Steel-And-Surf City of Vizag

This ancient city of Andhra Pradesh, which is now an industrial and commercial centre, has a lot to offer to the tourist.
Holidays are special to everyone and if coupled with an outing, they become heavenly. A holiday in Visakhapatnam, the steel city of Andhra Pradesh is a real treat to the eye.
The eastern coastal city of Visakhapatnam is about 650km from Hyderabad and has a historical as well as modern technological side to its attraction. Vizag has developed into a busy port and a beach lover's paradise with sun-drenched beaches stretching for miles with white surf breaking against the shore.
Climatically, Vizag is humid but the temperature does not go beyond 35 degree Celsius. Winds are deflected by a hill formation called the Dolphin's nose and the result is a cool sea breeze.
It is believed that the present city of Visakhapatnam originated from an ancient temple built in honour of Vaisakh, the son of Shiva and Parvati who is also the god of war and the ruler of planet mars. The temple was built between the 11th and 12th centuries. The temple was washed away around 100 years ago in cyclonic storms.
A huge stone club attributed to Bhima can be seen at the village of Uppalam, 40km from Vizag. The chalukyas of Badami, the gangas, the Cholas of tanjore and the vengis of Andhra Pradesh have left their mark on the city in some way or the other.
The French, the British and the Dutch also had a considerable stake in this city, which in 1515 AD, during the vijayanagar rule, became a major port on the eastern coast of India.
A huge shipyard, major port facilities, an awesome naval base, the gigantic Vizag steel plant and the presence of major industries-all paint a colorful techno-commercial picture of the cosmopolitan city of Vishakhapatnam.
Low hills , endless stretches of beaches, secluded covers and creeks, golden sands, white surf and the serenity of the environs make this a honeymooner's paradise.
Lawson's bay, Ramakrishna beach, the virgin Rishikonda beach and mount Kailas- which is a small hillock overlooking Lawson's bay- are some of the scenic spots that present a panoramic view of Vizag.
Lovely, well-planned, spacious hotels and lodges to suit all types of budgets are available at vizag.The taj residency which overlooks the Ramakrishna beach, the Daspalla hotel, the dolphin and Green Park are some of the luxurious hotels here. They have excellent banquet, conference office and secretarial assistance facilities.
The city has 3 hills. These are Ross hill, which has a roman catholic church, dargakonda, which houses the tomb of the Muslim saint ishaque madina, and Sri Venkateshwara konda which has a temple dedicated to lord venkateshwara.
Among the other attractions of Vizag is the stone temple of kanaka mahalakshmi, the presiding deity of the city. There is also the vishaka museum, the indhira Gandhi zoological park, the marine zoo complex, the 18-hole golf course of madasarlova, and kondakarla, a famous bird sanctuary.
Religious places are very important for the Indian traveler and for the devout, a 16km drive from the city transports you to the 11th century temple of Simhachalam, nestled in the simhachalam hills and dedicated to the narasimha the man-lion incarnation of Vishnu.
This temple has 96 richly carved pillars and exquisite sculpture on the walls. The uniqueness of this temple is that the idol is covered with sandalwood paste which is removed only once in the year during the chandanayatra.
Bheemunipatnam is another beautiful place, 24 km away from Vizag and the drive there along the coast is a real treat for the eyes. The bhimili municipality, set up in 1861 and the second oldest in the country, was a Dutch settlement in the 17th century.
41 km from Vizag are the ancient Buddhist ruins of sangharama. But no trip to Vizag is complete without a tryst with the tribal culture and a panoramic view of the Araku valley which is 112 km away. En route are the famous borra caves which are over a million years old and have unusual stalagmite and stalactite limestone formations.
The 2 hour rail journey from borra caves to Araku valley is a pleasure to the eyes. One sees lush green rice fields, thickly – wooded forests, sugarcane plantations, banana and coffee plantations and numerous waterfalls along the way to Araku valley, which is supposed to be the home of sabari, the devotee of lord Rama.
Vizag is also a major industrial and commercial centre, with many private and public enterprises having the offices in the city. The Vizag steel plant and the Vizag port trust are major public enterprises.
Vizag is well connected by rail, road and air to all major cities. So, if you are in search of a holiday in a place that can thoroughly amuse you, pack your bags and head for Vizag, the steel city of Andhra Pradesh. It has a heart of gold and yours will melt with the warmth, love and richness that it has to offer to visitors.