Amaravati

Night view of Prakasam Barrage

Amaravati or Amaravathi (అమరావతి) is the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh in Southern India.

Understand

Amaravati is a planned capital city established in 2015. It was established as the seat of government of Andhra Pradesh in 2019. However, the state government passed an act in 2020 to establish three capital cities in AP for inclusive development of all the regions.

Its name was derived from the historic town named Amaravathi, which is also covered in this article. The region was once a capital of the Satavahana dynasty. The city is located on the banks of Krishna River and the capital region of the city is spread over the districts of Krishna and Guntur.

Get in

By plane

The nearest airport is NTR Amaravati International Airport (VGA ^IATA) in Vijayawada.

By train

Amaravati does not have any railway station of its own. The most convenient way is to arrive at the railway station in nearby Vijayawada and then continue by bus or taxi. Some trains call at 1 Krishna Canal Junction  SCR  , a few kilometres east of Amaravati.

By bus

APSRTC runs bus services from Vijayawada, Guntur, Mangalagiri, Sattenapalle, Piduguralla, Narasaraopet and Hyderabad to Amaravathi Bus Station.

Get around

Buses are available on all major roads. Otherwise, you can get around by taxi, personal car, auto-rickshaw or on foot. Alternatively, motorbiking/bicycle motorbiking or cycling in downtown and busy areas can often be quicker than taking the auto-rickshaw or a taxi.

By car

Parking in the city is improving. It may be easy to park two wheelers, but finding parking for cars is a bit harder. Generally parking is provided by the city administration as well as the business owners.

See

Dhyana Buddha Statue

• Amareswara Temple (2 km (1.2 mi) form Amaravathi Bus Station). Serves Lord Amareswara, has a history of about 2000 years. (updated Jun 2023)
• 1 Dhyana Buddha Statue (3 km from bus station). This 38 m (125 ft) tall statue of the Buddha in a meditative (Dhyana) position was completed in 2015 to celebrate the Buddhist heritage of the city in ancient times. (updated Mar 2021)
• 2 Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Mangalagiri. One of the eight sacred places of Lord Vishnu in India. It is also known for being one of the eight mahakshetras Narasimha in India. The hill where the temple is on used to be an active volcano. It is at an altitude of 30 m (98 ft) above the sea level. Here at the temple, jaggery water is offered to the lord by the devotees. According to the ancient scriptures, the lord is being worshiped since Satya Yuga (The first of the four yugas). In the down hill there is another temple dedicated to Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy. It is said that, Yudhishtira (Dharmaraju, the eldest of the Pandavas) installed the main deity in this temple. The temple has a very tall tower with beautiful sculpture which has 11 stairs. (updated Jul 2023)
• 3 Prakasam Barrage. Built across the river Krishna connecting this city with Vijayawada, Prakasam Barrage has created a panoramic lake.  
• 4 Undavalli Caves. These caves are said to be carved in the 7th century AD. Buddhist monks used this two-storeyed cave structure as a rest house during the monsoon. A huge monolith of the Lord Anantha Padmanabha Swamy in reclining posture is a magnificent sight.  

Do

• 5 Bhavani Island. Bhavani Island is on Krishna River close to the city. AP Tourism is converting this 133-acre (54-hectare) island into a tourist spot and a river-front resort. The island offers some cottages to stay in and some adventure and fun sports. The journey to the island by boat is very pleasant.  
• Old Museum (1.5 km (0.93 mi) form Amaravathi Bus Station). Contains ruins of Mahachaithya. (updated Jun 2023)
• Archaeology Museum (1.5 km (0.93 mi) form Amaravathi Bus Station). (updated Jun 2023)
• 1 Pedavadlapudi (Village with Jasmine and Cauliflower). A sixth-century town, used to be famous for oranges. Now, it is very famous for curry leaves. Few believe that the farmers from this village are able to make a living earning hundreds of thousands from the curry leaves. Other crops like rice, cauliflower, bananas, flowers, and vegetables are the main crops. The village contains 75% Hindus, but there are also Muslims and other religions. (updated Jul 2023)

Buy

• 1 Lemon Market, Rayapudi. Sa-Th 9AM-5PM, F open 24 hours. (updated Feb 2021)

Drink

• 1 Pragathi Wines, Amaravathi Rd. Daily 10AM-9PM. (updated Jul 2022)

Go next

• Guntur — the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh and home to many ancient and archaeological sites and temples. It is south of Amaravati.
• Vijayawada — the second largest city in Andhra Pradesh. It is north of Amaravati, opposite the Krishna River.