Description : Dharanikota is a village in Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Amaravathi mandal of Guntur revenue division. In 500 BCE, Dharanikota was known as Dhanyakatakam. Archaeological excavations at Dharanikota revealed viharas in Dharanikota and nearby areas. It is the site of ancient Dhanyakataka, which was the capital of the Satavahana dynasty that ruled in the Deccan around the 1st to 3rd centuries CE. It was also the capital of the Kota Vamsa, which ruled during the medieval period until the mid-12th century. The Krishna River Valley is an important rice-producing area. It was also an important centre of trade with other parts of India and foreign countries. The place is also famous for the great stupa; a very large Kalachakra ceremony was conducted there in January, 2006. Xuanzang visited Amaravathi village, Guntur district and wrote a glorious account of the place and the viharas that existed then.
See on map ยป