Telangana state is home to many religious sites, which also includes ancient Buddhist settlements. Buddhism is an ancient religion that flourished right from thousands of years. There are many significant Buddhist sites in Telangana of great heritage importance. The region close to Nagarjuna Sagar dam, located in the Nalgonda district of Telangana is home to one of the oldest Buddhist civilizations in India.

Here, many historic artefacts were discovered during the process of building the mighty dam here in the 1950s. Nandikonda is a village located close to Nagarjuna Sagar dam, and it was once part of the Ikshvaku Dynasty. The region earned prominence after the discovery of many Buddhist structures like pillared halls and monasteries. The Buddhist Heritage Museum was inaugurated officially on May 14th 2014, to mark the Buddha Jayanthi celebrations.

Buddhavanam here is also called the Buddhist Theme Park, located near the right bank canal of Nagarjuna Sagar dam. The relics which were unearthed here during excavations are on display currently at this museum. The site is spread across a 274-acre campus, where a tall Stupa has been installed along with other important replicas of Buddha Stupas. The museum boasts of an impressive display of Buddhist Sculptures, Buddhist Tankas, Bronzes, Pala, Gandhara Sculptures, Ajantha Paintings and Stone Sculptures. Many of these artefacts have now been preserved in the Buddhist Heritage Museum, Buddhavanam while new galleries are being added here to preserve the priceless monuments and sculptures of this region, which was once home to Acharya Nagarjuna, one of the founders of the Madhyamika Buddhism. The unique museum features attractive sculptures of Lord Gautama Buddha in meditating avatar, along with other impressive and historic sculptures of Buddha.

How to reach

Buddhavanam, situated close to Nagarjuna Sagar dam is located at distance of nearly 168 km from Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana. It is well accessible by road transport.