in his battle with Ravana. It was here, too, that Bheema
defeated the demon Bakasura - the Pandava's huge stone club
can be seen in the village of Uppalam, 40 km away. 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 Chankyas during the 8th century,
and later the Rajahmundry Reddy kings, the Cholas, the Qutb
Shahis of Golconda, the Mughal Empire, and the Nizams of
Hyderabad.
The City
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.
How to Get There
Air
Vishakhapatnam has an airport. Indian Airlines flies to Vishakhapatnam
daily from Mumbai, Kolkatta, Hyderabad and Chennai.
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.
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.
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