Bavikonda And Thotlakonda, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Bavikonda And Thotlakonda, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Bavikonda Buddhist lies about 16 km from Visakhapatnam, in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Thotlakonda Buddhist Complex is situated on a hill near Bheemunipatnam about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

Excavation carried out in 1982–87 revealed an entire Buddhist establishment comprising a Mahachaitya, embedded with relic caskets, , rectangular halls ,large vihara complex, a stone pillared congregation hall, a refectory etc. Artefacts discovered from the site include Roman and Satavahana coins and pottery dating back to the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD.

The Bavikonda site, today, is counted amongst one of the oldest and immensely sacred Buddhist sites in the Asia. The ruins of the site stand reminder to the great Buddhist civilisation that once existed in the southern part of India. The site, infact, also reminds a number of visitors of the Borobudur in Indonesia.

Visitors entering Thotlakonda have to go through a gate built in typical Buddhist style. Bavikonda offers a spectacular view of the surroundings and the Buddhist ruins spread over an area of about 40 acres.