Surrounded by forested mountains in Andhra Pradesh, India—just across the border of Telangana—lies the world’s third-largest man-made reservoir, Nagarjunasagar. The vast expanse of the lake has now become a point of special interest for Sri Lankan Buddhists, as the island within the reservoir contains the ruins of the “ancient Sinhala Vihare,” constructed in the third century AD by the renowned Mahayana Buddhist philosopher, Nagarjuna Acharya.
According to G. Satyanarayana, a guide from the Telangana tourism authorities, the ancient monastic complex came to be known as the “Sinhala Vihare” because a large number of Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka resided there during that period.
Amid the remains of thick ancient brick walls, visitors can still observe a Buddha statue housed within its chamber, along with several chaityas. The island also features a museum that displays a collection of Buddhist artefacts excavated from areas that were submerged following the construction of the dam.
