Vijayawada's Story- History, Climate, Demographics, Culture & More!
- Vijayawada Express
- Aug 10
- 6 min read
History
Geography & Climate
Demographics
Economy
Culture
Arts, Crafts & Artefacts
Vijayawada City Landscape
History
The Paricchedi Kings established the city of Bezawada (as Vijayawada was called then) around 626 A.D. According to the history of Vijayawada, towards the end of the 16th century, Bezawada (Vijayawada) came under the reign of King Madhava Varma (one of the kings of the Vishnukundina dynasty) around 640 A.D. Chinese Buddhist scholar Xuanzang spent a few years in Bezawada (Vijayawada), where he copied and studied the Chevada Pitaka, the third of three pitakas (Pali word meaning baskets) constituting the Pali canon, the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism.
The Mogalrajapuram hills consist of 5 rock-cut temples constructed during the fourth to ninth centuries. Part of the caves could be assigned to the Vishnukundina dynasty. A monument of national importance at the foothills of Indrakeeladri Hill is a group of caves, known as Akkanna Madanna Caves. The temple of Malleswara stands at the base of the Indrakeeladri hills. There are inscriptions on the temple by different kings between the 9th century AD and the 16th century AD. Ten pillars and a mutilated slab (identified as monuments by the Archaeological Survey of India) are present, with the capsules written in Telugu. Yudhamalla I and II of the Eastern Chalukyas inscriptions should be noted. Diamond mines were discovered in the early 16th century in the reign of the Qutb Shahi dynasty (Golconda Sultanate) near Vijayawada at the banks of the Krishna River.
Geography & Climate
The city of Vijayawada is situated on the banks of the river Krishna, covered by the eastern ghats hills and artificial irrigation canals, and its altitude rises 11 m (36 ft) above sea level. The town lies along three canals that begin at the north bank of the reservoir at the Prakasam Barrage: Eluru Canal, Bandar Canal and the Ryves Canal.
Vijayawada experiences a tropical, wet and dry climate. Its mean annual temperatures are 23.4-34 °C (74-93 °F); whereas the maximum in May and the minimum in January and December, in many cases, go above 40 °C (104 °F). The maximum temperature records reached 48.8 °C (119.8 °F) in May 2002. The hottest month is May, and the coldest month is January. It experiences rainfall during the season, due to the North-east and South-west monsoons, and average annual rainfall as compiled is 977.9 mm (38.50 in).
Demographics
In Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada is the second most populous city and 3rd most densely populated urban built-up area worldwide, with approximately 31,200 people per sq km. According to 2011 data, the city has a population of 1.1 million. As of 2024, it is around 2 million, based on estimates. There are 0.524 million males and 0.523 million females, and a sex ratio of 997 females per 1000 males, higher than the national average of 940 per 1000. Ninety-two thousand eight hundred forty-eight children were in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 47,582 were boys and 45,266 were girls: a ratio of 951 per 1000. The average literacy rate was 82.59% (male 86.25%; female 78.94%) with 789,038 literates, significantly higher than the national average of 73.00%.
The widely spoken language in the city is Telugu. According to 2011 data, the city's total number of language speakers (including the outgrowths) was 1,143,232. Telugu is spoken by 1,022,376 speakers, followed by 90,876 speakers of Urdu. A small minority speaks Hindi, Tamil, Odia, Gujarati, Marathi and Malayalam. In the same census, the total religious population in the city (including the outgrowths) was 1,143,232. It constituted 973,612 Hindus (85.16%), 104,206 Muslims (9.12%), 41,557 Christians (3.64%), 5,722 Jains (0.50%), and 18,135 (1.59%) did not state any religion.
Economy of Vijayawada
According to 2020 data, the GDP of Vijayawada city is $11.292 billion. Vijayawada is one of the country's rapidly growing urban markets. The sectors contributing to the city's economy are construction, education, entertainment, food processing, hospitality, registration, transport, etc. Based on the recommendations of the 6th Central Pay Commission, it is classified as one of the Y-grade cities of India. According to one study, the city's GDP in 2010 was $3 billion (Rs. 18,000 crore) and is expected to grow to $17 billion (Rs. 1,02,000 crore) by 2025. According to Oxford, the city's GDP in 2018 was $5.8 billion and is expected to grow to $21 billion by 2035. Andhra Cements (1937) was the first cement factory in Andhra Pradesh. Siris Pharmaceuticals was the first pharma company in Andhra Pradesh and was established in 1950.
The city has trading and exporting markets for agricultural and industrial goods. The Nunna Mango Market is one of the largest mango markets in Asia, exporting to major cities in the country. It is also a hub for storing, bottling, and transporting petroleum products of all major companies like BPCL, HPCL, and IOCL.
Culture of Vijayawada
The city is also attracting many international IT companies. HCL Technologies, a Noida-based Indian multinational, is constructing its Vijayawada campus in Kesarapalli village, near Gannavaram. In the first phase, HCL will employ 5,000 students. There are two major IT parks, one at Gannavaram and the other in Mangalagiri. Big companies like TechMahindra, HCL, PI Data Centre, VSoft, Efftronics, KJ Systems, and EPSoft are also involved. The city is also the preferred tier-two destination for IT/ITES services. There is an APIIC Mega Food Park in Mallavalli near Gannavaram. The growing population and economy have resulted in rising real estate prices. Tech Mahindra also operates a cybersecurity office. And the Wonderla, an amusement park, is trying to invest around 250 crores rupees to expand its branch between Guntur and Vijayawada on 50 acres.
The city is known in the state for its cultural history, and its residents are more often referred to as Vijayawadians. There are many religions, languages, traditions, and festivals. Durga Pooja and a special Theppotsavam in the Krishna River are essential events of the Hindu festival of Dussera in the city, mainly due to the existence of the self-manifested Kanaka Durga Temple. Hazarat Bal Mosque is a Muslim shrine housing the holy relic of the Prophet Mohammed. Gunadala Matha Shrine is an important shrine for Christians and illuminated during Christmas Eve and the Gunadala Matha annual festival, on 9, 10 and 11 February each year. The city corporation organises "Happy Sunday," an event organised on the first Sunday of every month at M.G. Road to promote sports, games, cultural events, and yoga. The locals' clothing includes traditional men wearing a dhoti and women wearing a saree and salwar kameez. Western clothing is also predominant.
Arts, Crafts & Artefacts of Vijayawada
The Vijayawada Art Society promotes Telugu arts. The city hosted Poetic Prism 2015, a multilingual poets' meet on 19 September 2015. All these activities are organised in collaboration with the Cultural Centre of Vijayawada. Kondapalli Toys, which were granted geographical indication in 2007, are handmade by the artisans of Kondapalli, a suburb of Vijayawada. Kondapalli toys, also known as Kondapalli Bommalu, are traditional wooden toys crafted by skilled artisans in Kondapalli, Andhra Pradesh, India. These toys are known for their intricate designs and vibrant colours, made from soft Tella Poniki wood and painted with natural dyes. They are safe for children to play with due to their non-toxic materials and lack of harmful chemicals. From Rajasthan in the 16th century, Kondapalli artisans are considered 'Aryakhastriyas'. Victoria Jubilee Museum is an archaeological museum in the city, which houses sculptures, paintings, and artefacts of Buddhist and Hindu relics, dating back to the second and third centuries.
Vijayawada City Landscape
Vijayawada was paired as a sister city of Modesto, California, in 1993. The city has old and new town areas. The One Town area of the city is known as the old city area, comprising areas such as Islampet, Jendachettu Centre, Kamsalipet, Rajarajeswaripet, Kothapet, Ajith Singh Nagar, and Winchipet. The new city areas include areas such as Autonagar, Benz circle, Chuttugunta, Labbipet, Machavaram Down, Mogalrajapuram, NTR circle, Tikkle Road, Governorpeta, Pinnamaneni Polyclinic Road and Suryaraopet.
Some residential areas include Brindavan Colony, Commercial Taxes Colony, Gunadala, and Veterinary Colony. Bank Colony, Bharati Nagar, Gayatri Nagar, Currency Nagar, Satyanarayana Puram, Gurunanak Colony, APIIC Colony, LIC Colony, Patamata and MG Road are the upscale residential areas. The major commercial areas include the stretch of MG Road and from Benz Circle to Ramavarappadu Ring. Other commercial centres are Besant Road, Rajagopalachari Street, and the One Town market area, covering Kaleswara Rao Market (KR Market) and Vastralatha. The city has many landmarks which include, Prakasam Barrage across the Krishna river; Krishnaveni Mandapam (River Museum) depicting the history of Krishna river and a nearby idol of the river known as, Krishnaveni statue; Gandhi Hill, the first Gandhi Memorial in the country, located at an elevation of 500 feet (150 m) on a hill; Bhavani Island, one of the largest river island amidst Krishna river.
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