South India · Andhra Pradesh
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia
About Visakhapatnam
- Coastal
- Hills
Where it is
Visakhapatnam is the largest city of Andhra Pradesh, a port on the Bay of Bengal set between the hills of the Eastern Ghats and the sea, with a deep natural harbour sheltered by the Dolphin's Nose headland.
History
Buddhist monasteries flourished on the hills around it more than two thousand years ago, at sites such as Thotlakonda and Bavikonda, and the region was part of ancient Kalinga. Later came European trading posts, and the modern harbour opened in the 1930s. A shipyard followed, and after independence the city grew with a steel plant and the headquarters of the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command.
People
Telugu is the main language, with Urdu, Hindi and Odia also spoken, and the navy, shipyard, port and steel plant have drawn people from all over India. Fishing communities still work the coast, and seafood and Andhra meals are central to local life.
Known for
- RK Beach and the seafront road
- INS Kursura submarine museum
- Kailasagiri hilltop park
- Simhachalam temple
- Gateway to Araku Valley and Borra Caves
Did you know?
INS Kursura, a Soviet-built submarine that served the Indian Navy for 31 years, was hauled onto RK Beach and opened in 2002 as the first submarine museum in South Asia.
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