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City of Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh, India
From:
South India Tour Package &
Wikpedia
The History of
Visakhapatnam
According to the history, the city was named
after the God of valour, Visakha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is also
the ruler of the planet Mars and the God of war.
Visakha is mentioned in the historic epics: Ramayana and Mahabharata.
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In the
Ramayana, its mentioned as the place where Rama met his devotee, Shabari,
during the quest for his wife Sita. Also, this is the place where Rama may
have met Jambavan, who helped him in his battle with Ravana.
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In Mahabharata It's believed
that Bheema defeated the demon Bakasura at Visakha. The Huge Stone club, at
the village of Uppada is said to belong to Bheema, the Pandava.
500 BCE to 2000 AD
This region, formerly part of the great
Kalinga empire that stretched up to the river Godavari, has also been
mentioned in Hindu and Buddhist texts from the 5th and 6th centuries BCE, as
well as by Sanskrit grammarians, Panini and Katyayana in the 4th century
BCE.
This city was ruled by several dynasties: the Kalingas during the 7th
century, the Chalukyas during the 8th century, the Cholas, the Qutb Shahis
of Golconda, the Mughal Empire, and the Nizams of Hyderabad.
Scenic beauty of Vizag beachLocal legend says that an Andhra king (9-11th
century) on his way to Benares rested there. So enchanted was he with the
sheer beauty of the place that he ordered a temple to be built in honor of
his family deity Visakha.
Archaeological sources, however, reveal that
the temple was possibly built between the 11th and 12th centuries by the
Chola king, Kulottunga.
A shipping merchant, Sankarayya Chetty, built one of
the mandapams, or pillared halls of the temple. Though it no longer exists
(It may have been washed away about 100 years ago by a cyclonic storm)
elderly residents of Vizag talk of visits to the ancient shrine by their
grandparents.
It was a part of the Kalinga Kingdom,
under Ashoka's rule in 260 B.C. It passed on later to the Andhra Kings of 'Vengi'.
After this Pallava, Chola and Ganga dynasties ruled the city. In the 15th
century, Vishakhapatnam became a part of the Vijayanagar Empire.
In the 18th century, Visakhapatnam was part of the Northern Circars, a
region of Coastal Andhra that came first under French control, and was later
by the British.
Visakhapatnam became a district in the Madras
Presidency of British India. After India's independence this was the biggest
district in the country and was subsequently divided into the three
districts of Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram and Visakhapatnam
The Europeans, the Dutch, the French and the English established themselves
from the 17th century onwards and used this as a major trading center to
export textiles, ivory, tobacco, indigo etc.
This port is well documented in
the histories of these colonial powers as well as in Indian historical
records. This coast played a major role during the reign of the Asaf Jahis
and the Golcondas.
The City Of Destiny
Vishakhapatnam is built along the seashore of
the Bay of Bengal, and is bounded and broken by the bold headland called the
Dolphin's Nose (357m above the sea level).
The city boasts of a beautiful
beach with a long beach road ending at nearly Bheemunipatnam on the northern
end. The surrounding area is dominated on the west by the well-forested
Eastern Ghats and farther east is drained by numerous rivers, among them the
Godavari and Indravati.
The city is also known as "Vizag" and is surrounded by three hills, each of
which has a shrine dedicated to a different religion - Venkateswara temple
(also spelt as Venkateshwara) on Venkateswara Konda, Baba Ishaq Madina
Dargah on Dargah Konda and Church of the Virgin Mary on Rose hill.
A Prominent Shipbuilding Centre
Vishakhapatnam is an important shipbuilding
centre; the first steamer to be built in India was launched in
Vishakhapatnam's harbour in 1948.
Vishakhapatnam's port has grown greatly in
importance because it has the only protected harbour on the Coromandel
Coast. Agriculture is the mainstay of the region's economy.
There are major
industries like Ship Building, Oil Refinery, Fertilizer, Petro Chemicals,
Steel Mills and a Naval base. The suburb of Waltair, at the north end of the
bay, is the site of Andhra University.
Vishakhapatnam is the true spot where one can find the beauty of Andhra.
From lakes to cool beaches, from beautiful hill ranges to caves and valleys
enclosures, Vishakhapatnam has them all.
A visit to Vishakhapatnam will
definitely be exciting, enriching and refreshing experience with all its sun
kissed beaches, caves and temples.
Major Attractions of Vishakhapatnam
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Kailasagiri
Kailasagiri is located on a hilltop and is a must to visiting place for
all people visiting Vishakhapatnam. The charming hill on the seafront,
affords a breath taking scenic view, especially towards Bheemunipatnam.
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Rishikonda Beach
Just 8-km from Vishakhapatnam is the Rishikonda Beach, a golden, unspoilt
beach, washed by the sun-warmed sea.
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Ramakrishna Beach
One of the loveliest beaches on the East Coast, the Ramakrishna beach is a
favorite resort for tourists visiting Vishakhapatnam.
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Indira Gandhi Zoological Park
The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park is located in Vishakhapatnam amidst the
scenic eastern ghats of India, flanked by hills on either sides and Bay of
Bengal on the east.
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Scenic beauty of Vizag beach Excursions of
Vishakhapatnam
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Ananthagiri Hills
Anantagiri is a breathtakingly beautiful resort sheltered in the lush
undulating ranges of the Eastern Ghats. It is considered to be a perfect
head off to get away from the blistering summer months. The Ananthagiri
hills are on the way to Araku Valley and are famous for coffee
plantations.
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Simhachalam
About 16-km from Vishakhapatnam is Simhachalam, famous for the temple of
Sri Varaha Lakshminarasimha. Architecturally this ancient temple deserves
high praise.
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Araku Valley
About 115-km from Vishakhapatnam is the beautiful Araku Valley, with its
bracing climate, orchards, and the Ananthagiri Ghats, which present an
enchanting view to the visitors, is attracting tourists not only in India
but from abroad too.
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Borra Caves
At a distance of about 90-95-km from Vishakhapatnam are the Borra Caves,
which attained historical and religious importance.
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Bheemunipatnam
About 25-km from Vishakhapatnam is Bheemunipatnam. The most important
aspect of interest at the place is the beach, which is perhaps matchless
for its beauty all along the east coast.
Vishakhapatnam Temples
Festivals of
Vishakhapatnam
The annual tourism event, the 'Vishakha
Utsav' is held in Vishakhapatnam for three days from the third Friday to
Sunday in the month of January.
Shopping in Vishakhapatnam
Vizag is better known as an industrial
centre, but in reality it is a city of shopkeepers.
For some reason shops in
the same trade tend to be located next to each other, which makes shop
hopping and bargain hunting easier.
Earlier the area around Kurupam market
with its narrow lanes and poky shops, was famous for Gold and Silver
shopping.
Of late jewellery shops have sprung up in the area in Dwaraka Nagar on the
other side of TSR complex. T
he entire stretch of road extending from Jagadamba Junction to the Old Post Office has literally countless shops
selling a wide variety of items. Chandana Brothers, Bommana, Puchala, are
the famous shops, which sell almost all sari varieties.
The government owned
/ run Lepakshi is the place for handicrafts.
Places to stay in Vishakhapatnam
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Daspalla Hotels Limited
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Dolphin Hotels Limited
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Green Park
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Hotel Jyothi Swaroopa
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Hotel Meghalaya
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Hotel Prince
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Palm Beach
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Hotel Taj Residency
Park Hotels
How to Get To
Vishakhapatnam
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Air
Vishakhapatnam has an airport. Indian Airlines flies to Vishakhapatnam
daily from Mumbai, Kolkatta, Hyderabad and Chennai.
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Rail
Vishakhapatnam is the centre point for the trains going between Chennai
and Howra and Howrah and Secunderabad.
It is well connected by rail to all
the important places in and outside the state.
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Road
National Highway No.5 (Howrah to Chennai) passes through Vishakhapatnam.
The Vishakhapatnam to Steel Plant - Anakapalli Road is most modern 4 Line
Highway spans 45-km.
The APSRTC runs buses and private buses connect major
cities of the state and the cities in the neighboring states of Orissa and
Madhya Pradesh with Vishakhapatnam.
General Information about
Vishakhapatnam
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Climate: Tropical
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Temperature Range (deg C):
- Summer- Max 36, Min 25
Winter- Max 28, Min 19.6
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Altitude: 15 feet above sea level
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Clothing: Light Cottons in summers and
light woollens in winters
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Best Season: August to October and January
to March
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Languages Spoken: Telugu, Hindi, English
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STD Code: 0891
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