Piduguralla

The name "Amaravati" (uh-muh-RAH-vuh-tee) means the "abode of immortals", and the name holds deep historical, spiritual and mythological significance. Amaravati is home to the capital of the Satavahana dynasty at Dharanikota, whose history dates back to the second century BCE. Buddhism was a major religion at the time, especially the Mahayana school. The Buddhist stupas of Amaravati were a major centre of art and education in India. Like rest of Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati has changed hands over the history until it came under the British rule in 1759. The present village surrounding the stupa was founded by Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu, the zamindar of Chintapalli. When Telangana split off from Andhra Pradesh in 2014, its capital Hyderabad joined with Telangana, leaving AP without its own capital city. So, the central and state governments were exploring alternatives for the new capital. At the time, Chief Minister N.