The southern state of Andhra Pradesh is a treasure house when it comes to ancient Buddhist sites. With an extremely significant and a deep-rooted influence of Buddhism, the state boasts of close to 150 Buddhist sites with new ones being discovered regularly.
While one would normally associate Buddhism with Sanchi or Bodh Gaya, a Buddhist trail within Andhra Pradesh is indeed a revelation. Ghantasala located about 60 km from the bustling city of Vijayawada is one such prominent center where Buddhism flourished centuries ago. A visit to this seemingly non-descript heritage village revealed several interesting sights. Here are some captures.
An erstwhile center of Indo- Roman trade, Ghantasala is located about 11 km east of the Krishna river. An excavation in the late 19th century revealed the remains of a stupa which had a whopping circumference of 112 feet and a height of 23 feet.
Stupa at Ghatasala, Andhra Pradesh
The village also has a Buddhism museum that is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Several artefacts including remains of pillars, relics, statues and other objects are on display.
Apart from the museum and the stupa, a temple dedicated to Lord Subramanya is a place of interest in the village.
To read about other hidden gems of Andhra Pradesh, read my posts here and here.