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.
Anupu:
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.
Nagarjunakonda:
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 Nagarjunakonda. The hill forms an Island in the middle of the reservoir. A museum at Nagarjunakonda contains, Buddhadatu or Buddhas relics excavated from the valley.
Tiger sanctuary:
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 Prakasam.
