Bhairavakona water falls

Prakasam: Nature’s wonder

• September 2, 2011
• By Iliyas M.
• DC
• Hyderabad

• inShare

Natural waterfalls, walls of a crumbling fort at Bhairavkona

Prakasam district in Andhra has a history that sets it apart.
It can be traced back to 250 BC — to the Mauryas, through a brief period when Buddhism flourished, and to the rule of Ikshavaku and Vijayanagar Kings, the Qutub Shahis and the Mughals. This is why you find Hindu temples as well as Buddhist stupas and monastries here.
The district headquarters is Ongole, which is connected by rail and road. The place is home to the short-horned Ongolu Gitta — a world-famous breed of oxen.
Among the main attractions that draw thousands of tourists and devotees to the Prakasam district in South India are: A 7th century AD Shiva temple, the only Buddhist Hinayana stupa to be found in the south of India, the Lakshmi Chennakesava Swamy temple, the ancient Tripurantakeswara temple at Tripurantakam and the Ramayapatnam light-house built by the British during their reign in India.
Other attractions include the second largest pond in Asia, the first two completed projects by Jalayagnam Gundlakamma and Ramateertham, the craftsmanship of the Chirala weavers, and a 102 km coastline. The seventh century Shiva temple in the dense forests of Bhairavakona is a wonder of the Prakasam district. The temple has been cleverly built into natural caves, some of which are hidden behind huge waterfalls and draws devotees and tourists by the thousands each year. In 1964, archeologists discovered a second century BC Buddhist stupa, the only Hinayana stupa at Chandavaram on the banks of the river Gundlakamma which indicated that Hinayana Buddhism was practiced in the area that time.
The historical Cumban Chervu pond — the second largest in Asia — was built by King Srikrishna Devaraya in memory of his wife. Also keep a lookout for the handloom and weaving industry that Marco Polo mentioned during his visit here in the 13th century.
It was the artisans of Chirala who had produced the seven-yard sari that fit in a match box much before the industrial revolution.
The place
Chirala town, 100 km from Vijayawada gets its name from Ksheera Puri because the sea looks milk white. This town is a major textile hub and is known as Mini Bombay. Just six km from Chirala is the Vodarevu beach. The beach is fringed by coconut plantations and even offers some forms of water sports for the adventurous traveller.
Pit Stop
The Alluraiah Sweet Shop has been as famous as Pulla Reddy Sweets for the past 50 years, not only in the Prakasam district, but in other areas of the state too. In 1960, Alluraiah started the sweet shop on the arterial Grand Trunk road of Ongole. After the demise of Alluraiah, his grandsons are continuing the business.
Only a few items such as mysorepak, boondi, badushah, kaja and pakodi are available in the shop. The mysorepak is available only on order. Alluraiah Sweets dispatch their sweets to other cities like Chennai and

Bangalore.