Nagarjunasagar, a massive irrigation project on the River
Krishna, about 150 km from Hyderabad, has a rich and
iteresting past. It was a valley in the Nallamala range of
the Eastern Ghats with civilizations dating back to
thousands of years. Recorded history, however, assigns the
first signs to the later Satavahanas and subsequently the
Ikshvakus in the third century.
The Sriparvata and Vijayapuri of yore were really temples
where the famous savant and Buddhist Philosopher Acharya
Nagarjuna preached the message of the Buddha.
Places of Interest
To prevent submersion of the outstanding structures in the
valley, a rare feat of reconstruction of the remains was
taken up. Anupu, 4 km from the dam site, was chosen for
relocation of a Buddhist University.
As the area was threatened with submergence by the reservior,
an Archaeological Survey team made determined efforts to
virtually trasplant nine monuments from the valley onto
The hill forms an Island in the middle of the reservoir. A
museum at Nagarjunakonda contains, Buddhadatu or Buddhas
relics excavated from the valley.
The largest wildlife sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh lies
between Nagarjunasagar and upstream Srisailam. Spreadover
3,500 sq.km, it encompasses thickly wooded hills in five
districts - Nalgonda, Kurnool, Mahboobnagar, Guntur and
How to Reach Nagarjuna Sagar
By Air: Hyderabad Airport.
By Rail: 20 kms from Macherla.
By Road: Located at 150 km from Hyderabad. Well
connected by Road.