The History of Visakhapatnam
According to the history, the city was named after the god of 'Valor-Vishakha'. 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, Visakhapatnam 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. 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
Visakhapatnam  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

Visakhapatnam  is an important shipbuilding centre; the first steamer to be built in India was launched in Vishakhapatnam's harbour in 1948. ViVisakhapatnam shakhapatnam'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.

Visakhapatnam  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, Visakhapatnam has them all. A visit to Visakhapatnam will definitely be exciting, enriching and refreshing experience with all its sun kissed beaches, caves and temples.

Major Attractions of Visakhapatnam

Excursions of Visakhapatnam

How to Get There

Air: Visakhapatnam has an airport. Indian Airlines flies to Visakhapatnam daily from Mumbai, Kolkatta, Hyderabad and Chennai.

Rail: Visakhapatnam 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 Visakhapatnam 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 Visakhapatnam.

Shopping in Visakhapatnam 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. The 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.

Festivals of Visakhapatnam

The annual tourism event, the 'Vishakha Utsav' is held in Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam for three days from the third Friday to Sunday in the month of January.

Hotels in Visakhapatnam

Hotel Taj Residency, Visakhapatnam
Hotel Grand Bay, Visakhapatnam
Hotel The Park, Visakhapatnam
Hotel Fortune Inn Sree Kanya, Visakhapatnam
Hotel Comfort Inn Despalla Executive Court, Visakhapatnam
Hotel Quality Inn Daspalla, Visakhapatnam
Hotel Bay Leaf Spa, Visakhapatnam
Hotel Royal Fort Hotel, Visakhapatnam
Hotel Supreme Vizag, Visakhapatnam
Hotel Meghalaya, Visakhapatnam
Hotel Green Park, Visakhapatnam
Hotel Sai Priya Resort, Visakhapatnam
Hotel Sarovar Visakhapatnam
Hotel Rajdhani, Visakhapatnam