Travel Destinations » The Allure of Andhra

To the traveler, Andhra Pradesh of offers a fascinating panorama... pockets of natural beauty along the riv ers Krishna and Godavari, a coast stretching nearly 1,000 km, a me lange of historical and religious sites... a flourishing pearl trade, an indigenous handloom and handicraft industry, rich performing arts and a distinctive cuisine add to its allure. A network of excellent roadways and an easily accessible trans port system makes it possible to cover Hyderabad, Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar and Vijayawada in seven to 10 days.

This circuit captures the multiple facets of Andhra Pradesh. The best time to visit the fourth largest state in the country is between October and March.Andhra Pradesh stretches between the Deccan Plateau and the Bay of Bengal. Its extensive borders embrace five states — Orissa, TamilNadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, while its legendary past extends beyond Mauryan times.

History books speak eloquently of its ancient ruler dynasties like the Chalukyas, Cholas and Kakatiyas, as well as the Muslim Kutubshahi dynasty that ruled from Golconda. And though the Mughals, Marathas, French and English coveted the region, the successors of Nizam-ul Mulk ruled more or less independently till the state of yderabad merged with independent India in 1948.