Most people drive past the turnoff for Nagarjuna Sagar without realizing that they are just a boat ride away from India’s own version of a sunken kingdom or “atlantis”.
Beneath the wide, calm waters of the Krishna River reservoir lie the remains of Nagarjunakonda , a thriving ancient city that was submerged when the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam was built in the 1960s. What was once a valley filled with monasteries, learning centres and bustling life now rests underwater, hidden beneath the surface. Now, to experience what remains of this city, you have to take a 45-minute ferry ride into the middle of the reservoir to the island museum.
So, if you are looking for a weekend escape from Hyderabad that feels like stepping into a different century, head for the docks immediately as Siasat.com takes you behind the scenes of this incredible island museum.
The city beneath the water
Before it was Nagarjunakonda, this place was Vijayapuri, the capital of the Ikshvaku Dynasty during the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The valley was dotted with monasteries (viharas), stupas, prayer halls and learning centres, so much so that it rivalled other prominent Buddhist institutions of the time and drew scholars, monks and students from across regions including Sri Lanka, China and Bengal. Its name today is associated with the Buddhist philosopher Acharya Nagarjuna.
Excavations carried out in the early 20th century unearthed a rich array of archaeological treasures: carved limestone panels, inscriptions in ancient scripts, structural remains of stupas and chaityas, and evidence of a well-planned urban settlement. These finds reveal both religious life and secular sophistication, including an amphitheatre, drainage systems and what appears to have been an educational hub for Buddhist philosophy and practice. When the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam was built in the 1960s, the entire valley, and with it most of the ancient city, was submerged.
The Nagarjunakonda museum
What stands today at Nagarjunakonda is not the original city, but what was rescued from it. Before the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam submerged the valley in the 1960s, archaeologists carried out a massive excavation, relocating sculptures, inscriptions and structural remains to higher ground. The Nagarjunakonda Island Museum was built to house these fragments, designed in the style of a Buddhist vihara as a quiet nod to the monasteries that once flourished here. Inside, limestone panels narrate scenes from the Buddha’s life, Brahmi inscriptions line the walls, and relic caskets, coins and pillars offer glimpses into a settlement that was once intellectually and culturally alive.
Reaching it from Hyderabad is surprisingly simple. Located about 160 km, it is a two-hour drive to Nagarjuna Sagar, followed by a 40–45 minute ferry ride across the reservoir. The museum can only be accessed by boat, which makes the journey feel intentional. As the ferry cuts through the water, it’s hard not to think about what lies beneath: the foundations of a once-thriving city, now resting silently below the lake’s calm surface.
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