![]() Bhongir Fort Among the historical monuments located here, the Bhongir fort is a popular destination. It was built on an isolated rock by the western Chalukya ruler Tribhuvanamalla Vikramaditya VI and was thus named after him as Tribhuvanagiri. This name gradually became Bhuvanagiri and subsequently Bhongir. The splendid historical fort with the awe-inspiring rock and the aesthetically fortified courts which have stood the ravages of time stir the imagination of the tourists. The Bala Hisar or citadel on the top of the hill gives a bird's eye view of the neighbouring area. The fort is associated with the heroic queen Rudramadevi and her grandson Prataparudra's rule. At the foot of the fortified rocks, 609.6 meters above the sea level, stands the town of Bhongir. Devarakonda Fort Another fort situated here is the Deverakonda Fort. Once a formidable stronghold of the Recherla Chiefs, this fort now stands in ruins. It is surrounded by seven hills and is connected with Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar, Miryalguda and Hyderabad by road. Nandi Konda is a small village on the bank of Krishna River where several Buddhist structures like monasteries and pillared halls were unearthed and preserved in a Museum of Central Archaeological Department. Pochampalle Of great historical interest is Pochampalle, the place of origin of the popular Bhoodan movement led by Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 1950, when offerings of land were donated to the landless poor on his plea. The impetus to a great movement led by Vinobaji has a humble but a noble beginning at this place. It so happened in 1951 that during Vinobhaji's tour, 2 Harijans complained that they did not have any land at all. Then a local Deshmukh readily offered 100 acres of his own land for the distribution among the poor. This is said to have given Vinobaji the idea of propagating Bhoodan Yagna. Out of 13,100 acres of donated land nearly 8,290 acres have been distributed among the landless poor. Pochampalle is situated at a distance of about 14.48 kilometres from Bhongir and 9.66 kilometres from the Bibinagar railway station. ![]() Nagarjuna Sagar Dam Located at a distance of 150 kilometres from Hyderabad, Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is an important irrigation dam on river Krishna. This is the tallest and biggest masonry dam in the world. It creates the third largest man-made lake in the world. Apart from this, some remains of the Buddhist civilization dating back to the 3rd century A.D, are seen on an island called Nagarjunakonda located in a man-made lake on the other side of the river Krishna. These relics of Buddhist civilization found during excavation unveiled the traces of Mahachaitya, the most sacred of the stupas. An inscription in the Brahmi script states that the sacred relics of Lord Buddha lie within the Mahachaitya. Similar excavations of the surroundings have brought to light the remains of a university, vihara and monasteries. This University flourished under Acharya Nagarjuna, the great Buddhist saint, scholar and philosopher who migrated to Nagarjunakonda from Amaravati to spread the message of the Buddha. An "Ashwamedha" sacrifice altar and tools from Paleolithic and Neolithic times were also found here. The remains of a Buddhist University were found during an excavation while constructing the Nagarjuna. Excavations near Nagarjuna Sagar Dam The foundation stone of the Sagar Dam was laid by the late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India on 10-12-1955. Excavations conducted at the Sagar Dam have revealed several Brahmanical temples. Now though the actual site of the excavations have been flooded with the waters of the mighty river, the relics of the ruins have been reconstructed and kept in an island museum, the largest of its kind in the world and are in an excellent state of preservation-thanks to the efforts of the Archaeological Survey of India. Today Nagarjunakonda along with Nagarjunasagar attracts many tourists from South East Asian Countries and also from all over India. |