Vijayawada – Heart of Andhra Pradesh

The city of Vijayawada blends with tradition, modern growth, history, culture and is  also called as a Place of Victory, The Business City and an Educational Hub and a connecting platform to all the major destinations in the country. Vijayawada is not just a fastest growing and cleanest city in India but also a city full of life, colour, stories and memories waiting to get explored. Whatever you are or wherever you come from  once to visit this place you fell in love with this- This is for people who love to explore the city like a local mindset!  

1. A City of Great history and Victory

Vijayawada is one of the major cities since many decades. The earlier name of “Vijayawada” is “Bezawada”  the name Vijayawada comes from goddess Kanaka Durga, who killed the demon Mahishasura in this place and attained victory to good people over evil forces. In Telugu Language the meaning of “Vijaya means Victory”, “Wada means Place”, so Vijayawada “Place of Victory”. This Place is ruled by many dynasties like Chalukyas, Vijayanagara and Qutb Shahis. The city is being situated on the banks of river Krishna which is one of the largest and major rivers in India and is 80km from nearest sea cost Bay of Bengal. Due to river Krishna and abundant water resources the city is surrounded by rich agriculture lands. Through the years the city evolved into a major urban center but still holding on to its cultural and spiritual roots.  

2. Geographical Location and Importance

Geographic Location of Vijayawada

Vijayawada is located on east cost of India in the middle of the Great Western Ghats and north of banks of river Krishna and surrounded by lush green mountains and famous hills like Gandhi Hill and Indrakeeladri Hills on which goddess Kanaka Durga Temple is located. Vijayawada is also called “The Business Capital” of “Andhra Pradesh State” after Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada is the second largest city in the state with a population of over 2 million. Vijayawada Railway Junction is one of the busiest and major railway junctions not only in Andhra Pradesh but in entire south India and is the 4^th major station among the stations in India.   

3. Kanaka Durga Temple - Religious Icon of Vijayawada

Kanaka Durga Temple Vijayawada

One of the most important and highly recommended places to visit in Vijayawada city is “Kanaka Durga Temple” which is located on Indrakeeladri Hils right next to the river Krishna it is not just a normal religious place it has centuries of history and had a prominent place in the Hindu Mythology as well.  Through out the year people from across the country visit this place mainly from neighbouring states like Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Orissa. During the festivals seasons the no.of people visiting this temple is very high especially during the Dasara festival  

The view of the city and river from the top of the mountain is  very beautiful. For the people of Vijayawada, it is more than a temple.

4. Places To Visit

Along with kanaka Durga Temple they are some other places to visit in Vijayawada.

 Prakasam Barrage

Prakasam Barrage Vijayawada

This is major reservoir constructed across the river Krishna during 1850 by British East India Company later in the year 1953 it was renamed as Prakasam barrage as a tribute Tanguturi Prakasam a freedom fighter from Andhra Pradesh. It is a beautiful place for spectacular views of city, and river and the temple.

 Bhavani Island

Bhavani Island Vijayawada

Bhavani Island is the one of the largest inland river Island in India famous for lush green trees and breath-taking views of river Krishna people who want to enjoy their weekends with family and friends can visit this place. It is also 1 km to city centre and   to NH65. People can try speed boat, jet ski and many other water and other activities.

 Undavalli Caves

Undavalli caves Vijayawada

These caves are manmade rock-cuts made during 4^th to 5^th century initially they were Buddhist centres later turned into Hindu Temple they are constructed under the rule of Vishnukundina Kings. These caves are the symbol of regions spiritual history.

5. Food - Taste of Vijayawada

Vijayawada city is also famous for food, foodies and food lovers must visit this place to try the spicy, tangy and most delicious local cuisine that truly resembles the vibrant nature of the city.

Here are the top picks:

Andhra Chicken Curry - Bold and Spicy.

Pesarattu Upma – Dosa topped with ghee and spicy Karam (Chilli Powder).

Punugulu – Deep fried and  crispy snack item made up of idli or dosa batter.

 Sweets - Rava Laddu and Pootha Rekulu most famous in the city.

Ulava Charu – Horse Gram Soup very famous in Vijayawada

6. The People & Culture of Vijayawada

Vijayawada people were well known for their hospitality and welcoming nature, business enthusiast. Telugu is the native language and mostly widely spoken language and many people also speak English and Hindi as well. The major festivals are Ugadi (Telugu New Year) usually celebrated in the month of March and Sankranti a 3-day festival related to farmers which is celebrated in the  month of January, Dasara a festival related to victory over evil by goddess “Kanaka Durga” it usually celebrated in the month of October. Other major festivals like Diwali, Ramzan, Christmas are also celebrated well in the city.

7. Education  

Vijayawada is also famous for education  the city is part of Krishna District which is the top district in terms high school and intermediate level in number people passing percentage in entire state. And the city is home for many educational institutions some of the famous institutes are Nalanda College, Siddhartha College, Loyola College, Stella College, Laki Reddy and Bal Reddy College, MIC College, Vignan University, VIT- AP University, SRM-AP University.

8. Shopping & Markets

The most popular places for shopping in Vijayawada are

M.G. Road (Bandar Road) – Best for shopping branded foot ware, clothing, watches, jewellery and many more.

Besant Road – Name after Anne Besant famous for street shopping, cinema and street food courts.

Eluru Road- It is also called Karl Marks Road Which connect Vijayawada with Eluru city this road is famous for furniture shopping, Children ware, electronics, jewellery and textile shopping.

Kaleswara Rao Market – Old traditional place famous for silver, gold, vegetables, flowers and fruits, books and stationery, pharmaceuticals and textile.  

Mango Market – It is famous for fruits and vegetables one can find all the variety of fruits and vegetables both seasonal and non-seasonal.

9. Public Transport & Connectivity

Road - Vijayawada is in the heart of Andhra Pradesh between two major highways NH65 and NH16 which connects Vijayawada to Hyderabad and Mumbai towards west and Chennai towards south and Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata in north. The APSRTC (Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation) is one of the largest state-run bus service which carries both people and cargo within and outside the state  with a fleet size of over 12,000 buses and Vijayawada Bus station one of the largest bus stations in terms of number of platforms called “Jawaharlal Nehru Bus Station” which is the headquarters of APSRTC is in Vijayawada.

Air - Vijayawada has an International Airport called “Vijayawada International Airport” at Gannavaram   approximately 25 km from city centre which connects directly to Bengaluru, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi and International routes like Kuwait, Sharjah and many other routes through connecting flights both domestic and international from those cities.

Rail – Vijayawada is well connected with all the major and minor stations in the country. Vijayawada Railway Junction is one of the busiest and major railway junctions not only in Andhra Pradesh but in entire south India and is the 4^th major station with over 10 platforms among the stations in India.100’s of trains passes through this station  which making it a major railway connecting points in the Indian Railway Network.

 10. Why We Love Our City - Vijayawada

At Vijayawada Expresss, we are not just highlighting the city of Vijayawada infrastructure like roads, buildings etc. We are highlighting about the soul of the city – the people, the food, the vibe and the feelings we get when we walk around the city. It is a great city which respects its past while embracing the future and it is a place of warmth, resilience and ambition. We love our city because it is not just a place where we live it is an emotion and feel it’s like our home. We strongly believe that many people will visit the city especially outsiders and that’s what makes this city more special.