The Nagarjunakonda Museum, built on the hilltop island created by the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir, is one of the most important archaeological museums in South India. It houses finds from the extensive excavations conducted before the valley was flooded in the 1960s, including Buddhist sculptures, terracotta objects, coins, ornaments, and inscriptions dating primarily from the 2nd to 9th centuries AD.
The sculpture collection is outstanding. Stone reliefs showing scenes from the life of the Buddha are among the finest examples of early South Indian Buddhist art, and the sheer variety of objects — from large narrative panels to small personal ornaments — gives a vivid sense of the civilisation that once flourished here. The museum is well laid out and the labelling is informative, unusual in India. Allow at least an hour inside.