More – Vishakapatnam
About the city
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.
Visakhapatnam in andhra Pradesh, popularly known as Vizag, is a booming industrial city on the east coast of India. The port city with the biggest ship building yard in India, is also the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command. The beautiful city with its twin town Waltair, forms a harmonious blend of majestic hills, valleys and golden beaches along the Bay of Bengal coastline. In addition to being a major port handling high volume of cargo, it has developed oil refining, fertilizer, petro-chemical, steel plant, sugar refining and jute industries.
About 350 km from Vijayawada (also known as Vizag) is Vishakapatnam. This is the second busiest port town after Mumbai. It is hometo the coutry's largest shipyard. Some of the hills surrounding the town have important religious shrines on the top. The Venkateshvara Konda Temple dedicated to Krishna while the Dargah Konda is dedicated to a Muslim saint. A 588 m long rocky outcrop on the southern coastline, called the Dolphin's Nose, has a lighthouse on it. Some beautiful beaches like the Ramakrishna Mission Beach, the Rishikonda Beach and the Lawson's Bay are worth spending some time. About 16 km away is the Simhachalam Temple, dedicated to Narasimha. The Borra Caves, close to the northern border of Vishakapatnam district, ae magnificent limestone cave discovered in 1807. The ruins of a stupa, monasteries and prayer halls in Ramatirtham, about 72 km from Vishakapatnam, are worth seeing. In the East Godavri District, about 380 km from Hyderabad, important places to visit are the Dowleshvaram Dam over the Godavari and the Godavari Gorge, north of the beautiful town of Rajahmundry. Annavaram is the site of the Satyanarayana Temple on Ratnagiri hill which is renowned for its 4 m statue of the Hindu Trinity and an ancient sundial. Ryali, 24 km from Rajahmundary, has an ancient Chalukya temple dedicated to Vishny whereas Draksharamam is famed for its 10th century Bhimesvara Temple and houses a 5 m high lingam.
Vibrant Visakhapatnam, the 'jewel' of the east coast of India is a harmonious blend of the magical past and bustling present. This bre3athtaking city of golden beaches, lush fields, verdant valleys and splendid monuments is named after 'visakha', the God of Valour. Its antiquity can be traced back to emperor Ashoka (273-232 BC) and was later ruled by the andhra Kings of Vengi, the cholas and the Ganges. Visakhapatnam or Vizag has now emerged as an important port, industrial as well as tourist centre.
Visakhapatnam, popularly known as Vizag, is a booming industrial city on the east coast of India. The port city with the biggest shipbuilding yard in India is also the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command. The beautiful city with its twin town Waltair, forms a harmonious blend of majestic hills, valleys and golden beaches along the Bay of Bengal coastline. In addition to being a major port handling high volume of cargo, it has developed oil refining, fertilizer, petro-chemical, steel plant, sugar refining and jute industries.
This land of the Golden Beaches was just over half a century ago a small fishing village. Vast stretches of beaches right next to the city on one side and undulating green hills on the other side has made Vizag, a Tourist Haven. An ideal destination, it caters to the religious - minded, the Buddhist pilgrim, the fun-lovers and adventure-seekers. A number of beaches and a long stretch of road along the seashore up to Bheemunipatnam town, the second oldest municipality in the country, are pleasure to experience. No trip to Vizag is complete without a sojourn at Araku, 110 kilometers away; a lovely valley nestled amidst the high Eastern Ghats. Simhachalam temple, Rushikonda beach, the Dolphin's Nose hillock projecting into the sea.
