|
|
Vijayawada- The City of Victory
Vijayawada, also called as "Bezawada", is 257-km from
Hyderabad and is
located on the banks of the Krishna
River, and is bounded by the Indrakiladri hills on the West and the
Budameru River on the North. Situated along the
Chennai - Howrah and
Chennai-Delhi rail
route, this is the largest railway junction of the South Central Railway.
The city forms a part of the Krishna district, spread over an area of
58-sq- kms (urban area).
Vijayawada
or the "City of Victory" if literally translated gets its name
from the legend, which says it was here on the Indrakiladri Hill, that
Arjuna, the Pandava Prince, won the blessings of Lord Shiva for his
penance. During the British rule the city experienced significant growth.
In particular, the completions of the Krishna Barrage and the Railway
Bridge on Krishna have helped the region expand its agricultural and
commercial base. The famous Chinese traveller Hieun T`sang has visited
this city. Today, with excellent communications, perhaps the best in the
South where railways are concerned, Vijayawada become one of the big
business centres of the State. Commercially, culturally and industrially
the city is a very flourishing one.
Best For A Temple Journey
Vijayawada is a must-visit if one wants to go
temple hopping in
Andhra. The abode of
Kanaka Durga,
goddess of power, riches and benevolence, is the presiding deity of the
city. The city is also a base for visiting the Buddhist sites located
around Vijayawada like
Amaravati,
Gudivada,
Ghantasala
and so on.
Also accessible from Vijayawada are the towns of
Kuchipudi,
Mangalagiri and
Kondapalli, which are famous for dance,
temple and
handicrafts respectively.
Another important feature of the place is the Krishna Pushkaram an
all-India festival that is held once in twelve years.
The most luscious mangoes, the king of fruits, are grown here and the
region is renowned for its tradition of pickle making. So altogether
Vijayawada presents a colourful and varied picture and can be termed as a
business - cum - pilgrim - cum - tourist centre.
Prakasam
Barrage
Completed in 1957, the Prakasam Barrage is an impressive 1223.5m long,
modern regulator and road bridge that stretches across the river Krishna.
Its panoramic lake and the three canals that run through the city give
Vijayawada a Venetian appearance.
The Gandhi Stupa
The Gandhi Stupa, 15.8ft high, stands on Gandhi Hill, which was formally
known as "Orr Hill". This Monument built in memory of Mahatma
Gandhi and was inaugurated by the late Prime Minister of India, Lal
Bahadur Shastri in 1968. It has the teachings of Gandhi inscribed on stone
slabs .The Gandhi memorial Library, sound and light show and planetarium
are added attractions here. Climb to the top of the hill for a bird's eye
view of the town.
Hazrathbal Mosque
Hazrat Bal Mosque, a site of religious significance in Vijayawada. A holy
relic of Prophet Mohammad is kept here and displayed once a year.
Mogalrajapuram Caves
Just 5-km from Vijayawada are the Mogalarajapuram caves having three cave
temples, dating back to the 5th century AD. Out of the 3 cave temples
constructed here only one is still in good condition with the idols of
Lord Nataraja, Vinayaka and others. The Ardhanareeshwara Murthy found here
is considered the only one of its kind in south India.
Akkana and Madanna Caves
On the way to the Kanakadurga Temple are the rock-cut caves dedicated to
Akkana and Madanna, who were ministers in the court of Abdul Hasan
Tanashah in the 17th century. A short distance away is another cave that
dates back to the 2nd century BC, which hosts the Hindu trinity of Brahma,
Vishnu and Maheshwara.
Rajiv Gandhi Park
Walk able distance from the new Vijayawada bus stand, this is an
educative park containing built-up structures of dinosaurs and
pre-historic animals, with a playing area where one can spend time
relaxing and learning. Musical Fountain: 7.30 p.m. to 8.15 p.m. Monday
closed.
Gundala Church
Gundala Church is situated on a hillock on the eastern
side of the
town, at Gundala. It attracts a large number of devotees. A fair is held
annually in the month of February, in which thousands of devotees
participate.
Victoria
Jubilee Regional Museum
The Museum of the Archaeological Department situated on Bandar Road
contains beautiful sculptures and attractive paintings worth seeing.
'Buddha' Alluru inscriptions of first and second centuries, and
Mahishasura Mardhani are some of the important exhibits.
Undavalli Caves
The Undavalli caves, in the village of Undavalli, are at a distance of
8-km from Vijayawada and nearly 280-km from
Hyderabad . The
high hill overlooking the Krishna river hosts fine specimens of cut-in
architectural and sculptural models.
Bhavani
Island
Located upstream the river Krishna, close to
Prakasam
Barrage, is Bhavani Island. Make sure you visit this picturesque
island that is a fantastic picnic spot for holiday-lovers.
KanakaDurga
Temple
Kanaka Durga, goddess of power, riches and benevolence is considered the
presiding deity of Vijayawada. The temple is set on the Indrakiladri hill.
The deity in the Kanaka Durga temple is regarded as Swayambhu or
self-manifested, hence is considered very powerful. It is said that Adi
Sankara visited this temple and installed the Sri Chakra here.
Malleswaraswami Temple
Adjacent to the Kanakadurga temple is the shrine of Malleswara Swamy on
the Indrakiladri hill. Mallikarjuna or the Malleswara as he is known in
the Puranas is said to have been installed by Yudhishthira, the eldest of
the Panch Pandavas, as a token of their victory of the South.
Vijayeswara Swami Temple
The Vijayeswara temple is set on the Indrakiladri hill in Vijayawada. The
installation of Vijayeswara is said to have been done by Arjuna, to
commemorate his victory with Lord Shiva in the form of 'Kirata' (hunter).
Despite its commercial cosmopolitan
character, Vijayawada is very conservative when it comes to entertainment.
If you are a fan of Carnatic music or Telugu folk songs, you can plan to
go for music concerts, which are a plenty, or for a show of 'Kuchipudi'
style of classical dance. Andhra
Pradesh Dance and Music
College, Natraj Kala Samiti and Kanakadurga Gana Sabha are some of the
busier venues for these shows. If all this is much too heavy for one,
there's always Tollywood (Telugu film industry) to the rescue.
Watersports
and Boating:
K L Rao Vihara Kendram,
Bhavani Island
on Prakasham
Barrage Lake offers a variety of water sports including rowing,
canoeing, water-scooters, and pedal boats. It is open from 9.30 am to 6.30
pm.
Krishna Pushkaram
Krishna Pushkaram, an all-India festival takes place once in 12 years.
Hindus consider a dip in the river Krishna sacred, and hence lakhs of
people come to bathe in the holy waters of the Krishna River. People
perform various pujas and rituals to wash away their sins.
Sarannavaratri Festival
Of the many festivals, the ten day long Sarannavaratri festival during
Dasara or Dussehra (from Asvayuja Suddha Padyami to Dasami
(September-October)) and the Kalyanotsavam of Rambha-Malleswaraswamy are
celebrated with great religious fervour.
On such occasions, the temples on the Indrakila hills are adorned in
their festive best. During the Navaratri celebrations, Kanakadurga is
attractively draped and decorated in different forms for nine days - 'Bala
Tripura Sundari', 'Gayathri', 'Annapoorna', 'Mahalakshmi', 'Saraswathi',
'Lalitha Tripura Sundari', 'Durga Devi', 'Mahishasura Mardani', and 'Raja
Rajeswara Devi'.
Each day special 'prasadams' are offered to the goddess and in the
evening she is carried in a procession around the temple. On the tenth
day, that is the Vijayadasami Day, goddess Kanaka Durga along with other
deities, dressed in all her splendour, is carried on a decorated swan
shaped boat in the Krishna waters.
This is popularly known as "Nauka Viharam" and thousands of
people gather at the riverbanks to witness this colourful ritual. Devotees
make each of the nine days a great event by lavish expenditure on
illumination and sound and music. The festival season of Dasara or
Dussehra is an auspicious occasion to visit the temple to seek the
blessings of the Goddess.
The
city offers everything from antiques, handicrafts, and jewellery to
dresses, leather goods, Pearls, and semi-precious stones. For a good deal,
saunter around MG Road, Eluru Road,
Besant Road and Governorpet.
Besant Road is named after Mrs. Annie Besant. The road is crowded and is
the major retail outlet centre in Vijayawada. Main commodity being the
cloth, major Indian cloth mills have their retail outlets here. Companies
like Digjam, Raymonds, Bombay Dyeing, and major saree shops like Chandana
Bros, Manhar etc. have all kinds of sarees & dress materials.
Kaleshwara Rao Market is the famous vegetable market with over hundred
vegetable shops having fresh and different vegetables all the time. This
market is a trade place and the nearby farmers earn money by selling their
vegetables over here.
Vastralatha is situated opposite to Kaleshwara Rao market, consists of
400 shops. Built by Vijayawada municipality, it is a wholesale cloth
market. Many local brands, other brands, hand woven saris and clothes are
sold here. Gandhi Nagar is famous for shoe making Industry. The place is
also famous for having quite a lot of theatres and is one of the
entertainment areas in Vijayawada.
Near as it is to the toy-making village of
Kondapalli
and to Machilipatnam, which
produces some of the most exquisite
'Kalamkari'
paintings, shopping can be a full-time occupation in Vijayawada.
Hospitals:
Government Ayurvedic Hospital
ESI Hospital, Gunadala
Railway Hospital
University General Hospital
Meher Medicare centre
Nagarjuna Hospitals Kanuru
Vijayawada Nursing Home & Poly Clinic
Post & Telegraph:
Head Post Office
Conducted Tours:
The Andhra Pradesh Travel & Tourism Development Corporation runs city
sightseeing tours covering
Kanakadurga
Temple, Prakasam Barrage, Gandhi hill and Planetarium, etc.
Climate: Tropical
Temperature Range (deg C):
Summer- Max 45, Min 28
Winter- Max 30, Min15
Clothing: Light Cottons
STD Code: 0866
Vijayawada is an important link in
connecting the three regions of Andhra Pradesh
and is a major transit point. Two National Highways, the National Highway
5 from Chennai to
Calcutta and
the National Highway 9 from Machilipatnam
to Hyderabad pass
through the city connecting it to other parts of the country. It is
connected to other areas of the state, by state highways and district
roads.
Air:
The domestic airport located at Gannavaram, about 20-km, from the city
connects Vijayawada to Hyderabad and
Vishakhapatnam. It's about a
30-minute flight from Hyderabad.
Rail:
Situated along the Chennai- Howrah and Chennai-Delhi
rail route, this is the largest railway junction of the South Central
Railway. There are a number of express and super fast trains that connect
Vijayawada with almost all the important places of the country.
Road:
Good motorable roads connect Vijayawada with all the places within the
state and also with the major cities in India. Transport by road from
Vijayawada to all the places of Buddhist interest is available in the form
of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport
Corporation (APSRTC) buses.
Local Transport:
Tourist Taxis, Metered Taxis, Auto rickshaws, and Cycle Rickshaws are
available. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC)
operates point-to-point bus services, which connect important places
within the city with each other.
A wide range of facilities for
accommodation is available in Vijayawada, from Three Star Hotels to budget
accommodation and Andhra Pradesh Tourism Guest Houses.
Star Hotels:
Hotel Ilapuram
Hotel Khandari International
Hotel Krishna Residency
Hotel Mamata
Hotel Raj Towers
Hotel Manorama
Sree Lakshmi Vilas Modern Cafe
Budget Hotels:
Hotel Sarovar
Ajantha Hotel
Tourist Home
Hotel Jagapathi International
Hotel Ashoka
Sree Nivas
Hotel Siddartha
Sri Hotel Annapoorna
Mogalrajapuram Caves: 5-km
Undavalli Caves:
8-km
Machilipatnam: 68-km
Amaravati: 64-km
Hamsala Devi: 85-km