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Photo: డా. గన్నవరపు నరసింహమూర్తి, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
A collection of Buddhist monuments at the hilltop. It consists of a Maha Stupa, along with other votive stupas. It has a beautiful beach nearby.
Thotlakonda Buddhist Complex is situated on a hill near Bheemunipatnam about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, India. The hill is about 128 metres (420 ft) above sea level and overlooks the ocean. The Telugu name Toṭlakoṇḍa (తొట్లకొండ) derived from the presence of a number of rock-cut cisterns hewn into the bedrock of the hillock. “Thotlakonda" may also mean “hill of cisterns.” In 2019, the stupa was partially damaged due to monsoons, but it was restored by 2021 at the cost of Rs 42 lakh.
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11 km away from the city, this has become a popular tourist spot that even the locals frequent. A lot safer to wade into than the R.K. Beach, cradled among hills, this used to be an excellent beach away from the madding crowds. AP Tourism Development Corporation has a beach resort (Punnami) on the hillside overlooking the beach.
A crafts village showcasing and preserving the old, including woodwork, jewellery, clothes and local crafts of rural India. There are 36 stalls where you can buy assorted handicrafts and artwork. There is also an entire village where you can find realistic-looking sculptures of villagers carrying out their traditional crafts.