at : 1:30 PM.
Friday is a Holiday.So better plan in advance if you are planning to visit Nagarjunakonda.
The Boat duration is about 3 Hours.1 Hr for Boat journey to reach Nagarjunakonda - 1 Hr for staying in Island and visiting the Museum - 1 Hr for return journey.
Ethipothala Water Falls:
11km downstream from the dam are the Ethipothala Waterfalls, set in a beautiful valley. The Chandravankas stream here plunges from a height of 21.3 metres into a lagoon, and flows on through a green valley much frequented by tourists.The dazzling, azure lagoon formed at the foot of the falls houses a first-rate crocodile breeding center which is open to the public.
These beautiful and refreshing waterfalls, about 60 metres high, originate from the Chandravanka river. This waterfall is a combination of three streams namely 1.Chandravanka vagu 2. Nakkala vagu 3.Tummala vagu. After flowing for 3 km, this stream joins with the river Krishna. Ranganadha and Dattatreya temples are found near the waterfalls. People believe that the caves near the waterfalls go to Srisailam.Waterfalls are about 21 km east of Nagarjuna Konda and named after a priest (ethi) who meditated in the caves above "apathalla", meaning "upper place".
We started in our personal vehicles (5 members in Innova and 4 members in Swift) to Nagarjunasagar at 6 o clock in the morning.
We have booked AP Tourism's Vijay Vihar hotel two days in advance from Hyderabad APTDC central reservation counter.
Route Map to Nagarjunasagar:
Hyderabad - Sagar ring road(take left if you are coming from Uppal ring road - LBNagar X roads - Sagar ring road;go staright if you are coming from Karmanghat;if you are coming from Koti - Dilsukh nagar - LBNagar X roads - take right here to reach Sagar ring road) - Ibrahimpatnam - Yacharam - Chintapalli - Mallepalli - Nagarjunasagar.
Accomodation at Nagarjunasagar:
After 3 hrs of road journey we have reached Nagarjunasagar. We went directly to our Vijay Vihar hotel rooms(A/C deluxe rooms)which were booked in advance.Here hotel is worth mentioning. Hotel room ambience is good,it's clean,spacious and the view of Nagarjunasagar from the hotel is awesome. You can have the beautiful view from hotel balcony itself. There's a good news for Boozers,it has a mini fridge inside the room. The food is best here and I suggest one to stick to the south indian fare.See the below pics of hotel and sagar view from the hotel.
Nagarjunasagar History and Dam:
Nagarjunasagar town is a prominent Buddhist site and derives its name from the Buddhist saint, Acharya Nagarjuna. The city was ruled by the Satavahanas, before it became the capital of Ikshvaku rulers in 3rd century BC. Situated between the cities of Guntur and Hyderabad, Nagarjuna Sagar is famous for its massive irrigation project on River Krishna which was completed in 1969. One of the earliest hydro-electric projects in India; Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is 124 m high and a kilometer long, making it the tallest masonry dam in the world.
After resting for sometime in the hotel, we have headed to see Nagarjunasagar dam.And as we neared we were stopped by the security and were told that public is not allowed on the dam now for some security reasons. With utter dissapointment, we headed back to a small temple near to a old broken bridge where we enjoyed coracle(Teppa) ride.If you want some jatkas to your trip, then go for Coracle ride,it's superb.To reach here one has to take middle route if you are coming from Vijay Vihar and heading to Ethipothala water falls.The straight(Down) route will take you to Ethipothala,first right will take you to a small village and Dam. After enjoying the coracle ride, we headed to Nagarjunakonda.
Places around Nagarjunasagar:
Nagarjunakonda,Ethipothala Water falls.
Nagarjunakonda History and Museum:
Nagarjunakonda is a historical Buddhist town, now an island located near Nagarjuna Sagar.It was formed when a hill was submerged in the waters of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, constructed in the 1960s.The Buddhist archaeological sites there were submerged, and had to later be dug up and transferred to higher land on the hill, which had become an island.
History of Nagarjunakonda:
The settlement of Nagarjunakonda was the capital of the Ikshvaku dynasty (225 AD - 325 AD), the successors of the Satavahanas in the eastern Deccan. It is believed that Sadvaha authorised the first monastic construction there during his reign.
During the early centuries AD, the site housed more than 30 Buddhist viharas; excavations have yielded art works and inscriptions of great significance for the scholarly study of the history of this early period.[2] Nagarjuna was the exponent of the philosophy of sunyata (void). At the time, Buddhism often spread to Sri Lanka and Burma after using the area and the bustling Bay of Bengal ports of the Andhra to re-stock for the impending journey. Archaeological inscriptions at the site show that Sri Virapurusadatta, the second ruler of the dynasty was a Buddhist, as were his son Ehuvula and their descendants. The inscriptions also show state-sponsorship of construction of temples and monasteries, through the funding of the queen of Ikshvaku. Camtisiri in particular, is recorded as having funded the building of the main stupa for ten consecutive years. The support also spread beyond the noble classes, many non-royal names being inscribed in the relics. At its peak, there were more than thirty monasteries and it was the largest Buddhist centre in South India. Inscriptions showed that there were monasteries belonging to the Bahusrutiya and Aparamahavinaseliya sub-schools of the Mahasa?ghika, the Mahisasaka, and the Mahaviharavasin, from Sri Lanka. The architecture of the area reflects that of these traditions. There were other monasteries for Buddhist scholars originating from the Tamil kingdoms, Orissa, Kalinga, Gandhara, Bengal, Ceylon (the Culadhammagiri) and China. There is also a footprint at the site of the Mahaviharavasin monastery, which is believed to be a reproduction of that of Gautama Buddha.
The region declined after the death of Rudrapurusa, the last Ikshvaku king. Excavations began in 1927, and the first finds were made by English archaeologists in 1928. The excavations were continuous until 1931. They unearthed the ruins of stupas and chaityas in 1926 at what was once an immense centre for Buddhist learning in ancient India. This was expanded in 1954 to include the whole valley, unearthing more than 100 further relics dating from the stone age to the 16th century AD.
The great stupa at Nagarjunakonda belongs to the class of uncased stupas, its brickwork being plastered over and the stupa decorated by a large garland-ornament. The original stupa was renovated by the Ikshvaku princess Chamtisiri in the 3rd century AD, when ayaka-pillars of stone were erected. The outer railing, if any, was of wood, its uprights erected over a brick plinth. The stupa, 32.3 m in diameter, rose to a height of 18 m with a 4 m wide circumambulatory. The medhi stood 1.5 m and the ayaka-platforms were rectangular offsets measuring 6.7 by 1.5 m.[3]
An archaeological catastrophe struck in 1960, when an irrigation dam was constructed across the nearby Krishna River, submerging the original site under the waters of a reservoir. In advance of the flooding, several monuments were dug up and relocated to the top of Nagarjuna's Hill, where a museum was built in 1966. Other monuments were relocated to the mainland, east of the flooded area. Dedicated archaeologists managed to recover almost all of the relics.
Getting to Nagarjunakonda:
To reach Nagarjunakonda one has to travel through boat from the banks of the Nagarajuna Sagar to the island of Nagarjunakonda.The Nagarjunakonda Museum is open on all days except Fridays from 9.30 in the morning to 4.45 in the evening. However the last boat from Nagarjunasagar dam is at :1:30 PM.
Please see the below timings of boats from Nagarjunasagar:
First boat from Monday to Thursday,Saturday and Sunday starts at : 9:30 AM.
Last boat from Monday to Thursday,Saturday and Sunday starts at : 1:30 PM.
Friday is a Holiday.So better plan in advance if you are planning to visit Nagarjunakonda.
The Boat duration is about 3 Hours.1 Hr for Boat journey to reach Nagarjunakonda - 1 Hr for staying in Island and visiting the Museum - 1 Hr for return journey.
Ethipothala Water Falls:
11km downstream from the dam are the Ethipothala Waterfalls, set in a beautiful valley. The Chandravankas stream here plunges from a height of 21.3 metres into a lagoon, and flows on through a green valley much frequented by tourists.The dazzling, azure lagoon formed at the foot of the falls houses a first-rate crocodile breeding center which is open to the public.
These beautiful and refreshing waterfalls, about 60 metres high, originate from the Chandravanka river. This waterfall is a combination of three streams namely 1.Chandravanka vagu 2. Nakkala vagu 3.Tummala vagu. After flowing for 3 km, this stream joins with the river Krishna. Ranganadha and Dattatreya temples are found near the waterfalls. People believe that the caves near the waterfalls go to Srisailam.Waterfalls are about 21 km east of Nagarjuna Konda and named after a priest (ethi) who meditated in the caves above "apathalla", meaning "upper place".
