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This east coastal city is the commercial industrial
heart of Andhra Pardesh's isolated nort h-east corner the fastest
developing cities in Asia, and is home to India's
largest shipbuilding yard. Originally it was two separate towns- the northern and
more urbane Waltair and the southern port town of Visakhapatnam also known as
"Vizag". From a small fishing
village, it has burgeoned into a bustling port and also an important
industrial and commercial city. The hilly seaside area of Waltair is edged by long beaches affording
views across the Bay of Bengal and the busy Kolkotta-Chennai shipping lane. it
is also known for country's largest ship building yard. At
Simhachalam Hill, 10km north of the town, there's an
11th century Vishnu temple in fine Orissan style. The best beach is Rishikonda,
also about 10km north. It is over 600 kms from Hyderabad. The most conspicuous landmark at
Visakhapatnam is the Dolphin's nose.
Visakhapatnam was named after the God
of Valour, Visakha. Once a small fishing village, it formed part of the
Kalinga empire, under Ashoka in 260 BC., passing successively from the
Andhra kings to Vengi to the Pallavas, Cholas and Gangas. In the 15th
century, Visakhapatnam became part of the Vijayanagar empire. |
