Popularly known as Vizag, Visakhapatnam is a prosperous industrial city on the east coast of India, in
Andhra Pradesh. It has the biggest ship building yard in the country, and is the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command. Vizag is also a major port that deals in enormous volumes of cargo. Major industries such as oil refining, fertilizer, petrochemical, steel, and sugar refining and jute flourish here.
Along with its twin town Waltair, the city has a bunch of huge hills, valleys and golden beaches along the Bay of Bengal coastline, giving it great tourist appeal. Vizag is bounded by three hills, Sri Venkateswara Konda, Dargakonda and
Ross hill, each with a shrine dedicated to a different religion - Venkateswara temple on Venkateswara Konda; the tomb of a Muslim saint, Baba Ishaq Madina Dargah on Dargah Konda; and Church of the Virgin Mary on Ross hill. Vishakha Utsav, an annual tourism event, is held here for three days from the third Friday to Sunday in the month of January.
Visakhapatnam has a rich cultural and historical heritage. Once part of the ancient empire of Kalinga, it has been ruled by eminent kings such as
Ashoka and Krishnadeva Raya. It had also been a Dutch colony in the 18th century. Now a comfortable urban hangout, the city offers the best of both ancient and modern worlds.
The popular tourist attractions are Kailasagiri Hill Park, VUDA Park, Mudsarlova, Dantapuram, Simhachalam Temple, Rishikonda Beach and Araku, a scenic hill-station.
Vishakhapatnam has an airport and a railway station on Kolkata-Chennai rail route. The city is well-connected by roads.
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