Excursions

The legendary Fiara Tui is situated 65 kms away from Champhai. The source of this water is Tan tlang (mountain). The story goes that due to shortage of drinking water, long distances had to be travelled for collection of water. Fiara, the only son of a poor window, happened to turn a flat stone and to his great delight and astonishment found a crystal clear source of water. This was kept a secret by the widow and her son. In time it was found by the villagers that this water was better and sweeter than other water sources.

This port town earlier known as Masulipatnam, is located 70km southeast of Vijayawada. It is renowned for its cotton textiles, especially finely woven muslins and brightly coloured prints. The town is famous for its hand printed silk and cotton saris, upholstery, sling bags and dresses. There are Dutch tombs with carved instructions and coats of arms bearing dates from 1649 to 1725. The Manginapudi Beach, 10kms away is a popular attraction for tourists and divers.

Kuchipudi, situated 60-km from Vijayawada, is named after the famous classical dance style Kuchipudi. It is the birthplace of Siddhendra Yogi, creator of the dance form. A dance school in the memory of the great yogi offers courses to train students in the Kuchipudi dance form.

Situated around 90km from Vijayawada, Ghantasala was once a flourishing Indo-Roman trade as well as an important religious centre. The Buddhist relics and the Hindu structures at the place reveal its past glory. Carved limestone columns belonging to pillared halls associated with 2C-3C Buddhist monastic establishments have been discovered. The ruined Maha Chaitya or stupa that was excavated here is of a unique design. A cube of solid bricks is set in the centre, inscribed with 12 constellations of zodiac. Some of the carved slabs have found their way to museums in Paris.

A historically important pilgrimage centre with a rich collection of antique Buddhist sculpture belongs to the 3rd to 12th century BC, Amaravati is located on the banks of the Krishna river. Anciently known Dhanyakataka, Amaravati is a major Buddhist worship place in India.

One of the main attractions is the 2000-year old stupa, renowned for the marble-surfaced dome and carved pillars. Carvings depicting the life and teachings of the Buddha adorn the stupa.

Amaravati museum with ancient collections and Amareswara Temple are some other draw. The temple is assumed to be one among the five Pancharama temples. Amaravati museum showcases the archaeological materials from other Buddhist places in Andhra Pradesh, such as gold flowers, a gold necklace and relic-caskets with bone-relics.

About 46 kms north of Srikakulam, is an ancient city which was the capital of Eastern Ganga kings before they moved to Orissa. There are some temples dating back to the same era between 9th and 13th centuries. The one well preserved is the 9th century Madhukeshvara temple with magnificent sculptures of Shiva and other Hindu Gods. At the entrance to the town is the Someshvara temple with statues of river goddesses and other deities, flanking the main doorway.

Nellore District has 165 km (103 mi) coastal line. Krishnapatnam, Ramayapatnam, Ramatheertham, Kodur, Mypadu, Thupilapalem etc., are some of the beaches. From out of which Krishnapatnam the port located place in the district. There are Strategic Plans to be develop industrial port city. Apart from this Thermal power Station to be established, as a result and also due to launching of various projects, the port city is expected to flourish in the near future as was seen in the olden day. It is located at about 25 km (16 mi) towards east form Nellore City.

Gadwal is internationally renowned for its beautiful saris. While the body of these saris is in cotton, the border and pallu are in silk. Adorned with rich traditional designs, the saris are available in several colors. While in Gadwal do visit the Chenna Keshava Temple. Legend has that 'Chenna Keshava' a Brahmin was offered as sacrifice by the then ruler to build the fort. In recognition of this the temple was named after the Brahmin as Chenna Keshava Temple. Situated 150 Kms from Hyderabad and 40 kms from Kurnool, it is well coneected by road and regular bus service.

40 miles south of Guntur City Surya Lanka is located near Bapatla. There are some beach resorts located close to the sea that offers exotic water activities along with the enigmatic sea view.

About 1700 years ago, Nagarjunakonda used to be a prosperous Buddhist town in Andhra Pradesh. What had been a successful centre in earlier times, has been preserved in the form of an island at present. Infact, it is one amongst the 20 major Buddhist sites in India. If you are traveling to Guntur, this place definitely warrants a visit. The island is to be found amidst Nagarjuna Lake, a man-made lake emerging from the Dam. Named after the Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna, the island is a replica of the ancient town of Nagarjuna Konda.