293 & Sankaram © Lonely Planet Publications Planet Lonely © Sri Kalahasti

and Sri Kala-Sri ( p313 ) tombs of Qutb tombs of Qutb Bavikonda ( p300 ) beaches paintings in ( p315 ), p315 ( ( p301 ) and ( p315 ), destinations on a 2300- p315 ( Laad ( p301 ) ( p301 ) kalamkari Sankaram ( p320 ) Thotlakonda monastic trail year-old before the sublime beauty of Hyderabad’s the sublime beauty of Hyderabad’s before tombs Paigah Shahi kings colours of kitschy ropeway with local tour- ists at Visakhapatnam’s hasti past at slippers one person can buy at Hyderabad’s slippers one person can buy at Hyderabad’s 400-year-old

Notice how death doesn’t seem so bad Get hypnotised by the lush intricacy and rich Eat cotton candy, drink chai, and ride the vibrations of monks Absorb the meditative out how many bangles and sequinned Find

„ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS „

So come, but only if you’re prepared to dig: the jewels here have to be earned. But if you have to dig: the jewels here prepared So come, but only if you’re Meanwhile, deep in the countryside, more than eight million tribal people practise ancient Meanwhile, deep in the countryside, more Dig a little deeper and you’ll find another Andhran history, peopled by the good life’s by the good life’s you’ll find another Andhran history, peopled Dig a little deeper and Andhra prefers to play hard to get: its charms are subtle. But if you look closely, you’ll find But if you look subtle. are to play hard to get: its charms Andhra prefers

Andhrans, in their modesty, hadn’t thought to mention. Andhrans, in their modesty, hadn’t thought to keep your eyes open and your curiosity sharp, you’re bound to find something that even bound to find something that even keep your eyes open and your curiosity sharp, you’re compulsively modernising cities nearby. compulsively religious, cultural and farming traditions, writing their own quiet history away from the cultural and farming traditions, writing their own quiet history away from the religious, at 150 sites around the state. around the state. at 150 sites years from the 3rd century BC. Today ruins of and monasteries defy impermanence BC. Today ruins of stupas and monasteries years from the 3rd century renunciates: the region was an international centre of Buddhist thought for several hundred hundred for several of Buddhist thought centre was an international the region renunciates: dynasties that loved Allah, diamonds and, above all, beauty. Allah, diamonds and, above dynasties that loved muezzin speak of the city’s unique history, created most notoriously by two wealthy family most notoriously by two wealthy unique history, created muezzin speak of the city’s Hyderabad’s Old City, Islamic monuments, Persian-inspired architecture and the call of the and the architecture monuments, Persian-inspired Hyderabad’s Old City, Islamic a long, fascinating history of arts and culture, spiritual scholarship and religious harmony. In of artsa long, fascinating history spiritual scholarship and religious and culture, seek them out, they’ll be missed. No, to travellers, Andhra Pradesh is not flirtatious. Andhra Pradesh missed. No, to travellers, seek them out, they’ll be wealth of most of the last 500 years is apparently no big deal – and if you don’t purposely no big deal – and if you don’t purposely 500 years is apparently wealth of most of the last enlightened beings. It’s forgotten most of its palaces and royal architecture – the extreme – the extreme most of its palaces and royal architecture It’s forgotten beings. enlightened its temples or talk about its colourful history. It does not name streets after its long roster of its long roster talk about its colourful or after its temples It does not name streets history. Andhra Pradesh is not going to hit you over the head with its attractions. It doesn’t brag about It doesn’t brag head with its attractions. the to hit you over Pradesh is not going Andhra Andhra Pradesh ANDHRA PRADESH merged inthe11thcenturytobeoverthrown the coast.TheChalukyaandCholadynasties Dravidian styleof architecture, especiallyalong Chalukyas ruledthearea, their establishing west totheeastcoastsof SouthIndia. thatextendeda flourishing civilisation fromthe coming centuries,theAndhraswoulddevelop it, buildinghuge edificesinitshonour. Inthe theAndhrasfullyembraced 3rd centuryBC teaching tookroothere earlyon,andinthe TheBuddha’s maydate backto1000BC. presence insouthern the Andhrapeople,whose theDeccanplateau.throughout from Itevolved empire, also knownastheAndhras,reigned theSatavahana From the2ndcenturyBC, 294 History (Bombay; 550km) To Mumbai ANDHRA PRADESH KARNATAKA From the7thto10thcentury (Bangalore) Bengaluru Guntakal Penukonda NHAPAEH • itr ANDHRA PRADESH••History 4 Hindupur M AHRST Anantapur Nanded Mahbubnagar 9 Adoni Bidar Kurnool Gooty Lepakshi 7 Dharmavaram Medak Puttaparthi To Nagpur

(200km) Penneri 4

Krishna Nizamabad

18 River Nagarjuna Hyderabad 7 Sagar Chittoor Chandragiri 18

Srisailam River Vellore Cuddapah Tirumala Chandavaram Bhongir Kazhipet Warangal

T AMIL Nagarjunakonda N ADU Tirupathi Wildlife Sanctuary Macherla Nellore Ongole Hanamkonda Sri Kalahasti Amaravathi 9

Pakhal Palampet 5 Guntur

Khamman

(Madras) Chennai Coast Coromandel Godavari Kondapalli Guntupalli Tenali empire. Inthe18thcenturypost-Mughal 1687 wassupplanted byAurangzeb’sMughal dynasty heldthecityof Hyderabad, butin the mostpowerfulempires inIndia. tobecomeoneofThe Vijayanagars thenrose ples intoSouthIndianreligious architecture. by theKakatiyas, whointroducedpillared tem- Vijayawada Bhattiprolu

By the16thcenturyIslamicQutbShahi

When togo Main languages Capital Area Population FAST FACTS River P RADESH M ADHY Eluru Machilipatnam (Masulipatnam) Kondagaon Kirandul Jagdalpur 276,754sqkm Hyderabad Rajahmundry 75.7million September toFebruary September 200km 100miles 0 0 Telugu, Urdu,Hindi Kakanida Anakapalle Araku B ENGAL B AYOF Sankaram Araku Valley Thotlakonda Borra Visakhapatnam lonelyplanet.com Bavikonda Vizianagaram Ramatirtham (Calcutta; 1500km) O RISA (350km); Kolkata To Bhubaneswar Srikakulam