In which one of the following regions was Dhanyakataka, which flourished as a prominent Buddhist centre under the Mahasanghikas, located?

Answer: A. Dhanyakataka was located in ANDHRA. Dhanyakataka (later spelt Dhanyakatakam) is identified with the modern site near Amaravati in the Krishna river basin of Andhra Pradesh. It flourished as a prominent Buddhist centre during the Satavahana and Ikshvaku periods (2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE), serving as a major hub of the Mahasanghikas school. The Amaravati Stupa, one of India's greatest Buddhist monuments with elaborate marble carvings, is located here. The 7th-century Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited Dhanyakataka and described it as a prosperous Buddhist site. Distractors fail by geography: (B) Gandhara was in northwest (modern Peshawar region) and was a Sarvastivada Buddhist centre. (C) Kalinga is in Odisha; its prominent Buddhist site was Dhauli, not Dhanyakataka. (D) Magadha is in Bihar; Buddhist centres include Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Rajagriha. Source: NCERT Class 12 Themes in Indian History Part I Ch 4 (Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings) / ASI Amaravati site reports.