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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Visakhapatnam City History

This city was ruled by several dynasties including famous Kalingas during 7th century, Chankya's during 8th century, Rajahmundry Reddy kings, Cholas, Golkonda Nawabs etc., Archaeological sources, however, reveal that the temple was possibly built between the 11th and 12th centuries AD by the Chola king, Kulottunga.

A shipping merchant, Sankarayya Chetty, built one of the mandapams, or pillared halls of the temple. Though it no longer exists - it may have been washed away about 100 years ago by a cyclonic storm - elderly residents of Vizag talk of visits to the ancient shrine by their grandparents.

The antiquity of the region is evident in its mention in the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The former tells of the forests through which Rama travelled in search of his abducted wife, and where he met his devotee, Shabari, who directed him to the mountains where Hanuman lived. Rama also met Jambavan, a bear man, who helped him in his battle with Ravana.

It was here, too, that Bheema defeated the demon Bakasura - the Pandava's huge stone club can be seen in the village of Uppalam, 40 kms away.

This region, formerly part of the great Kalinga empire that stretched up to the river Godavari, has also been mentioned in Hindu and Buddhist texts from the 5th and 6th centuries BC, as well as by Sanskrit grammarians, Panini and Katyayana in the 4th century BC.

After Independence this was the biggest district in the country, which was then divided into three districts viz. Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram and Visakhapatnam.

How the place got its name?

The city is named after the god of valour, Visakha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is also the ruler of the planet Mars and the god of war. Local legend has it that an Andhra king (9-11th century AD), on his way to Benares, rested there. So enchanted was he with the sheer beauty of the place that he ordered a temple to be built in honor of his family deity, Visakha.


General Information

Location: North Eastern Part Of Andhra Pradesh
Previously Known As: Visakhapatnam, Waltair
Boundaries : East Godavari(N), Vijayanagaram(W), Orissa(S), Bay of Bengal(E)

Nearby Cities

Simhachalam : 16 km
Araku Valley : 115 km
Borra Caves : 90 - 95 km

Cultural Geography

Clothing : Light Cottons in Summer and Light Woollen in Winter.
Life Style : Modern and Posh.
Language : Telugu, Oriya, Hindi.


Physical Geography

Sea : Bay of Bengal
Aqua : Prawn and Fish
STD Code : 0891

General Geography

Lat : 17.44 N
Lon : 83.23 E
Climate : Tropical

Temperature Range
Summer : Max 36°C and Min 25°C
Winter : Max 28°C and Min 19.6°C

Rainfall : Seasonal, 981 mm

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