map of united states without names Warangal is a major rail junction. Trains go regularly to Hyderabad (2nd class/chair 67/229, three h

Warangal is a major rail junction. map of united states without names Trains go regularly to Hyderabad (2nd class/chair 67/229, three hours), Vijayawada (2nd class/ chair 79/278, four hours) and Chennai (sleeper/3AC/2AC 277/723/979, 11 hours). Many trains go to Delhi daily.

The Vizag area s natural harbours have long been conducive to dropping anchor, which helped map of united states without names monks from Sri Lanka, China and Tibet come here to learn and practice meditation. Bavikonda (h9am-6pm) and Thotlakonda (h10am-3pm) were popular hilltop monasteries on the coast that hosted map of united states without names up to 150 monks at a time with the help of massive rainwater tanks and, at Thotlakonda, a natural spring.

910 STATE OF GOOD KARMA In its typically understated way, Andhra Pradesh doesn t make much of its vast archaeological and karmic wealth. But the state is packed with impressive ruins of its rich Buddhist history. Only a few of Andhra s 150 stupas, map of united states without names monasteries, caves and other sites have been excavated, turning up rare relics of the Buddha (usually pearl-like pieces of bone) with offerings such as golden flowers. Nagarjunakonda and Amaravathi were flourishing Buddhist complexes, and near Visakhapatnam were the incredibly peaceful sites of Thotlakonda, and Bavikonda and Sankaram, looking across seascapes and lush countryside. They speak of a time when Andhra Pradesh or Andhradesa was a hotbed of Buddhist activity, when monks came from around the world to learn from some of the tradition s most renowned teachers. Andhradesa s Buddhist culture, map of united states without names in which sangha (community of monks and nuns), laity and statespeople all took part, lasted around 1500 years from the 6th century BC. There s no historical evidence for it, but some even say that the Buddha himself visited the area. Andhradesa s first practitioners were likely disciples of Bavari, an ascetic who lived on the banks of the Godavari River and sent his followers north to bring back the Buddha s teachings. But the dharma really took off in the 3rd century BC under Ashoka, who dispatched monks across map of united states without names his empire to teach and construct stupas enshrined with relics of the Buddha. (Being near these was thought to help progress on the path to enlightenment.) map of united states without names Succeeding Ashoka, the Satavahanas and then Ikshvakus were also supportive. At their capital map of united states without names at Amaravathi, the Satavahanas adorned Ashoka s modest stupa with elegant decoration. They built monasteries across the Krishna Valley and exported the dharma through their sophisticated maritime network. It was also during the Satavahana reign that Nagarjuna lived. map of united states without names Considered by many to be the progenitor of Mahayana Buddhism, the monk was equal parts logician, philosopher and meditator, and he wrote several ground-breaking works that shaped contemporary map of united states without names Buddhist thought. Other important monk-philosophers map of united states without names would emerge from the area in the following centuries, making Andhradesa a sort of Buddhist motherland of the South.