Vijayawada: Difference between revisions

Template:Infobox Indian urban area Vijayawada () (విజయవాడ) literally translates to "The Place of Victory". It is also known as Bezawada . It is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India and is located on the banks of the Krishna River, bounded by the lndrakeeladri Hills on the west and the budameru river on the north. It is situated along the Madras-Howrah, and Madras-Delhi rail route, the largest railway junction of the South Central Railways.

Vijayawada is in Krishna District, about 275 km from the state capital Hyderabad and is known as the business capital of Andhra Pradesh. It is spread over an area of 61 km² (urban area) with a population of 851,282 (agglomeration 1,039,518) (2001 census) and 1,025,436 (agglomeration 1,411,152) (2006 census).

History

The discovery of pre-historic remains belonging to the stone-age man all along the banks of the Krishna River from Machilipatnam to Nagarjuna Sagar provides evidence that this part of the river valley was inhabited by the stone age man.

• A legend narrates that Vijayawada was established by Arjuna around the Malleswara temple and Indrakiladri hills in commemoration of Lord Shiva's Darshan that he had, and thus named it after him as Vijayawada.

• Another legend states that Goddess Durga rested here after killing a Rakshasa (Demon) and since she was victorious (Vijaya), it is called Vijayawada.

Besides being an important religious centre for Buddhists and Hindus, Vijayawada is also a centre of Andhra culture. The Chalukyas of Kalyan and the great king Krishna Deva Raya once conquered this place, and the famous Chinese traveler Xuanzang (Hsuan-tsang) visited this place in 639 when Buddhism was at its zenith in the region.

During the British Raj the city experienced significant growth. In particular, the completion of the Prakasam Barrage in 1959, and railway bridge on the Krishna River connecting Guntur City and its District helped in expanding the agricultural and commercial base of this region.

Geography

Vijayawada is located at 16.52°N 80.62°E / 16.52; 80.62. It has an average elevation of 11.88 metres (39 feet). The topology of Vijayawada is plain lands in between small to medium sized hills. Krishna River runs through the southern border of the city. Three canals, namely Eluru, Bandar and Ryves run through the city.

The climate here is hot and humid with temperatures ranging from 17°C to 45°C.

Demographics

According to 2001 India censusTemplate:GR, Vijayawada had a population of 851,282. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Vijayawada has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 71%, and female literacy is 71%. In Vijayawada, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Regional setting

Vijayawada is an important link in connecting the three regions of Andhra Pradesh and is a major transit point. Two National Highways, No. 5 from Chennai to Kolkata and the No. 9 from Machilipatnam to Pune pass through the City connecting it to other parts of the country. It is connected to other areas of the state by state highways and district roads. Vijayawada is also one of the busiest railway junctions in India and the biggest in South India . The domestic airport located at Gannavaram, is about 20 km from the city and connects Vijayawada to Hyderabad and Chennai by air.

Economy

The regions around the city have fertile soil and are irrigated by the Krishna river and its canals. Major crops include sugarcane, paddy and Mango.Vijayawada is famous for automobile, garments, iron and hardware industries. The Automobile industry runs in a region called "Autonagar" which is the largest of its kind in the entire state. The main markets are situated in the old city, formerly called One Town and Kaleswara Rao Market area. It is estimated that nearly 10 crores of garment business takes place in the Vastralatha building alone in the One Town on a daily basis. Garments are mainly sold in Besant Road and Governor Pet, but now the onus has shifted to the malls that have come up in Labbipet and M.G. Road areas.

Civic administration

The city of Vijayawada is run by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation [1]. It is run by elected representatives and a commissioner. The city is divided into 59 wards and each ward elects a corporator. A mayor is elected for the entire city. The commissioner who is a (IAS) officer is appointed by the state government. The Vijayawada City Police is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.

Transport

State run city buses, auto(rickshaw)s and (cycle)rickshaws are the major means of transport in Vijayawada. Private lorries (trucks), cars and two-wheelers (motorcycles and scooters) abound as well. Today there are lots of private bus services that provide with some of the best services in the country. In fact all the major private bus services have been set up and have head offices in vijayawada. In vijayawada, AutoNagar is the place for to build the body for Heavy transport vehicles. it is the biggest one among the Asia.

Politics

Vijayawada is known as political capital of andhra pradesh. Major political parites here are Telugu Desam Party, Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Earlier it was a strong centre for Congress (I) and Communist Part of India (Marxist). With the entry of TDP, the scenario has changed. It is also a center for cpi(ML) groups politics. As per political View Vijayawada East and West, Kankipadu are the main Constitutions. Kankipadu is the biggest one among them.

Education

Vijayawada was and is still a hot destination for students aspiring to reach great heights in their careers. There a couple of prominent colleges in Engineering that are said to have produced some of the finest engineers the world has, like P.V.P Siddhartha Institute of Technology, Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College (VRSEC)[2], Koneru Lakshmaiah College of Engineering. Andhra Loyola College, KBN College, Maris Stella College, P.B. Siddhartha College, D.M. Siddardha Women's College, S.R.R. College, Siddhartha Law College etc are some of the other famous colleges, which are said to have produces some of finest people the country has. N.T.R. University of Health Sciences is located in Vijayawda.

Lot of institutes have come up in Vijayawada, to cater to the needs of the students under Pre-University. These are mainly commercial establishments, aimed at securing the seat in universities, and charge a hefty amount. The institutes that have started out here are spread all over the state of Andhrapradesh.

Few prominent secondary schools are Kennedy High School, KCP Siddhartha Adarsh Residential Public School, Seventh Day Adventist High School, NSM Public school[3] , V.P.S. Public School[4], Nalanda Vidya Niketan, Nirmala High School, Vani E.M. High School, Viswa Vani Public School,[5], Montessory School, Bishop Azaraiah High School, etc

Information technology

The city has a very good educational background and historical importance but still is not really up to expectations in the IT and Internet fields. There are 16 units of IT in Vijayawada, generating revenues of approximately Rs.32 crores (Rs 32,00,00,000). The APIIC is also setting up an IT park SEZ at Gannavaram, 20km from the city, to facilitate the growth of IT in this region. construction major L&t got the contract for developing this IT park with a budget of Rs 300 crores and employement for 10,000 IT professionals. Recently a site has been launched with all the business telephone number listings in the city and its neighbouring towns. Some of the IT companies in Vijayawada are GSR Technologies, GSR Consultancy Services Private Limited, COMTEC (India) Limited, ACE SOLUTIONS Private Limited, Extranet Software Solutions, Effetroncis, Essel Software, Gayatri Technologies.

Places of interest

• Kanaka Durga Temple: One of the most popular temples in and around Vijayawada, it is located on a hill (Indrakeeladri) overlooking the city as well as the River Krishna. One can either motor up the ghat road or take to the steps on foot. Inscriptions of different dynasties are found in the temple. During Dasara Festival, thousands of devotees from the city and its environs throng the temple after a holy dip in the River Krishna close by the temple
• Gunadala Matha Shrine: In 1925, Rf. Arlati, the Rector of St. Joseph's Orphanage at Gunadala, installed a statue of Our Lady and later a church was built and consecrated in 1971, now popularly known as St. Mary's church. Since then the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes became an annual event here, attended by hundreds of people. The church is situated on a hillock on the eastern side of the city.

• Prakasam Barrage: Built across the river Krishna connecting Guntur District, Prakasam Barrage has created a panoramic lake. Its three canals that run through the city give Vijayawada a Venetian look.

• Besant Road: The busiest business area in Vijayawada. And also most of the theatres in the city are situated near this place. The major source of entertainment for the citizens is cinema in this city. (the city has about 50-odd cinema theatres)

• Undavalli caves: Located in Guntur District eight kilometers from Vijayawada, these caves are said to be carved in 7th century A.D. Buddhist monks used this two-storeyed cave structure as a rest house during the monsoon. A huge monolith of the Lord Buddha in reclining posture is a magnificent sight.

• Rajiv Gandhi Park: Created by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation with great care, this park welcomes the tourists at the entrance of the city with its impressive horticultural network. A mini zoo and a musical water fountain are added to it.

• Gandhi Hill: The first Gandhi Memorial with seven stupas in the country was constructed on this hill at a height of 500 ft (150 m). The 52 ft (16 m) stupa was unveiled on 6 October 1968 by Dr. Zakir Hussain, the President of India. Gandhi Memorial Library, a Sound and Light Show on Mahatma Gandhi's life and a planetarium are the other attractions.

File:Lenin-statue-in-Vijayawada.jpg

Lenin statue in Vijayawada

• Victoria Museum: A place for archaeology lovers, Victoria Museum has a carefully preserved collection of ancient sculptures, paintings, idols, weapons, cutlery, and inscriptions.

• Mogalarajapuram Caves: These caves are said to be excavated in 5th century A.D. The caves are reputed to be the first of their kind in South India. The idols of Lord Nataraja, Vinayaka & Arthanareeswara are carved here, but none of the statue are available here.

• Bhavani Island: Perhaps one of the largest islands on a river, Bhavani Island is located on Krishna River close to the city. AP Tourism is converting this 133-acre (54 hectare) island into an attractive tourist spot and a River Front Resort. The island currently has some cottages to stay in and some good adventure and fun sports. Journey to the island by boat is very pleasant.

• Hazarat Bal Mosque: A holy relic of the Prophet Mohammed is kept here which is displayed once a year. A large number of non-Muslims too join the celebrations.

• Mangalagiri: Located in Guntur District, 12 km from Vijayawada is the renowned temple of Lord Narasimha in Mangalagiri, on a hillock. The unique feature of this temple is that the mouth of the idol accepts half the quantity of panakam (jaggery dissolved in water) offered by devotees, irrespective of the size of the vessel.

• Hinkar Thirtha (Jain Temple), Mangalagiri: A Jain temple here with great artistic work, it is slated to be the biggest Jain temple in the region.

• Kondapalli Fort: Kondapalli village is situated 16 km from Vijayawada. A 7th century fort on the hill with an impressive three storeyed rock tower was witness to the glory of many dynasties. This fort was built by King Krishna Deva Raya. It served as a business centre. Finally the fort was used as a military training base by the British rulers. A good picnic spot, the village is famous for toy making with light-weight wood available on the hill forest. These toys are famous world-over as "Kondapalli toys".

• Amaravati: Amaravati near Guntur City, formerly called as Dhanyakataka and Andhranagari, is one of the most important Buddhist sites in the country. Acharya Nagarjuna constructed the country's largest stupa here, 2000 years back. Amaravati is considered the most sacred pilgrim centre for Buddhists in South India. It also has an Amareswara temple.

• Subramanya Swamy Temple: One of the most popular temples in Vijayawada, it is located on a hill (Indrakeeladri) overlooking the city as well as the River Krishna. One can take to the steps on foot. During Skanda Shashti Festival, thousands of devotees from the city. So Many regular devotees will come from Tamil Nadu. This Temple is being maintained by Iddipilli Family.

• Sri Nagarala Sri Maha Lakshmi Ammavaru Temple: One of the most popular temples in Vijayawada, it is located in the area of Chiitinagar. During Dasara Festival, thousands of devotees from the city. It is maintained by the Nagaralu Community.

External links

• Vijayawada Municipal Corporation Home Page
• Photos of Vijayawada