Gurubhakta Konda at Ramatheertalu, Nellimarla Mandal

Another major tourist spot in the area lying close to the Ramatheertam Temple is the ruins of
a Buddhist Mahasthupa, which is situated on a hilltop called Gurubakhtakonda. Crafted with bricks, the shrine measures to be 19 feet tall and 65 feet in diameter.

The region’s tryst with Buddhism is also very evident– Gurubakthakonda, a hill with the ruins of the 19 feet high Buddhist Mahastupa lies on the outskirts of the town. Steeped with a glorious past, and with growing infrastructural development, the city has still been able to retain its historical charm much to the fascination of its visitors.T The hill is formed of precipitous bare solid rock, rounded on the top and about 500 feet in height. Near its south summit, under a vertical wall of rock is a perennial spring, beside which are a ruined brick mound and some Jaina images. On the rooky summit are some brick mounds. On the north face of the hill at a height of about 400 feet from the base is a long irregular rooky platform 903 feet in length and averaging more than 100 feet in breadth. The hill above it extends throughout its whole length in a vertical wall of rook about 100 feet high. Natural irregularities in the northern face of the platform have been made up by retaining walls of stone masonry. Along the whole platform is a series of brick mounds which were covered with dense jungle.

The excavation so far as it has proceeded has resulted in the unearthing of the following buildings noted consecutively from west to east. The base of a brick stupa at the western extremity 65 feet in diameter, and a tank beside it which was doubtless kept filled with water from the perennial spring on the hill top. Adjoining it on the east is a detached mass of heaped rocks on the east summit of which stands a chaitya 55 feet in length. In its apse is a stone dagob in good preservation except a part of the dome. It contained the stone lid of a relic casket. On the north and south lower sides of the mass of rock are two rows of brick cells each terminated by a small stupa or dagoba. East from this again is a pillared hall 77 feet square with rows of massive stone piers all fallen or broken.A stone statue of Buddha with the graceful flowing robes of the Amaravati sculptures is the only one of the kind as yet found. The chaityas are irregular in their orientation probably indicating different periods of construction on the hill.

It is nearly 15 KM from Vizianagaram Town Railway Station

Gurubhakta Konda