Trip to Vizag

How beautiful the city looks with backdrop of the setting Sun

The History of Visahakapatanam
According to history the city was named after the God of Valour 'Vishaka'. It was part of the Kalinga kingdom, under Asoka's rule in 260B.C. It passed on later to the Andhra Kings of 'Vengi'. After this Pallavas, Chola and Ganga dynasties ruled the city. In the 15th century, Vishakapatnam became part of the Vijaynagar Empire.

View from for the hotel window

View from the window of the Taj Gateway

The Europeans, the Dutch, the French and the English established themselves from the 17th century onwards and used this as a major trading center to export textiles, tobacco, indigo etc. This coast played a major role during the reign of Asaf Jahais and Golcondas. 
Vizag is built along the seashore, of the Bay of Bengal, and is bounded and broken by the bold headland called the Dolphin's Nose (357m. above sea level). The city boasts of a beautiful beach with a long beach road ending nearly at Bheemapatinam on the Northern end. The surrounding area is dominated in the west by the well- forested  western ghats and farther east is drained by numerous rivers, like the Godavari and Indravati.

The city is surrounded by three hills, each of which has a shrine dedicated to different religion: Venkateswara temple on the Venkateswara Konda, Baba Ishaq Madina Dargah on the Dargha Konda, and the Church of Virgin Mary on Rose Hill.

These fisher-women were quite happy to be photographed: they seem to be liking the unexpected break from the routine.You can make out from their smiles.

Waves hitting against the rocks, I simply love the sea, can spend hours here...

It is really wonderful to watch the waves gushing in with such force

  The lovely Rushikoda Beach in Vizag with golden sands is the best beach in Vizag. However instead of going to the regular beach, as it is very crowded, it is better to drive a few miles further down the road and find some secluded beaches like this. Here we found some lovely and  very friendly fisher- women, who were not only excited to see visitors on this isolated beach, but also readily agreed to pose for pictures.

The Kailasgiri Hills and the Ropeway

Known as the Thomas' Folly in the colonial era Kailasgiri is situated at an altitude of 360ft. A charming hillock on the sea front bordering a small valley within the city. The magnificient statues of Shiva & Parvati are illuminated at night and is worth seeing.

Boats, boats all sailing calmly...

A Ropeway that takes people from the foot of the hill to the top of the hill and back. It is an added attraction to this wonderful place. Sitting in the cable car you can have some of the magnificent views of the city and the Bay

The view from the top is mind- blowing

The park gives an enchanting view of the sea, beaches, lush green forests and the ever bustling city. Kailasagiri is a glider's paradise with excellent gliding facilities.

                               INS Kursura

The INS Kursura was commissioned at Riga. erstwhile USSR on 18th December 1969 under the command of A. Auditto. The Submarine embarked on her maiden passage from Balrisk on 20th February 1970. The induction of Kursura show cased the augumentation of the 3rd dimension of the Indian Navy. She was the corner stone of foundation of the Indian Navy Submarine Arm. During her 31 glorious year of service, the submarine traversed 73,500 nautical miles participating in all kinds of Naval operations. It played a vital role in the 1971 Indo- pak war. She was the pioneer submarine extending good will and harmony through visits and flag showing missions to other nations. In her vast life span, INS Kursura changed hands 13 times, the last commanding officer being Cdr KM Sreedharan. INS Kursura was decommissioned on 27th February 2001.

After that, Kursura has been converted into a submarine museum on the RK Beach Vizag.

The INS Kursura against the backdrop of the Bay Of Bengal in Vizag.

Inside INS Kursura

The best time to visit Vizag is from November to February with moderate temperature and little precipitation.