Salihundam

The hilltop Buddhist stupa and monastic complex at Salihundam in Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh, on the Vamshadhara river 20 kilometres from the north coast — active from the 2nd century BCE through the 12th century CE under Satavahana, Ikshvaku, Vishnukundin, Eastern Ganga and Suryavamshi patronage. The site is unusual for its continuous occupation across a 1,400-year span, documenting the transition from Hinayana to Mahayana and finally Vajrayana (tantric) Buddhism in Andhra. Excavations by K.V. Soundara Rajan in 1957-58 uncovered four major stupas, a chaityagriha, and about 20 monastic cells. The 11th-century Pala-style bronze figures found here attest the maritime trade link between coastal Andhra and Pala Bengal. ASI protection since 1958.