Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation has initiated a tourism project called Sriparvatarama (Buddhavanam) at Nagarjuna Sagar, Telangana, Sanctioned by Govt of India viz, Integrated Development of Nagarjunasagar as part of Lower Krishna valley Buddhist circuit with a view to attract large number of domestic and foreign tourists particularly from the South-East Asian countries. The areas around the Nagarjuna Sagar a reservoir formed due to the construction of the dam across the river Krishna was known as Nagarjuna Konda or Sriparvata - Vijayapuri, once served as capital city of the Ikshvaku dynasty, which ruled Andhradesa during the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D. Nagarjunakonda was a centre of Mahayana Buddhism, where many of the Buddhist sects had their monasteries, shrines and Stupas built to propagate the Dhamma. Excavation conducted at Nagarjunakonda between 1954-60 have revealed the existence of a Maha Stupa, Votive Stupas, Chaityas, Silamandapas and a good number of Buddhist sculptural panels and antiquities. The structures exposed also included a palace complex and a few Brahmanical temples built of bricks. The sculptural panels were depicted with the major events of the life of the Buddha and Jataka stories. As these vestiges were threatened for the submergence in the Nagarjunasagar reservoir, most of the structures were reconstructed on the Nagarjunakonda Island and at Anupu, a ferry point on the right bank of the river Krishna. The antiques including the holy relics of the Buddha recovered are displayed in the island museum for the benefit of the visitors.
