Araku Valley

Pavurallakonda

What survives up here is mostly floor plan: foundations of viharas, circular chaityas, votive stupas and hall outlines, two Brahmi label inscriptions, and about sixteen cisterns cut into the rock to catch rainwater. People occupied this hill from the 3rd century BCE to the 2nd century CE, and it counts as one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in the north coastal stretch of Andhra. Locals call it Narasimhaswamy Konda. Excavation and restoration are still going on, so expect a working dig rather than a finished monument. It is 25 km north of Visakhapatnam, close to Bavikonda and Thotlakonda.