Engineering Tourism

Salihundam

Salihundam is a village and panchayat in Gara Mandal of SRIKAKULAM district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is situated on the south bank of River Vamsadhara at a distance of 5 kilometers west of Kalingapatnam and 18 kilometers from SRIKAKULAM town. It was known as Salivatika(meaning rice emporium). But many called it “Salyapetika” (meaning box of bones or relics). There are a number of Buddhist stupas and a huge monastic complex on a hillock amidst scenic surroundings. The site was first discovered by Gidugu Venkata Rama Murthy in 1919. During excavations relic caskets, four stupas, a Chaityagriha, structural emples and a number of sculptures reflecting the three phases of Buddhism – Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana were found dating back to about 2nd century BC to 12th century AD. The statues of ‘Tara'[1] and Marichi were discovered at this site and from here Buddhism spread to Sumatra and other far-eastern countries.