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About Visakhapatnam / Vizag

Visakhapatnam, often referred to as Vizag is the port city located on the south east coast of India. Vizag, with a population of almost 2,035,690, covering an area of 544 square kilometers is also called as "The Jewel of the East Coast". It is the third largest city on the east coast of India, after Chennai and Kolkata, alongside, this city enjoys the status of second largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Vizag is home to many state owned heavy industries and steel plant. Nation's largest seaports and oldest shipyard is located in this city. On the east coast of India, only Vizag is blessed with natural harbor. Nestled among the beauty of the hills of the Eastern Ghats, Vizag has a lot to offer.


A brief history

History says, the city was named after the god of Valor-Vishakha. Vizag was ruled by the King Thankappan Chettiyar, before it became a part of the Kalinga Kingdom, under Ashoka's rule in 260 BC. Later the city passed on to the Andhra kings of Vengi, from there it went to Chola and Ganga dynasties. In the late 15th century, Vizag became a part of the Vijayanagar Empire.

The beautiful beaches to the lakes, from the hills to the caves Vizag has it all in terms of scenic beauty and is sure to mesmerize visitors.


The city and its people

The population of Vizag could be said as a cosmopolitan mix of people who has origin in different parts of the nation. The population of the city was once, just few thousands during the 18th and early 19th century, however, the population has increased quite many folds in the recent years. The primary reason behind the increase in population is due to large migrant population from the surrounding areas and other parts of the nation who came and settled in the city due to professional reasons primarily and later got settled there.

The influence of the Buddhism is very much evident from the numerous Buddhist Sangharamas; however, the number of Buddhist population has decreased over time. Hinduism is primarily followed by majority of the citizens, while people from the Islam and Christianity faith also dwell in the city.

Vizag is predominantly Telegu speaking. However, due to a mix of communities residing in the city, Hindi and English are also very common. The arrival of various several communities including Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, and Bengali due to the Naval presence is recent.


Climate of the city

Vizag is blessed with a tropical Savanna Climate, where the city experience little changes in the temperature throughout the year. May is the hottest month of the year with maximum 36 ^oC (97 ^oF), while January is the coolest month with maximum temperature near 29 ^oC (84 ^oF). Humidity remains high throughout the year. October gets about 204 millimeters (8.0 in) of rainfall. From November to February, the weather remains at its best and the temperature is moderate, which makes it the absolute time to visit Vizag.



Transportation

Vizag, being one of the most advanced cities of South India, provides well knit transportation throughout the city. Visakhapatnam airport in the coastal Andhra is one of the busiest airports in the nation. It is connected by daily flights with Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Kochi, Coimbatore, Raipur and other major cities of the country. The airport recently got the permission to operate night flights. The new 10,000 foot runway is operational to accommodate international flights and much larger aircrafts. Visakhapatnam Airport recently became the international airport, when air India started flights to Dubai. Several airlines including Singapore airlines, Air Arabia, Srilankan Airlines and alike many have agreed to begin international flights from Vizag.

The railways in Vizag have an extremely strong network. It is being administered by the East coast Railway division of Indian railways. The first train form Visakhapatnam started in October, 1894.

Vizag is one of the major cities of the eastern coast that is connected with NH5, as well as Golden Quadrilateral system of Indian highways that connects Kolkata and Chennai. The section of NH5 from Kolkata to Chennai connects Visakhapatnam on the northeast and the south. The broad network of roads across the city facilitates roadway communication. Public Transport Network provided by APSRTC, runs numerous buses and is the most available option for the residents of the city. A Metro Rail Project has also been planned by GVMC to control the traffic condition on the streets of the city.


Culture and its Festivals

Vizag is culturally very sound, people are immensely enthusiastic. Vibrancy, celebration and colors complete the cultural scenario of the city. Various kinds of cultural programs are held in the city that certainly reflects the region's cultural richness. Throughout the year, numerous fairs are held in the city that displays different specialties in terms of the traditional art and crafts.

Traditional festivals such as the local 'Dhimsa' dance by the hill tribes wearing the traditional costumes, accompanied by playing instruments such as Dappu, Thuduma and Mori. Vizag celebrates almost all the festivals including Diwali, Sankranti to name a few. However, among the major festival of the Vizag, comes- Chandanotsavam or Chandan Yatra, the annual festival is held at Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple in Simhachalam. The idol remains covered with a paste of sandal throughout the year and during the festival devotees can see the original idol of the god, after the removal of the Chandan paste. The ISKON festival is yet another festival that is held to create awareness among the people of the nation regarding the activities of the ISKON. The city has many Buddhist Sangharamas in the city and celebrates Lumbini festival with much grace and glee. All the Buddhist sites are decorated during this time and the Buddhist paintings are the massive attraction of the city.

Vizag music festival is yet another festival that is celebrated every year, which is known for traditional foods, music and fun. Being the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command's Head Quarters, Navy day is another festival that Vizag looks forward to every year. A parade along with several other events is held at the Eastern Naval Command. Thousands of people gather there to see the navy ships and other naval artifacts.

While talking about the festivals of Vizag, Vishakha Utsav deserves special mention. This festival is organized by the department of tourism of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, each year. The entire state of Andhra Pradesh participates to celebrate the Vishakha Utsav. The festival show cases the rich cultural heritage of the city.


Places of interest in the city

Vizag offers astounding scenic beauty for the visitors. The city has abundance of beaches and historical monuments of prime importance. The spots are well maintained by the Andhra Government for the visitors to enjoy.

Beaches like Ramakrishna Beach, Yarada Beach are must visit for the visitors. Ramakrishna Beach is extremely popular among the tourists, and it also has water sports and beach activities arrangements. The Yarada Beach lies in the Yarada village, behind the Dolphin nose. From Dolphin nose, one can get a clear view of the beach and the entire Vizag city.

Other interesting points are Tenneti Beach Park, which has been a popular backdrop for many Indian cinemas. Spectacular sunrise and sunset along the beaches are indeed a gift that nature gives you, which you would definitely cherish throughout your life.

Rose Hill is yet another interesting site that you would love to visit, as it consists of three hills, which are dedicated to three different faiths- a temple, a Church and a Mosque. Ross Hill has a chapel known as Mother Mary's church, Durga Pahad has a Mosque and the third hill Sri Venkateswara Konda has a temple. Kailashgiri gives an enchanting view of the adjoining hills and the city of Vizag.

Vizag not only ornaments itself with the gifts of nature, the city has many spots of interest for history and culture. In remembrance of the victory at sea achieved in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the War Memorial was constructed in Vizag. It displays some copies of missile, a fighter plane, a tank and other war arms.

Submarine Kursura is again a one of its kind submarine to be created in the nation and is a must visit. The Naval Museum, also known as Swarna Jyoti Museum, exhibits the maritime history of India through pictures, models and written content. The Port of Visakhapatnam is also amongst country's largest ports with three harbors- outer harbor, inner harbor and fishing harbor, and certainly needs a very interesting point to visit.

Kambalakonda sanctuary is just half hour's drive from Vizag, provides amazing views from the viewing tower, and has a collection of flora and fauna. 'Matsyadarshini Aquarium' is a joint for entertainment and fun for sure as it showcases a wonderful collection of marine and fresh water fish.

Apart from this, tourists can also visit, Borra caves, Rishikonda Beach, Araku valley, Anantagiri hills, Visakhapatnam Hills, Katiki Falls, Bojana Konda, Teeda Park and Bheemunipatnam Beach.


Economy and Business centres

During the early days of independence struggle, Vizag was nothing but the village of the local fishing communities. However, in the recent years, Vizag has grown economically. As per the records, Vizag is identified as the fastest growing cities in the world, both demographically and economically. The economic growth of the city in such small span of time certainly deserves recognition.

There are many factors that contributed for the growth of economy in the city. The presence of the natural harbor is the primary reason for the development of the city into an industrial city. Visakhapatnam has brown into a hub for heavy industries. The Visakhapatnam Port is the largest contributing factor to the development of the petroleum, steel and fertilizer industries.

The Hindustan Petroleum and Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and were the two multi-billion-dollar investments that put Visakhapatnam on the industrial map. Besides, two NTPC power plants supply the power needs. Vizag also hosts the headquarters of the Dredging Corporation of India.

Vizag is also the hub for iron ore and other mineral exports, the minerals are exported to China from the port. There are many bauxite reserves in the district of Visakhapatnam. Manganese ore and Titanium is found in the beach sand.

Apart from that the presence of the Leading IT companies is yet another factor that makes the city economically sound. Encore India HSBC, IBM Daksh, Sutherland, Mahindra Satyam, InfoTech, Wipro, Kenexa, and Acclaris are some of the name that has flourished the city with its presence. The city also boasts of having 102 small and medium software companies and call centres. The government of the state has established an IT special economic zone with Incubation center in the Rishikonda Hills in Visakhapatnam.

With the rise in population, the real estate business has gained prominence quite a lot. The real estate prices are going high even in the remote areas of the city. Real-estate firms are building housing and commercial in the city's outskirts.

The natural beauty of the city has encouraged the growth of film studios and film location throughout the city. Ramanaidu studio is one of the major studios of Vizag. The scenic beauty of the city also makes it a hot spot for the tourists, making Tourism a rising business during the peak months, from November to February.

With the presence of the Naval Headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command, The Naval Science and technological Laboratory (DRDO lab), a Naval dockyard and Naval bases such as INS Kalinga, INS Samudrika, INS Dega, INS Virbahu and INS Satavahana, the economy and the culture of the city has got further boost. Visakhapatnam also has presence of the Indian Coast Guard including ships and offices.

The beautiful city of Vizag has a lot to offer to individuals from every aspect. As the presences of national and international companies are in the rise, young crowd is moving to the city to start with their career. The amazing climate, scenic beauty and the economic prosperousness is indeed as reason behind identifying Vizag as one of the fastest growing cities in the nation.