Vijayawada
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విజయవాడ
Vijayawada


Bezawada
—  city  —
The Vijayawada


11.88 metres (39.0 ft)
Climate
Climate of India
Analyzed according to the Köppen system, the climate of India resolves into six major climatic subtypes; their influences give rise to desert in the west, alpine tundra and glaciers in the north, humid tropical regions supporting rain forests in the southwest, and Indian Ocean island territories...



Precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...



Temperature

• Summer

• Winter
Tropical wet and dry climate
Climatic Regions of India
India has a large variation in climate from region to region, due to its vast size. India experiences climate from four major climate groups. These can be further subdivided into seven climatic types.-Tropical rainy climatic group:...

 (Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...

)


     998.2 mm (39.30 in)

     35 °C (95 °F)

     48.1 °C (118.6 °F)

     24 °C (75 °F)
Website www.ourvmc.org

Vijayawada is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, located on the banks of the Krishna River
Krishna River
The Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India, about . It is also referred to as Krishnaveni in its original nomenclature...

 and bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. The city is located in the Krishna District
Krishna district
Krishna District is a district of India's Andhra Pradesh state. It is named after the Krishna River, the third longest river that flows within India, flows through the district and joins Bay of Bengal here in this district. It has a population of 4,529,009 of which 32.08% is urban as of...

, about 275 kilometres (170.9 mi) from the state capital Hyderabad.
Vijayawada literally translates to "The Place of Victory". Vijayawada is also a center of Andhra politics. Its prominence as a major trading and business center has earned it the title of the "Business Capital of Andhra Pradesh”. Situated along the Chennai-Howrah and Chennai-Delhi Railway route, this is the largest railway junction in South India.

Name of City

There are many tales behind the origin of the name of the city. Legends have it that this was the place where Arjuna was blessed by Shiva, on Indrakiladri Hill. In another legend it is stated that Goddesses Durga killed the demon and relaxed in this place for some time. As she was victorious (Vijaya), the place got the name as Vijayawada (Vijaya- Victory and Wada- city/place/location) which literally means "City of Victory". The Epic of Mahabharata refers to Indrakiladri hills as the place where Arjuna secured “Pasupathastra” from Lord Siva.

In some legends Vijayawada was also known as Vijayavata and Rajendracholapura.

A tale behind its acquiring the name "Bezawada" is that Goddesses Krishnaveni (River Krishna) requested Arjuna to make a passage for her to merge into the Bay of Bengal. Hence Arjuna made a bejjam (hole) through the mountains and the place came to be known as Bejjamwada which later changed to Bezawada.

Geography & Climate

Vijayawada is surrounded by the Krishna river on the east and west and the Budameru River on the north. The Northern, North-Western, and South-Western parts of the city are covered by a low range of hills, while the Central, South-Western and North-Western parts are covered by rich and fertile agriculture lands with three major irrigation canals. The topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...

 of Vijayawada is flat, with a few small to medium sized hills. The Krishna River
Krishna River
The Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India, about . It is also referred to as Krishnaveni in its original nomenclature...

 runs through the city. These hills are part of the Eastern Ghats
Eastern Ghats
The Eastern Ghats or Eastern Ghauts are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka. They are eroded and cut through by the...

 cut through by the Krishna river. They have very low elevation compared to the average elevation of the ghats. Three canals originating from the north side of the Prakasham barrage
Prakasham barrage
The impressive structure of the Prakasam Barrage stretches 1223.5 meter long across the Krishna River connecting Krishna and Guntur districts. The barrage serves also as a road bridge and spans over a panoramic lake...

 reservoir, Eluru, Bandar and Ryves, run through the city. Buckingham Canal
Buckingham Canal
The Buckingham Canal is a long fresh water navigation canal, running parallel to the Coromandel Coast of South India from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh to Villupuram District in Tamil Nadu. The canal connects most of the natural backwaters along the coast to the port of Chennai...

 originates from the south side of the reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 formed by Prakasam Barrage. Due to the presence of the Krishna river
Krishna River
The Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India, about . It is also referred to as Krishnaveni in its original nomenclature...

 the soil around here is very fertile and cultivated intensively.

The climate is tropical, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate, with hot summers and moderate winters. The peak temperature reaches 47 °C (116.6 °F) in May–June, while the winter temperature is 20-27 C. The average humidity is 78% and the average annual rainfall is 103 cm. Vijayawada gets its rainfall from both the south-west monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...

 and north-east monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...

. It's nicknamed "JAMSHEED" for its scorching summer heat by the Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy
Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy
Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy OM , also popularly known as Sir C.R. Reddy, was an educationist and political thinker, essayist and economist, and poet and literary critic...

.

Kondapalli Forest

About the western outskirts of Vijayawada lies the Kondapalli reserve forest, spread over 121.5 square kilometres (30,023.3 acre). The forest provides Vijayawada with a "green lung". This pristine forest is home to leopards, wild dogs, jackals, wild boar, wolves etc. The hills produce a soft wood is used for preparing Kondapalli Toys.

Civic Administration

The city of Vijayawada is run by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation. The Municipality of Vijayawada (Jamsheed) was constituted on 1st APR, 1888 and was upgraded as a selection grade municipality in the year 1960. The municipality was upgraded to a corporation in 1981. With the merger of Gunadala, Patamata and Bhavanipuram village panchayats and two villages payakapuram and Kundavari kandrika in the corporation in 1985. More than 200,000 people in metro reside outside corporation limits. Many areas on outskirts or yet to be merged into corporation limits. The total area of the corporation is 61.8 square kilometres (23.9 sq mi) and the population of the whole city (along with Vijayawada Sub-Urban and Vijayawada Rural) is more than 2.5 Million.

The city is divided into 59 political wards. Each ward of the Municipal Corporation is represented by an area corporator. An elected body headed by the Mayor performs the Administration of the Corporation. The Commissioner acts as the executive head, and oversees the day to day functioning of the local body. The commissioner is a (IAS) officer of Joint collector rank appointed by the state government.

It has a dedicated Sub-Collector's office for Administration of State and Central Government Programmes. The staff strength of the corporation is just over 5,000.
Vijayawada is one of the three cities in andhra pradesh to be provided with its own police commissionerate.The Vijayawada City Police is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an Indian Police Service
Indian Police Service
The Indian Police Service , simply known as Indian Police or IPS, is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India...

 (IPS) officer of DIG rank.

Economy

The total urban market size of vijayawada for the year 2008 is estimated at Rs 5526 crores
The region around the city has fertile soil and irrigation is supported by the river Krishna and its canals. Major crops include sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...

, Rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

 and Mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...

. Vijayawada is famous for automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 body building, garment, iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...

 and hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....

 small scale industries. The Jawahar Lal Nehru Auto Nagar Industrial Estate in Vijayawada is one of the largest hubs of automobile industry of Asia. There are about 1500 automobile accessory units in the city and near about 1,00,000 workers are employed in these industries. Apart from workers of the city, people from other parts of the state also come to work in the industrial estate. The main markets are situated in the old city (popularly known as One Town) and near Besant Road. It is estimated that nearly INR
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....

 10 crores of garment business takes place in the Vastralatha building alone in One Town daily. Garments are mainly sold in Besant Road and Governor Pet, but most upmarket stores have shifted their shops to Bandar Road. The city has many wholesale businesses. They include garments, iron market, pulses, cereals, and other edible products, fancy markets, fertilizers, mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...

 exports, pharmacy, metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...

 and so on.

The industrial estate in Kondapalli
Kondapalli
Kondapalli is an industrial town near Vijayawada city, Andhra Pradesh, India with population of nearly 38000. It is 16 km by road from Vijayawada on National Highway 221 and on Hyderabad–Vijayawada railway line.....

, an industrial suburb of Vijayawada,is spread over 450 acres (1.8 km²) and is base to more than 800 industries. In addition a 1800MW Vijayawada Thermal power project(VTPS) and 368.144 MW gas based LANCO power plant which is under expansion to 768.144 MW are located here. In March 2011 Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) announced that it signed an agreement with APGENCO for setting up a 182 MW plant at Vijayawada as a technology demonstration project. Kondapalli suburb also houses Andhra Pradesh Heavy Machinery & Engineering Limited (APHMEL) factory besides being a hub for storage, bottling and transportation of petroleum products.

Vijayawada is one of the busiest railway junctions in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The fact that Vijayawada is well connected through rail and road keeps it the main hub of commercial activities.The second largest wagon workshop of Indian railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

 is present at Rayanapadu near Vijayawada .

Transport

Vijayawada is an important link connecting the three regions of Andhra Pradesh and is a major transit point. Two National Highways, the NH-5 from Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

 to Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

 and the NH-9 from Machilipatnam
Machilipatnam
Machilipatnam is a city and a special grade municipality in the Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located south east of state capital, Hyderabad.-History:...

 to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

 pass through the city connecting it to other parts of the country. Another National highway 221 connects the city to Jagdalpur in Madhya Pradesh state. It is connected to other areas of the state, by state highways and district roads. pandit nehru bus station is one of the largest bus station in soutern India .The APSRTC run city buses (Metro Express, City Sheetal(A/C Buses) and Ordinary) and auto rickshaws are the main mode of public transport. A BRTS project is under construction as well.

Air

Vijayawada City is well connected by air.The domestic airport located at Gannavaram
Gannavaram
Gannavaram is a town and a mandal headquarter located in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is situated at a distance of 20 kilometers from the city of Vijayawada on National Highway 5 connecting Chennai to Kolkata. Gannavaram is known for its airport and weather reporting...

, about 20 km from the city, connects Vijayawada to Hyderabad, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

, Vishakapatnam and Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...

.
Vijayawada Airport
Vijayawada Airport
Vijayawada Airport is located in Gannavaram at Vijayawada in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.This airport is connected with major metro cities of India like New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Vishakapatnam, Chennai, Mangalore.Currently Air India, Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways and spicejet...

 is currently being served by Kingfisher Airlines
Kingfisher Airlines
Kingfisher Airlines is an airline group based in India. Its head office is Kingfisher House in Vile Parle , Mumbai. Kingfisher Airlines, through its parent company United Breweries Group, has a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red....

, Jet Airways
Jet Airways
Jet Airways is a major Indian airline based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is India's largest airline and the market leader in the domestic sector. It operates over 400 flights daily to 76 destinations worldwide. Its main hub is Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, with secondary hubs at Delhi,...

 , spicejet
SpiceJet
SpiceJet is a low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon, India. It began service in May 2005 and by 2008, it was India's second-largest low-cost airline in terms of market share. SpiceJet was voted as the best low-cost airline in South Asia and Central Asia region by Skytrax in...

 and Air India
Air India
Air India is the flag carrier airline of India. It is part of the government of India owned Air India Limited . The airline operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Its corporate office is located at the Air India Building at Nariman...

.

Rail

It is biggest railway station in SCR
Situated along the Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

 - Howrah and Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

 - Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

 rail route, Vijayawada Junction
Vijayawada Junction
Vijayawada Junction is a major railway station of Indian Railways serving the city of Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The station falls in the Vijayawada railway division of the South Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways...

 is the largest railway junction on the South Central Railway
South Central Railway
The South Central Railway is one of the 16 railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Secunderabad and has the following divisions:# Secunderabad# Hyderabad# Guntakal # Vijayawada# Guntur# Nanded...

 network. Vijayawada junction had been given A-1 status by the central government. Madhuranagar, Gunadala, Rayanapadu, Kondapalli, Nidamanuru
Nidamanuru
Nidamanuru is a village in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a suburb located close to the Vijayawada city about a distance of 14 km on National Highway 5 . It is few km distance from the Vijayawada Airport at Gannavaram...

, Krishna canal junction and Ramavarappadu are the other railway stations in the city. Vijayawada is one of the busiest railway junctions in India. The railway station has 10 platforms for passenger trains and is the only station to have 5 entrance gates with booking counters.

Road

Vijayawada is well connected to the rest of the country by National Highways: NH-5, NH-9 and NH-221. Transport by road from Vijayawada to all the places of interest is available in the form of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) buses. Private bus operators also provide transport services to various parts of the country.

All major streets are connected with the Local Public Bus Transit (City Buses) operated by APSRTC.It is the first city in the south to introduce CNG buses in its fleet. Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is planning to launch Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) with dedicated bus corridors. The initiative, however, is mired in procedural delays and is expected to be launched by mid 2010. Motor driven (auto) rickshaws and manual driven (cycle) rickshaws are the other alternative means of transport within Vijayawada. Private lorries (trucks), cars and two-wheelers (motorcycles and scooters) abound as well.

Vijayawada also has the second biggest & busiest bus terminal in the Asia, next to Chennai(CMBT). It was inaugurated on 23 September 1990 and is officially named as Telugu Satavahana Prayana Pranganam.

Education

Vijayawada, also called "Vidyala wada" (Place of Education), occupies a large amount of the educational infrastructure of Andhra Pradesh. The city was named "The Educational Sahara" by a foreign ambassador.

Education in the city is implemented by both the government and the private institutions. Vijayawada Municipal Corporation takes care of the government educational institutions.

Following are statistics of government schools:
  • High Schools: 28(Including 1 Urdu
    Urdu
    Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

     Medium, 2 Schools both English
    English language
    English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

      Telugu
    Telugu language
    Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

     Medium)1 tamil
    Tamil language
    Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

     medium.
  • Upper Primary Schools: 15 (Including Urdu Medium) ( 3 Urdu Medium)
  • Elementary Schools: 65+10= 75 (10 Urdu Media, 2 English Media)
  • Students: 28,450 (as on 30-06-2009)
  • Teachers: 622


There are also “aided” schools in Vijayawada, meaning schools with both government and private partnerships as well, such as the Gollapudi high-school. Government schools are located at different places like the Jammichettu center, the Patamata high-school and Suryarao Peta, to name a few. Private schools are scattered all over the city. A majority of them implement the Andhra Pradesh State Syllabus for their students. The students, after studying their 10th class, take the Public Examination, which is equivalent of the school-leaving certificate. There are only a few schools accredited to the Central Board of Secondary Education in the city-meaning their class Ten students have to take the All India Secondary School Examination(AISSE) for their school-leaving certificate.

The first college built in Vijayawada was SRR & CVR college. Andhra Loyola College
Andhra Loyola College
Andhra Loyola College is a Jesuit educational institution founded in 1954. It is located in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India.-History:...

 was established in the year 1953 with Rev. Francis Theo Mathias, SJ as its first Principal. KBN College is another popular college in Vijayawada. The first private
engineering college in Andhra Pradesh, V R Siddhartha Engineering College, is located here.
Modern Academy of Technical & General Education, a society and a exclusive college for commerce produced number of graduates and more than 1500 Cost accountants, located at Moghalrajpuram, Vijayawada.
The branch of the premier centre of excellence under the central government - School of Planning and Architecture (SPA, V) has been allocated to Vijayawada and has commenced its courses since 2008.

The NTR University of Health Sciences
NTR University of Health Sciences
NTR University of Health Sciences is a public university in the city of Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is named after its founder N.T. Rama Rao.-History:...

 is the first medical university in India . It is a public university in the city of Vijayawada. It started functioning from 1 November 1986.

In 2008, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India established School Of Planning And Architecture, Vijayawada as an autonomous institution. SPAV is a premier Centrally Funded Technical Institution (CFTI) under the MHRD, for excellence in the fields of Planning and Architecture.

Sports

Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

 is the most popular sport, with National level cricket matches played at Indira Gandhi Stadium. A new international stadium is being built in a 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) site in Mangalagiri which will replace the local stadium as the venue for international and Ranji matches. Only One International Cricket match was played between India and West Indies on November 24, 2002 at Indira Gandhi stadium.It was won by West Indies.On December 12, 1997 Women's Cricket Worldcup only a Group match was played between England Women's Cricket Team and Pakistan Women's Cricket team and it was won by England Women's Cricket team.

Badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...

, Volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

 and Chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...

 are also popular.

Famous sports personalities from Vijayawada include:
  • Weightlifting - Dandamudi Rajagopal
    Dandamudi Rajagopal
    Dandamudi Rajagopal was renowned sports person of India.He was born in Gandigunta village in Krishna district in a family of farmers. Impressed by the performance of Kodi Rammurthy Naidu, he took up the line of Weight Lifting...

     - Participated in 1948 and 1956 Olympics, Played Bhima role in various hit movies like Narthanasala.
  • Chess Grandmaster Koneru Humpy
    Koneru Humpy
    Humpy Koneru is an Indian chess Grandmaster. Her January 2010 FIDE Elo rating is 2614, placing her number two in the world for women . In 2007 she surpassed the rating of 2577 set by Susan Polgar to become the second-highest ranked female player in history...

    , Harikrishna
    Pendyala Harikrishna
    Pentala Harikrishna is a chess player from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Harikrishna became the youngest grandmaster from India in 2001. He is No. 3 in India after Viswanathan Anand & Krishnan Sasikiran, No. 9 in Asia & ranked 71st in the world as per FIDE rating as on November 2011.In November...

  • Badminton -Chetan Anand
    Chetan Anand (badminton)
    Chetan Anand Buradagunta is a badminton player from India. He is considered to be one of the best male badminton players in the country after Prakash Padukone, Syed Modi and Pullela Gopichand. Chetan Anand was a four time National Badminton champion in 2003, 2006, 2007 & 2009 but his world ranking...

  • Volleyball-Guttikonda Pradeep
    Guttikonda Pradeep
    Guttikonda Pradeep born on October 27, 1983 is an Indian Volley Ball player. He is a member of the team that came runner's up in the U-19 world youth championship...


Attractions

The city offers many places to see and spend time on. Some famous landmarks and places to visit in Vijayawada are

  • Prakasham Barrage
    Prakasham barrage
    The impressive structure of the Prakasam Barrage stretches 1223.5 meter long across the Krishna River connecting Krishna and Guntur districts. The barrage serves also as a road bridge and spans over a panoramic lake...

    : Built across the river Krishna connecting Guntur
    Guntur
    Guntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...

     District
    Guntur district
    Guntur district is located in Andhra Pradesh along the east coast of Bay of Bengal. The district has a coastline of around 100 kilometers. Guntur City is the largest city in the district and administrative center of Guntur District. The district is a major center for learning.-Etymology:There are...

    , Prakasham Barrage
    Prakasham barrage
    The impressive structure of the Prakasam Barrage stretches 1223.5 meter long across the Krishna River connecting Krishna and Guntur districts. The barrage serves also as a road bridge and spans over a panoramic lake...

     has created a panoramic lake. Its three canals that run through the city give Vijayawada a Venetian (Venice
    Venice
    Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

    ) look.

  • Kanaka Durga Temple
    Kanaka Durga Temple
    Kanaka Durga Temple is a famous Hindu Temple of Goddess Kanaka Durga located in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The temple is located on the Indrakeeladri hill, on the banks of Krishna River....

    : One of the most popular temples in Andhra Pradesh, it is located on Indrakeeladri hill overlooking the city as well as the River Krishna. It was built after 12th century by Maharaja Poosapati Madhava Varma, the ancestor of Vijayanagaram Poosapati
    Pusapati
    Pusapati or Poosapati was the ruling clan of the Kalinga Vizianagaram . They were Kshatriyas of the Suryavanshi sect.-History:...

     Kings, according to History. He is the builder of Modern Vijayawada kingdom.

  • 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.

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


  • 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.
  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.
  • Mangalagiri:mangalagiri is a near by town.which is a famous pilgrim centre,for its panakala lakshmi narasimha swami temple which is one among the tallest temple towers of the India.mangalagiri is also famous for its traditional textiles.
  • Namburu
    Namburu
    Namburu is a suburban village in the Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a panchayat in the Pedakakani mandal of the Guntur District..The Namuburu railway station is part of Guntur division of South Central Railway...

    : Namburu is a suburban of Guntur and Vijayawada cities. though a village gives a ornate urban living because of well established townships .Nambur is also famous for spiritual centers namely kaligardens,Hreenkar theerth(jain temple)which is one of the master piece for its architecture.Acharya nagarjuna university is situated in Nambur

Vijayawada is well connected to nearby tourist attractions like Amaravati
Amaravati
Amaravati may refer to:* Amaravati, a Pali word meaning 'Abode of the Deathless' referring to nirvana* Amaravathi, surname, see Raju surnames* Amaravathi , a 1993 Tamil language film* Amaravathi , a Telugu language film...

,Namburu
Namburu
Namburu is a suburban village in the Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a panchayat in the Pedakakani mandal of the Guntur District..The Namuburu railway station is part of Guntur division of South Central Railway...

, Kuchipudi
Kuchipudi
Kuchipudi is a Classical Indian dance form Andhra Pradesh, India. It is also popular all over South India. Kuchipudi is the name of a village in the Divi Taluka of Krishna district that borders the Bay of Bengal and with resident Brahmins practicing this traditional dance form, it acquired the...

, Kondapalli
Kondapalli
Kondapalli is an industrial town near Vijayawada city, Andhra Pradesh, India with population of nearly 38000. It is 16 km by road from Vijayawada on National Highway 221 and on Hyderabad–Vijayawada railway line.....

, Gudivada
Gudivada
Gudivada is a census town in Krishna district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a mandal headquarters with more than 100,000 inhabitants, lying as junction of Vijayawada-Machilipatnam-Bhimavaram-Nuzvid-Eluru in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh of...

, Chodavaram, Krishna district, Undavalli caves
Undavalli caves
The Undavalli Caves , an example of Indian rock-cut architecture and a finest testimonial of ancient vishwakarma sthapathis, are located in the village of Undavalli in Tadepalli Mandal in Guntur District, near the southern bank of Krishna river, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.The caves are...

 and Machilipatnam
Machilipatnam
Machilipatnam is a city and a special grade municipality in the Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located south east of state capital, Hyderabad.-History:...

.

Mall and Multiplexes

Vijayawada is getting a major upgrade with brand new malls and multiplexes with upscale retail stores and major fast food outlets setting up shop in these malls. The list of upcoming malls and multiplexes to Vijayawada as follows:
  • LEPL ICON - Next to Maris Stella College, NH-5, near Benz Cirlce. The mall has 4 Screens of INOX and Shoppers Stop.
  • RIPPLES MALL - Making Waves - Opposite to Tipsy Topsy, MG Road. The mall has 4 Screens of PVR, Max Store, Globus Store, Flying Machine, Louis Philippe, Peter England, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Cat Moss (Kids Apparel) and a Food Court .
  • LEPL OASIS - Opposite to Fortune Murali Park, MG Road;

Life Style, Spar World Super Market.
  • TRENDSET MALL (6 Screen Multiplex) - at Benz Circle, MG Road.
  • BVR TOWN CENTRE - Opp. Chennupati Petrol Bunk, MG Road. 6 Screen Satyam
  • There are about 44 Movie Theaters and Multiplexes in Vijayawada.

Notable Residents

  • A. G. K. Gokhale
    A. G. K. Gokhale
    Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale is the first surgeon in Andhra Pradesh who has successfully done heart transplantation...

  • Goparaju Ramachandra Rao
    Goparaju Ramachandra Rao
    Goparaju Ramachandra Rao was an Indian atheist leader.-Early days:Gora was born into a Telugu Brahmin family in India. He wrote in his autobiography, We Become Atheists, that he grew up "conventionally orthodox and superstitious." He pursued a botany degree, eventually earning his Master's in...

  • Harindranath Chattopadhyay
    Harindranath Chattopadhyay
    Harindranath Chattopadhyay was an Indian English poet, an actor, and a member of the 1st Lok Sabha from Vijayawada constituency. He was the younger brother of Sarojini Naidu.-Life:...

  • Kallam Anji Reddy - Scientist, Founder,Dr.Reddy's Laboratories.
  • Jandhyala Subramanya Sastry
  • Jayaprakash Narayan (Lok Satta)
    Jayaprakash Narayan (Lok Satta)
    Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan , widely known as JP, is a noted Indian politician, social reformer, TV commentator and columnist. He is the President of Lok Satta Party and currently a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Kukatpally constituency in Andhra Pradesh.http://www.loksatta.org/cms/index.php?...

  • Kanuri Lakshmana Rao
  • Lakireddy Bali Reddy
    Lakireddy Bali Reddy
    Lakireddy Bali Reddy is a prominent landlord in Berkeley, California, who was convicted in 2001 for immigration fraud and trafficking minors for illegal sexual activity.-Background:...

    - Landlord, restaurant owner,owns more than 1000 apartments in California,founder engineering college
  • Koneru Humpy
    Koneru Humpy
    Humpy Koneru is an Indian chess Grandmaster. Her January 2010 FIDE Elo rating is 2614, placing her number two in the world for women . In 2007 she surpassed the rating of 2577 set by Susan Polgar to become the second-highest ranked female player in history...

  • Laya (actress)
    Laya (actress)
    Laya is a Telugu film actress and a Kuchipudi dancer. She entered the Telugu film industry in a movie called "Swayam Varam" along with another popular actor, Venu. She had acted in about 40 Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films...

  • Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy
    Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy
    Malladi Venkata Krishna Murty is a popular Telugu writer. He is known for thrilling plots, nearer to natural real life. Malladi Dakshinamurty, Malladi Saradamba are his parents. He is seventh child to his parents. He graduated from Andhra University in 1969...

  • Meghna Naidu
    Meghna Naidu
    Meghna Naidu is an Indian actress and dancer. Her first major appearance was in the music video for UMI10's "Kaliyon Ka Chaman" , an official remix of Lata Mangeshkar's 1981 song "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai"...

  • Srinivas Rudravarapu
  • Nallan Chakravartula Krishnamacharyulu
    Nallan Chakravartula Krishnamacharyulu
    Sri Nallan Chakravartula Krishnamacharyulu was a scholar, musician, teacher and an exponent of the art of hari katha of modern times...

  • Padmasree Warrior
  • Rambha (actress)
    Rambha (actress)
    Vijaya Lakshmi , best known by her stage name Rambha, is an Indian film actress. She has acted in over 100 South Indian films and also in Bollywood films. She had done several successful films in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada, Bengali and Bhojpuri films. She paired up with popular heroes...

  • Ramakrishna Badiga
    Ramakrishna Badiga
    Ramakrishna Badiga was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. He represented the Machilipatnam constituency of Andhra Pradesh and is a member of the Indian National Congress...

  • Veturi Sundararama Murthy
  • Vijeth Kumar
  • Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna
    Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna
    Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna is a Carnatic vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and a playback singer. He is also acclaimed as a poet, composer and respected by all Indian classical musicians for his knowledge of Carnatic Music....

  • Sunkara Paparao
  • Padmasree Turlapathi Kutumbha Rao
  • Gullapalli Ramalingeswara Rao

Gallery





References


External links

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