Kotturu Dhanadibbalu & Pandavula Guha is an ancient

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

site near Kotturu village of Rambilli mandal

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...

District of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. A post office is located at Kotturu Village with Pincode 531061

History

This is an ancient

remain site with a Maha Stupa and Remains of Vihara's along with a small portion of rock cut cave used by Buddhist

monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

during 1st century BC to 2nd century AD on the hilly forest area. It lies along the banks of

River Sarada River Sarada is a medium-sized river in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The geographic coordinates of the river are north latitude 17 25 to 18 17 and east longitude of 82 32 to 83 06. The catchment area of the basin is 2,665 s ...

. This place is locally known as "Dhanadibbalu".Still excavations are to be done by the

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...

department at this site to excavate the viharas and minor edicts. Small rock

cisterns A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by ...

are present very near to the Maha stupa, which is at the entrance of the hillock and at a further distance one can see the ruined mounds of Vihara with scattered bricks. From there we can reach the rock-cut

caves A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

with small (nearly 5) portions (locally known as pandavula guha, due to the resemblance with the number of accommodation in the cave). Many

bricks A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

of the

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circum ...

and vihara are presently used by the locals (ignorant about the importance of this heritage site and lack of vigilance). There is a fencing around the remains site presently and a garden is being maintained by the archaeology department with a sign board.

Geography

Kotturu Dhanadibbalu is nearly 8 km from

Yelamanchili Elamanchili is a town in Anakapalli district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and also the mandal headquarters of Elamanchili mandal. The town is spread over an area of , which is under the jurisdiction of Visakhapatnam ...

town towards Atchutapuram.

Gallery

File:Rock cut caves at Dhanadibbalu 01.jpg, Rock cut caves at Dhanadibbalu File:Votive stupa ruins with mortar remains at Dhanadibbalu.jpg, Votive stupa ruins with mortar remains at Dhanadibbalu File:Buddhist Remnant site at Dhanadibbalu.jpg, Buddhist Remnant site at Dhanadibbalu File:Way to rock cut caves (Pandavula guhalu) at Kotturu Dhanadibbalu.jpg, Way to rock cut caves (Pandavula guhalu) at Dhanadibbalu File:Maha stupa ruins at Dhanadibbalu.jpg, Maha stupa ruins at Dhanadibbalu

References

{{Indian Buddhist Caves Buildings and structures in Visakhapatnam district Buddhist sites in Andhra Pradesh Stupas in India