Vishakapatnam

Vishakapatnam boasts of serene lakes, cool beaches, beautiful hill ranges, caves and valleys. A visit to Vishakhapatnam is sure to be an exciting experience with beaches, caves and temples. The city is also known as Vizag and is surrounded by three hills, each of which belongs to a different religion - Venkateswara temple, Baba Ishaq Madina Dargah and Church of the Virgin Mary on Rose hill.

Vishakapatnam 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 rivers Godavari and Indravati.

Vishakapatnam is an important shipbuilding centre; the first steamer to be built in India was launched in Vishakhapatnam's harbors in 1948. There are major industries like ship building, oil refinery, fertilizers, petrochemicals and steel mills. Agriculture is the main occupation of the region. Vizag enjoys tropical climate with temperatures ranging from 25°C to 36°C in summers and 19.6°C to 28°C in winters.

History of Vishakapatnam

According to historical tales, the city was named after the god 'Valor-Vishakha'. It was a part of the Kalinga Kingdom,under Ashoka's rule in 260 B.C. After the Ashoka rule Pallava, Chola and Ganga dynasties ruled the city. In the 15th century, Vishakhapatnam became a part of the Vijayanagar Empire.

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. You will find considerable documentation about this port city in Indian historical records as also the histories of these colonial powers.

Shopping in Vishakapatnam

Vizag is better known as an industrial centre, but in reality it is a city of shopkeepers. Earlier the area around Kurupam market with its narrow lanes and small shops, was famous for gold and silver shopping.

Now jewelry shops have sprung up in the area in Dwaraka Nagar on the other side of TSR complex. Don't miss the area extending from Jagadamba Junction to the Old Post Office as it is choc-a-bloc with shops selling a wide variety of items. You can pick up saris from Chandana Brothers,Bommana, Puchala, among other popular shops. The government owned Lepakshi is the place for handicraft.

Vishakapatnam tour

Visakhapatnam has some of the safest beaches in the entire south coast line of the country. The R K Beach is the best place to have fun with water within the city. For tourists, a museum is set up on the beach road. The Submarine museum, the first Museum in Asia was built off a submarine.

The Keertana Vanamu Beach resort developed by VUDA offers water Boat rides, theme Parks - an ideal place to spend weekends.Bheemunipatnam is a beach town with good beach resorts which makes Vizag a preferred tourism destination. Tourists to Vizag should not miss The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park which is located at the outskirts of the city.

The Simhachalam Temple - the temple of Lord Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swami, built by King Krishnadevaraya is a famous temple. Boudharamam, Saligudam, Sankaram and Devipuram are areas of ancient Indian heritatge. There are many Buddhist Shrines in Visakhapatnam and also the temple of Arasavalli Sun God - Sri Suryanarayana Swamy in Arasavalli.

Other Places to Visit in Visakapatnam

Light House, The Ross Hill, Dolphin Nose, Paderu, Dutch Cemetry at Bheemunipatnam, Chodavaram, Anantagiri, and many more.

Araku Valley

The Araku Valley is a must visit for any one visiting Vizag, nearly 115-km from the city. It is also popularly known as Andhra's Ooty with its bracing climate, orchards and silvery stream. The Ananthagiri Ghats attract tourists not only from India but from abroad too.

Marvel at the scenic beauty at Kailasa Giri where we can find greeny meadows, beautiful and well spread parks. The famous attraction of Aruku valley is the 1 million year old Borra Caves which shows the magnificence of colors in the natural cave formations. The caves are spread over an area of 2 square kilometers. The caves were formed as a result of the action of the waters of Gosthani River on the limestone terrain.