Adurru stupa

Adurru is a quiet village in Mamidikuduru mandal. It lies on the western bank of the Vainateya, one of the Godavari’s delta branches, a short way inland from the Bay of Bengal. On a mound that villagers call Dubaraju Gudi are the remains of an ancient Buddhist monastery. Scholars date them to about the 2nd century CE. Local tradition says that Sanghamitra, Emperor Ashoka’s daughter, laid the stupa’s foundation on her way to Sri Lanka.

The Archaeological Survey of India dug here in the 1920s and found several stupas, chaityas and viharas. The main stupa, or mahastupa, was built on a wheel-shaped plan. A raised platform runs around its drum, and ayaka platforms face the four directions. Today the mound is a protected monument of national importance, looked after by the ASI’s Amaravati circle. Come for the quiet and for a glimpse of the delta’s Buddhist past.