Deccan Buddhist Heritage Trail

Route: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD) – Suryapet – Vijayawada, about 275 km

Your driver meets you at Hyderabad airport and takes you east on the highway to the Andhra coast. The road crosses the dry Telangana plateau, with fields of cotton, chilli and rice, and then drops to the broad Krishna river at Vijayawada.

Vijayawada is a busy city on the river, in the heart of the old Satavahana country. The hotel is on the main road. You arrive in the evening. Rest, and have dinner at the hotel.

Note on arrival time: This first day has a long drive. We advise an international arrival at Hyderabad before about 2 pm. If you arrive later, we add a night at a Hyderabad hotel, at extra cost, or book a short domestic flight to Vijayawada. Flight schedules are checked for your dates.

Experience of the Day

• Airport welcome

• Drive across the Telangana plateau

• Arrival at the Krishna river

Food

Recommended: Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Andhra-style meals with gongura chutney, a sour leaf relish, and a hot pickle.

Activities to Do

• Rest after the flight

• Short walk near the hotel

Route: Vijayawada – Amaravati – Undavalli – Vijayawada, about 90 km

Drive about 35 km west to Amaravati, on the banks of the Krishna. A stupa was built here in the time of Ashoka, in the 3rd century BCE, and grew over five centuries into one of the largest in India. Little of it stands today, but you can walk round the foundation circle, and see its size. The carved limestone slabs that once covered the stupa, with scenes from the Buddha's life, are in the museum beside it. Many other slabs are now in museums in Chennai and London.

The museum shows the work of Satavahana sculptors, in figures that seem to move and flow. Your guide explains how the Buddha is shown in these early carvings by symbols, such as a footprint, a tree and an empty throne, before images of him were made. A large seated Buddha statue stands in a garden near the river.

On the way back, stop at Undavalli, about 6 km from Vijayawada. Monks and kings cut a cave temple of several storeys into a sandstone hill in the 4th to 5th century. The upper floor has a large reclining figure carved from a single block of stone.

Note on the museum: The Amaravati museum is open from about 9 am to 5 pm and closed on Fridays. If your visit falls on a Friday, we visit the site and Undavalli, and replace the museum with a later opening or the Nagarjunakonda museum.

Experience of the Day

• Amaravati stupa site and museum

• Seated Buddha statue by the river

• Undavalli caves

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a local restaurant. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Andhra meals on a banana leaf, with rice, dal, curd and spicy chutneys.

Shopping

Kalamkari hand-painted cloth, and Kondapalli wooden toys.

Activities to Do

• Optional visit to Kanaka Durga temple above the river (a working Hindu temple)

• Evening at the hotel

Route: Vijayawada – Nagarjuna Sagar – Nagarjunakonda (by ferry) – Hyderabad, about 340 km

This is the longest day of the tour. Leave early and drive west to Nagarjuna Sagar, a large dam on the Krishna river, about 170 km away. The road runs through Guntur and then through cotton and chilli fields.

The valley behind the dam was once a Buddhist centre of the Ikshvaku kings, who ruled from the 3rd to the 4th century CE. When the dam was built in the 1960s, the valley was flooded. The monasteries, stupas and carvings found there were moved to higher ground, and a museum was built on an island. Take the ferry, about 45 minutes each way. The museum is built like a monastery, and holds limestone panels with scenes from the Buddha's life, relics and inscriptions. Rebuilt stupas and a bathing ghat stand outside.

Take the ferry back, have lunch at the dam, and drive about 160 km to Hyderabad. You arrive in the evening.

Note on the ferry: Ferry times depend on the water level and the season. The last boat back leaves in the afternoon. We confirm the timetable and the museum's opening day before you travel. If the ferry is not running, we replace it with the Buddhavanam heritage park near the dam.

Experience of the Day

• Drive to Nagarjuna Sagar

• Ferry to Nagarjunakonda island

• Island museum

• Drive to Hyderabad

Food

Recommended: Lunch at Nagarjuna Sagar. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: A simple local thali, and fresh fruit from the roadside.

Activities to Do

• Rest at the hotel

• Evening walk in the hotel garden

Route: Hyderabad: Hussain Sagar – State Museum – old city

Start at Hussain Sagar, a large lake in the centre of the city, made in the 16th century. A tall granite Buddha statue stands on an island in the middle, raised in 1992. Take the boat to the statue, which stands about 17 metres high on a rock. The lake is a pleasant spot in the morning.

Visit the Telangana State Museum, which holds sculpture and relics from the region, including pieces from Buddhist sites. Your guide explains how the Deccan's Buddhist art moved from Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda north to Telangana. In the afternoon, walk to Charminar and the Laad Bazaar, or rest.

Note on the museum: Museum collections and opening days change. We confirm them before you go, and replace the visit if a gallery is closed.

Experience of the Day

• Hussain Sagar boat to the Buddha statue

• Telangana State Museum

• Charminar and Laad Bazaar

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a local restaurant. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Hyderabadi biryani, cooked with rice and meat sealed under dough.

Shopping

Pearls and Bidri metalware from licensed shops.

Activities to Do

• Optional half-day trip to a Buddhist site near Hyderabad, such as Kondapur or Phanigiri (confirmed before booking)

• Optional Golconda Fort visit

Route: Hyderabad – Hubballi (HBX) by air – Badami, about 120 km by road

Fly to Hubballi in the morning. Hyderabad to Badami is about 500 km by road, so the flight saves a day. From Hubballi, your driver takes you north across the Karnataka plateau to Badami, a town in a gorge of red sandstone. The Chalukya kings made it their capital in the 6th century.

Check in at Badami Court, then walk to the caves in the late afternoon, when the light on the cliffs is warm. Four caves were cut into the cliff above a green lake. Three are Hindu and one is Jain. There is no Buddhist cave at Badami. Your guide explains the carvings, a dancing Shiva with eighteen arms and Vishnu on a serpent. Sunset at the lake follows.

Note on the flight: The Hyderabad to Hubballi service is a short flight with limited departures, and times can change. We book the best available flight and confirm timings before you travel. If no flight suits, the alternative is a one-stop flight or a long drive.

Experience of the Day

• Morning flight to Hubballi

• Drive to Badami

• Badami caves at sunset

Food

Recommended: Lunch on the road or at the hotel. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: North Karnataka thali with jolada rotti, spicy chutney powders and curd.

Activities to Do

• Evening walk by the lake

• Optional visit to the Bhutanatha temples on the shore

Route: Badami – Pattadakal – Aihole – Badami, about 100 km

Drive first to Pattadakal, about 22 km from Badami. It was the coronation site of the Chalukya kings. Ten temples of the 7th and 8th centuries stand in a garden beside the Malaprabha river. Some copy the northern style of tower, and some the southern, and the two styles meet here. Pattadakal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Go on to Aihole, a village about 13 km away, with over a hundred small temples. The Durga temple has a curved end and a covered walk, and the Lad Khan temple is a simple hall. Aihole also has a small ruined Buddhist temple of about the 6th to 7th century. Your guide shows it, and explains how Hindu, Jain and Buddhist communities lived side by side in the Chalukya towns.

Return to Badami in the late afternoon. Take a slow walk through the old town, or rest.

Note on Buddhist sites: Karnataka's Buddhist remains are at Sannati, in the north-east of the state. Aihole's Buddhist ruin is small. If your guide cannot confirm access, we replace it with the Meguti hill view.

Experience of the Day

• Pattadakal temples

• Aihole temples and the Buddhist ruin

• Evening in Badami

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a local restaurant. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Jolada rotti with a spiced brinjal curry, the local staple.

Activities to Do

• Optional visit to Mahakuta temples

• Optional village walk at Aihole

Route: Badami – Bagalkot – Vijayapura – Kalaburagi, about 300 km

Drive north-east across the Deccan plateau, through Bagalkot and Vijayapura. The land is open and dry, with fields of sorghum, sunflower and pulses. Stop for lunch at Vijayapura. If you wish, your guide shows you Gol Gumbaz, a large domed tomb of the 17th century, before you continue.

Kalaburagi was the first capital of the Bahmani sultans. You arrive in the late afternoon. The hotel is simple. Rest and have dinner. Tomorrow's visit to Sannati is a short drive from here.

Note on the hotel: Kalaburagi has no luxury hotel. We use the best available one for one night, and the same room standard applies in all tiers.

Experience of the Day

• Drive across the plateau

• Lunch stop at Vijayapura

• Arrival in Kalaburagi

Food

Recommended: Lunch at Vijayapura. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Jolada rotti with a spicy brinjal curry.

Activities to Do

• Rest at the hotel

• Short walk near the hotel

Route: Kalaburagi – Sannati (Kanaganahalli) – Tandur – Hyderabad, about 280 km

Drive south-east to Sannati, near the village of Kanaganahalli, about 50 km from Kalaburagi. This was a Buddhist town from the time of Ashoka. Excavations here found the remains of a large stupa, with carved limestone panels. One of them is a rare portrait of the emperor Ashoka, with a name carved beside it. The site is quiet, with little built around it, and the ground is open fields.

Walk the site with your guide, and see the carved slabs, some of them still in place. Any site display is confirmed before you go. Your guide explains how this stupa links Karnataka to the great sites at Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda.

Continue south-east to Hyderabad by Tandur, about 220 km, and arrive in the evening. Taj Krishna is a comfortable place to end the journey.

Note on Sannati: Sannati is a rural site, with basic facilities and no cafe. Carry water and a hat. Opening hours and access to the carved slabs are confirmed before you go.

Experience of the Day

• Sannati and Kanaganahalli stupa remains

• Drive across the plateau to Hyderabad

Food

Recommended: Lunch on the road. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: A simple roadside meal, and a farewell dinner at the hotel.

Activities to Do

• Rest at the hotel

Route: Taj Krishna to Hyderabad airport (HYD), about 35 km

Your driver takes you to the airport. Hyderabad has a large international airport with flights to many cities. The morning is free if your flight is later. We check your flight time and plan the transfer.

Experience of the Day

• Airport transfer