Prakasam tourist places

Tourist Attractions in Prakasam District

Prakasam District’s past stretches back to the days when it was ruled by the Mauryas from 250 B.C. The rise of the Satavahanas saw Buddhism flourish in the region and the construction of several stupas. The Ikshvaku and Vijayanagar Kings, the Qutub Shahis and the Mughals later followed these rulers. Each of them left a distinct imprint on the cultural landscape of the distirct.

Singarayakonda 200 years ago, at the time of erection of “Dwajastambam” in Varaha Narasimha Swamy temple, a saint installed Prasannajaneya swamy statue. Here, in 1918 a bridge was constructed over ‘Bhasanti’ river. The grand Brahmotsavalu celebrations held in June every year attracts a large number of devotees.

Chirala Located 16 kms from Bapatla and 60 kms from Ongole, Chirala is well known for its textile. Bed spreads, curtains, tapestry fabrics and sarees are popular offerings of the place. It’s also popularly known as Mini Bombay.

Motupalli Motupalli is located 12 km from Chirala and 45 km from Ongole. An ancient seaport, Motupalli flourished under various dynasties from the 1st century A.D. onwards. It is also the site of Buddhist stupas and sculptures. An ancient temple of Sri Rama is also situated here.

Chandavaram Located at 75 km from Ongole, a major Buddhist site has been excavated here on a hillock known locally as Singarakonda, beside the Gundlakamma rivulet. A unique double terraced stupa on the hilltop, perhaps the only one of its kind in South India, is reminiscent of the famous Dharajaka stupa. A museum at the site houses important sculptures and other relics such as coins, black and red ware and inscriptions in the Brahmi script dating back to the 2nd century B.C.

Tripurantakam Located at 40 km from Markapur and 93 km from Ongole, it’s a well known place of pilgrimage. This is the site of the Tripuranta Keswara Swamy temple situated on a hilltop. The main idol is in the form of a linga with 5 faces, including the image of Ganga Bhavani. According to mythology, Agasthya Maharaj built a cave here that leads to Srisailam, Rameswaram and Kashi.

Markapur Located at 94 km from Ongole, and situated on the banks of the Gundlakamma river, this bustling town caters to 80% of the country’s demand for slates and slate pencils. It is also a popular pilgrim destination because of the Sri Lakshmi Chennakesava Swamy temple, built by the Vijayanagar rulers between 1405-1459 A.D. Apart from magnificently sculptured gopurams, the temple has a beautiful 40-pillared Mandapam with carvings of Krishna, Anjaneya, Garuda, Lakshmi & Vigneswara with their respective vahanas. In the Kalayana Mandapam there are 6 musical pillars that produce the 7 musical notes when tapped.

Vodarevu Located at 6 km from Chirala & 35 km from Guntur, with a charming and scenic beach, it is a popular weekend get away for those wanting a break from the mundane city life. A great escape to the golden sands and sparkling waters. Yet another interesting beach is Ramapuram located 6 km from Vodarevu Beach. Private accommodation is available.

Bhairavakona Located 64 km from Kanigiri & 150 km from Ongole, the remains of several rock-cut temples dedicated to Shiva and other Hindu deities, dating back to the 7th & 8th centuries A.D., can be seen here. The shrines have lingas and small images of Shiva as well as other Gods. The architectural style is similar to that of the Pallavas, which flourished further south in Tamil Nadu.

Kothapatnam Beach The beach is located 25 km away from Ongole. During Karthika Powrnami thousands of people visit the beach to take a holy dip. APSRTC has regular buses from Ongole to the Beach.

Medak tourist places

Medak is located towards the north of the Hyderabad city some 60 kms away. Medak is a small district with the bondaries shared to the adjacent places of Warangal, Nalgonda, Hyderabad and Nizamabad. There is a national highway and a railway line that connects the place with that of Hyderabad city.

Medak was formerly popular as Siddapur Medak, the prefix however, lost its importance in the popular usage. The region was ruled by Kakatiyan rulers in the past. During the reign of Kakatiyan rulers the region served as one of the commanding posts. The district profile is adorned by the heritage left behind by these great rulers and the rich resources it possesses. The place is provided with a number of places that act as a good bait to the tourists. There are however, no nets and nothing fishy. The place is a known tourists destinations with some of the best attractions taking the form of ancient monuments, worshipping places and animal reserves.

Medak Fort that exists as a citadel bears the hallmark of the Kakatiyan empire. The fort built on a hillock is an epitome of architectural and millitary excellence. The strategic location and the construction makes it a marvel in the city.

Medak Church built in the year1924 (year of completion) reveals the touch of the perfection and beauty of the art. The stained glass work is incredible. The building material (tiles) have been imported from Italy. The whole structure portrays a perfect example of Gothic building style.

The Wildlife Sanctuary at Medak is one more tourists’ favorite. The sanctuary inhabits a number of woodland species including leopard, forest cat, wild dog, wolf, sloth bear, sambar, nilgai, chital and four horned antelope

Guntur

Guntur

Amaravathi
Amaravathi is a famous pilgrim centre of the Buddhists. It is situated about 35 km west of Guntur. It is on the sumptuous banks of the splendid river Krishna. It is said that a holy Buddhist Stupa stood here over two thousand years ago. It measured about 36.5 ft across and about 29 m in height. The stupa was built of special bricks baked in kiln, faced with glossy slabs made of marbles. There are beautiful carvings on it, which displays events from the sublime life of Buddha along the crown of its rotunda and either sides of the railing. It can be reached by road from Guntur, Vijayawada or Hyderabad which are about 35, 82 and 350 kms respectively.

The railway stations at Guntur and Vijayawada are 36 and 82 kms away. The Vijayawada airport is 65 km from Amaravathi. Good accommodations are available for the visitors at Guntur and Vijayawada.

Sri Amareswara Swamy Temple
This is an ancient temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It stands on the wide banks of the charming river Krishna. As per the legends, it is said that the `Linga` here is found in its usual form. It was installed by `Lord Devendra`, the head of `Devas` at the end of `Dwaparayugam` one of the four cyclic periods of time, in the order of millions of years.

Archaeological Museum
A large number of extraordinary sculptures can be seen in this museum. Among those ancient sculptures are the lotus medallions, lotus carved crossbars of railings, panels depicting Jataka tales, the valued `Bodhi` tree and devotees in front of it in the act of worship, Dharma-chakras and numerous other figures. These are the beautiful reflections of the elegant Indian art. These sculptures belong to a time period from 200 BC to 250 AD.

Vaikuntapuram
It is the holy abode of the Lord Vishnu and so the name. It is situated about 5 km from Amaravathi. This cave temple is situated on a beautiful hill, which is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara. The presiding deity of the temple is at Thirumala Thirupathi in Chittoor district. The legends say that Lord Venkateswara manifested here. Recital of Rosary and performance of Pujas is carried out everyday here.

Nagarjunasagar/Nagarjuna-konda
This is a beautiful dam across the mighty river Krishna. It is placed in a picturesque environment and serves multipurpose. The ancient name of the place was Vijayapuri. It was the ancient capital of Ikshvaku Empire. In the year 1926, the initial excavations were carried out here. Some fascinating relics, Mahachaita, the sacred Buddhist stupa, the ramshackle remains of a once sturdy university, vihara etc were recovered here. It also discovered ancient creativity and the reticent ruins of a number of grand ancient monuments.

Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Wildlife Sanctuary
This beautiful sanctuary consists of a number of fascinating wildlife species. It has undulating sylvan landscape ranging between 200 and 900 meters in altitude. It is surrounded by Mahaboobnagar, Kurnool, Prakasam, Guntur and Nalakonda districts. A picturesque lake can also be seen here on way to Srisailam from Nagarjunasagar. It is about 22 km from Macherla by road and 150 km from Hyderabad and 180 km from Vijayawada. There are regular busses between Macherla and here. The nearest railway station is at Macherla and the nearest airport is at Hyderabad.

Bottiprolu
This is another ancient sacred Buddhist place of Andhra Pradesh. It is situated in the Repalle Taluk, about 320 km from Hyderabad. One can see the sacred `Maha stupa` here, which had one of the ancient inscriptions. It has several sacred relics of the Buddha. The huge dome of the massive stupa is 40 meter in diameter. There is a 2.4 meter drum with oblong stone slab, which is juxtaposed with pilasters.

Three stone receptacles were discovered here, and its reference can be seen in the inscriptions here. One of them include articles such as the Blackstone casket, copper beads, precious pearls and ornate jewellery, glittering flowers made of gold, two thin pieces of gold with three pieces of bones, and other jewellery.

Ettipothala Waterfalls
This waterfall is situated about 6 km northwest of Macherla. It was created by the mighty river Krishna and the sizzling rivulet Chandravanka. It was formed in the confluence with Krishna at a point before the ravishing falls where the turbulent waters fall from a height of 21 meters.

Undavalli
It is situated on the gigantic banks of the wonderful river Krishna. This sylvan region has enthralling caves, which has excellent architecture. The sculptures found here are compared with those of the world famous Ajanta caves. The Vishnukundin rulers of 420 AD are believed to have been closely involved with these splendid caves.

Pedapulivarru
The beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Narendreswara Swamy is found here. This god is one of the various forms of Lord Shiva. This temple was built so technically that the rays of the Sun fall directly on `Lingam` at sunrise on every Sankranti day. The temple also has a huge bronze image of Lord Nataraja.