JOIN USThough the city of Visakhapatnam had been passed through many times before, never had it occurred to me that this industrial city is also a destination of tourist interest and has quite a few sights of its own. It was a discovery of sorts when we actually landed there recently, on a small tour of the district and its surroundings.
Visakhapatnam, known as Waltair in colonial times, and Vizag for short, is an upcoming metropolis, home to many an industrial giant and dominated by an expansive natural harbour. With a few pristine beaches dotting the city, it is no wonder that Vizag is nicknamed “Goa of the east.”
As if to familiarise us with Vizag as a beach city, we were taken to the Rushikonda Beach Resort, one of the best options for accommodation, some 14 km off the city. The resort is built on Rushikonda Hill, overlooking the beach in such a way that all of its 57 rooms have balconies with a lovely view of the sea. Having reached by late evening, the balcony view was all we could have a taste of on the first day.
At dawn, the real beauty of the place opened up. The vast stretch of blue sea spread out before us with a curved bay lined with gentle hills and profuse greenery. Enthralled by a stroll along the cool beach, we embarked on the sights we had marked out for the day.
We had discovered a well-defined Buddhist circuit in this part of the state. Nearby hills held ancient relics, stupas and viharas. The first hill we visited was Totlakonda. A welcome arch leads the way up the hill, and at the top, we explored a few abandoned small tanks used to store water.
A line of cells where the Buddhist monks resided has been reduced to the base. A large stupa stands in the centre, though dilapidated. Numerous flowers and birds of many varieties make the visit refreshing. We moved on to Bhavikonda, a similar site close by with remains of stupas and a mahastupa.
“Buddha’s jaw bone was excavated here,” remarked our guide, and is now kept in the museum at Hyderabad. After a quick visit to the pilgrim town of Simhachalam, famed for the Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy Temple, we came back for lunch which, surprisingly, was not spicy.
The afternoon was spent visiting a couple of museums; a maritime museum named Visakha and the submarine museum Kursura, the only one of its kind in the country. There are some fine beaches here as well, but a tad bit too crowded. As evening was drawing to a close, we took the ropeway lift to Kailasagiri Hill, another enchanting spot in Vizag.
True to its name, the hilltop has the statue of Shiva-Parvathi. The several vista points here offer stunning panoramic views of the sea and the city.
The last day was marked to visit Sankaram, another historic site of Buddhist relics dating back to 1st century AD. Here, the Bojjanakonda hill, reached by a flight of steep steps, has a fine rock-cut temple with images in its niches. A huge ruining stupa is also found on top.
The
opposite hill with a collection of stupas that look like lingas has earned it the name of Lingalakonda.
Ross Hill, which is closer to the harbour, is actually a cluster of three little hillocks, where a temple, a mosque and a chapel exist. The views of the harbour and ships on the sea are eye-catching. After an enjoyable boat ride on the sea, we made it to the Dolphin’s Nose, a large rocky hill in the shape of a snout, extending into the sea.
It is this feature that has made the natural harbour possible and the shipping industry thrive. Driving back along the sea beaches to the comfort of the resort, the visit to Vizag culminated with a dinner overlooking the sea.