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Vijayawada, formerly known as Bezawada, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is a part of the state's Capital Region. It is the administrative headquarters of the NTR district. Its metropolitan region comprises NTR and parts of Krishna and Guntur districts.Vijayawada lies on the banks of Krishna river surrounded by the hills of Eastern Ghats, known as Indrakeeladri Hills. It geographically lies on the center spot of Andhra Pradesh. The city has been described as the commercial, political, cultural and educational capital of Andhra Pradesh It is the second largest city in Andhra Pradesh with a population of 17,23,000 in 2021, estimated population of 19,91,189 in the Vijayawada Metropolitan Area. It is one of the fastest growing urban areas in India and among the top 10 fastest growing cities in the world according to Oxford Economics report. Vijayawada is considered to be a sacred place for residing one of the most visited and famous temples of Andhra Pradesh and India, Kanaka Durga Temple of
Hindu Goddess Devī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The conce ...
Durga residing on the hill named Indrakeeladri. It also serves as the ritual host of Pushkaram (a river worshipping ritual in India) of River Krishna. There is a legend which says that
Arjuna Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...
, one of the
heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
of the
Indian epic Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called ''Kavya'' (or ''Kāvya''; Sanskrit: काव्य, IAST: ''kāvyá''). The ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata'', which were originally composed in ...
Mahabharata, prayed on top of the Indrakeeladri Hill in the city and won the blessings of Lord Shiva to get the Pashupatastra to win the
Kurukshetra War The Kurukshetra War ( sa, कुरुक्षेत्र युद्ध ), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the ''Mahabharata ( sa, महाभारत )''. The conflict arose from a dynastic succession struggle be ...
. It was called Vijayavatika (meaning Land of Victory in
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...
) when Goddess Durga killed the demon Mahishasura and rested on the Indrakeeladri Hill by the River Krishna establishing the victory over evil hence the place got its name Vijayavatika, "Vijaya" meaning victory, and "Vatika" meaning place or land in
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...
. Over the years Vijayavatika name changed to Rajendra Chola Pura during Chola Dynasty and Bezawada during British rule and eventually to Vijayawada. The city is also the third most densely populated urban built-up areas in the world. and is classified as a ''Y-grade'' city by the
Sixth Central Pay Commission The Sixth Central Pay Commission was convened by the Union Cabinet of India on 5 October 2006. The Pay Commission was headed by B. N. Srikrishna. The other members of the Commission were Ravindra Dholakia, J. S. Mathur, and Member-Secretary Su ...
. The city is the second most populous in the state with a population of more than one million. It was recognised as a "Global City of the Future" by '' McKinsey Quarterly'', which expected an increase to GDP of $17 billion by 2025. In October 2018, it was awarded with
ISO 37120 ISO 37120 ''Sustainable development of communities -- Indicators for city services and quality of life'' establishes and defines the methodologies for a set of indicators to measure and steer the performance of city services and quality of life. ...
platinum level certification and has been added to the "Global Cities Registry". Due to the presence of several well-known educational institutions, the city has emerged as a major educational hub in recent times, with many of the nation's students studying in the city. It is predicted to be the world's, and India's, tenth fastest growing city economy through 2035 by an Oxford Economics report. Due to its high ratings in entertainment, construction, food, education, health care, and transport, It is ranked as India's ninth most livable city as per Ease of Living Index 2018, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the second most livable city in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The
Vijayawada Junction railway station Vijayawada Junction railway station (station code:- BZA) is an Indian Railways station in Vijayawada of Andhra Pradesh, categorized as a ''Non-Suburban Grade-2 (NSG-2)'' station in Vijayawada railway division. Situated at the junction of Howra ...
is one of the busiest in the country. It stands as the tenth busiest railway junctions in the country.


Toponymy

There are many legends behind the origin of the name Vijayawada. It is said that Goddess Durga killed Mahishasura and relaxed at this place. As she was victorious, the place came to be known as Vijayawada (''vijaya'' translates to victory and ''wada'' as place, literally meaning ''The Place of Victory''). The hill was called as ''Indrekeeladri'' since it was frequently visited by
Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.  volumes/ref> I ...
and his affiliates. The epic Mahabharata refers to the Indrakiladri hills as the place where
Arjuna Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...
secured Pashupatastra from Lord Shiva. One of the names of
Arjuna Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...
is "Vijaya" (invincible). Thus city thereafter came to be known as ''Vijayavatika'' ('Vatika' translates to place in Telugu) and later as Vijayawada. In some legends, Vijayawada was referred to as ''Rajendracholapura'' as Virarajendra Chola won a battle against Chalukyas in 1068 and ruled over this place. A tale behind its acquiring the name Bezawada is that Goddess 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''. Other names of Vijayawada were being Vijayavata, Beejapuram, Kanakaprabha, Kanakapuram, Kanakawada, Jayapuri, Vijayapuri, Phalguna Kshetram and Jananathpura in the twelfth century CE.


History

Bezawada (as Vijayawada was known then) was founded around 626 A.D. by Paricchedi Kings. Vijayawada history reveals that Bezawada (Vijayawada) was ruled by King Madhava Varma (one of the kings of
Vishnukundina dynasty The Vishnukundina dynasty ( IAST: Viṣṇukundina) was an Indian dynasty based in Deccan, which ruled modern Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and parts of South India during the 5th and 6th centuries, carving land out from the Vakataka Empire ...
). Chinese Buddhist scholar Xuanzang stayed a few years in Bezawada (Vijayawada) in around 640 A.D. to copy and study the Abhidhamma Pitaka, the last of the three pitakas (Pali for baskets) constituting the Pali canon, the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism.
Mogalrajapuram Mogalrajapuram is a major residential and commercial area in Vijayawada. It is one of the shopping district of the city. It is located at centre of Vijayawada beside low range hills.The area consists of many shopping malls.The area is well conn ...
hills have five rock-cut temples, built during the fourth–ninth centuries. Some of the caves can be attributed to
Vishnukundina dynasty The Vishnukundina dynasty ( IAST: Viṣṇukundina) was an Indian dynasty based in Deccan, which ruled modern Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and parts of South India during the 5th and 6th centuries, carving land out from the Vakataka Empire ...
.
Akkana Madanna Caves Akkanna Madanna caves are a group of rock-cut Hindu cave temples in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Dated to mid 7th-century and dedicated to Shiva, they were excavated by the Eastern Chalukya dynasty.K.R. Srinivasan (1972), ''Temples of So ...
, at the foot of Indrakeeladri Hill, is a monument of national importance. At the foot of Indrakeeladri hills is the temple of Malleswara. The temple has inscriptions dating back to ninth century AD to 16th century AD by various kings. There are ten pillars and a mutilated slab (recognised as monuments by Archaeological Survey of India) with inscriptions in the Telugu language. Of them, the inscriptions issued by Yudhamalla I and II of
Eastern Chalukyas Eastern Chalukyas, also known as the Chalukyas of Vengi, were a dynasty that ruled parts of South India between the 7th and 12th centuries. They started out as governors of the Chalukyas of Badami in the Deccan region. Subsequently, they became ...
are important. In the early 16th century, during the reign of
Qutb Shahi dynasty The Qutb Shahi dynasty also called as Golconda Sultanate (Persian: ''Qutb Shāhiyān'' or ''Sultanat-e Golkonde'') was a Persianate Shia Islam dynasty of Turkoman origin that ruled the sultanate of Golkonda in southern India. After the coll ...
(also known as Golconda Sultanate),
diamond mines There are a limited number of commercially available diamond mines currently operating in the world, with the 50 largest mines accounting for approximately 90% of global supply. Diamonds are also mined alluvially over disperse areas, where dia ...
were found near Vijayawada on the banks of Krishna River.


Geography

Vijayawada lies on the banks of Krishna river, covered by hills and canals. and at an altitude of above sea level. Three canals originating from the north side of the Prakasam Barrage reservoir — Eluru, Bandar, and Ryves — flow through the city.


Climate

Vijayawada has a tropical wet and dry climate ( Köppen ''Aw''). The annual mean temperatures range between ; with maximum temperatures often crossing in the month of May and the minimum in December and January. The highest maximum temperature ever recorded was in May 2002. May is the hottest and January is the coldest month of the year. It receives rainfall from the South-west and North-east monsoons and the average annual rainfall recorded is .


Demographics

The city is the second most populous in the state and the third most densely populated urban built-up areas in the world, with approximately 31,200 people per square km.
Census of India The decennial Census of India has been conducted 16 times, as of 2021. While it has been undertaken every 10 years, beginning in 1872 under British Viceroy Lord Mayo, the first complete census was taken in 1881. Post 1949, it has been conducted by ...
, it had a population of 1,021,806, of which males are 524,918 and females are 523,322 — for a sex ratio of 997 females per 1000 males — higher than the national average of 940 per 1000. 92,848 children were in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 47,582 were boys and 45,266 were girls: a ratio of 951 per 1000. The average literacy rate stood at 82.59% (male 86.25%; female 78.94%) with 789,038 literates, significantly higher than the national average of 73.00%.


Language and religion

The predominant language spoken by the city residents is
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...
. In the 2011 census, the total number of language speakers in the city (including the outgrowths) were . Telugu is spoken by speakers, followed by Urdu. A significant minority speak Hindi,
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
,
Odia Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to: * Odia people in Odisha, India * Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family * Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...
,
Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...
,
Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...
and Malayalam. ''Select "Andhra Pradesh" from the download menu. Data for "Vijayawada (M+OG)" is at row 11723 of the excel file.'' In the same census, the total religious population in the city (including the outgrowths) was . It constituted Hindus (85.16%), Muslims (9.12%), Christians (3.64%), Jains (0.50%) and (1.59%) did not state any religion. ''Select "Andhra Pradesh" from the download menu. Data for "Vijayawada (M+OG)" is at row 2395 of the excel file.''


Governance


Civic administration

Vijayawada Municipal Corporation is the civic governing body of the city and was the first ISO 9001 certified urban local body in the country. It was constituted on 1 April 1888 and was upgraded to selection grade municipality in 1960, and, to the corporation in 1981. The jurisdictional area of the corporation is spread over an area of with 64 wards. The present Municipal Commissioner of the city is Sri V. Prasanna Venkatesh, IAS and the present Mayor is Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi. Vijayawada is the headquarters of
Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (abbreviated as APCRDA), Amaravati, ACT No. 27 of 2020. It was notified on 31 July 2020 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh as per ''The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority ...
. As per the G.O. 104 (dated:23-03-2017), the state government had declared Vijayawada Municipal Corporation and its contiguous areas as a
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
of Vijayawada. Its jurisdiction is spread over an area of and has an estimated population of . The metropolitan area covers Vijayawada municipal corporation and merged villages of Ambapuram, Buddavaram, Done Atkuru,
Enikepadu Enikepadu is a locality of Vijayawada in NTR district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of ...
,
Ganguru Ganguru is a neighbourhood of Vijayawada in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. As per the G.O. No. M.S.104 (dated:23-03-2017), Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department, it became a part of Vijayawada metrop ...
, Gannavaram, Gollapudi, Gudavalli, Jakkampudi,
Kanuru Kanur or Kanuru is a residential area of Vijayawada in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Penamaluru mandal of Vuyyuru revenue division. As per the G.O. No. M.S.104 (dated:23-03-2017), Municipal Administra ...
,
Kesarapalle Kesarapalle is a Locality in Vijayawada in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Gannavaram mandal of Gudivada revenue division.It is major IT hub of vijayawada. Vijayawada IT park Medha located here.The major ...
, Nidamanuru,
Nunna Nunna is a part of Vijayawada in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Vijayawada (rural) mandal in Vijayawada revenue division Vijayawada revenue division (or Vijayawada division) is an administra ...
, Pathapadu,
Penamaluru Penamaluru is a Locality of Vijayawada in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Penamaluru mandal . As per the G.O. No. M.S.104 (dated:23-03-2017), Municipal Administration and Urban Departmen ...
, Phiryadi Nainavaram,
Poranki Poranki is a Major Locality of Vijayawada in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Penamaluru mandal of Vijayawada revenue division. As per the G.O. No. M.S.104 (dated:23-03-2017), Municipal Administration an ...
, Prasadampadu, Ramavarappadu,
Tadigadapa YSR Tadigadapa is a part of Vijayawada and a municipality in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, India from 1 january 2021. It is located in Penamaluru mandal of revenue division. YSR Tadigadapa was formed into a first grade municipality ...
, Kankipadu, Vuyyuru, Katuru, Bollapadu,
Mudunuru Mudunuru is a village in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Vuyyuru mandal of Nuzvid revenue division. Demographics census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculat ...
and
Yanamalakuduru Yanamalakuduru is part of Vijayawada and a census town in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Penamaluru mandal of Vijayawada revenue division. As per the G.O. No. M.S.104 (dated:23-03-2017), Municipal Adm ...
. The urban agglomeration spread in
Guntur district Guntur district is one of the twenty six districts in the Coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative seat of the district is located at Guntur, the largest city of the district in terms of area and with a po ...
covers Tadepalle Municipality and its outgrowth of
Undavalli Undavalli is a southern neighbourhood of Vijayawada city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was a village in Tadepalle mandal of Guntur district, prior to its de-notification as gram panchayat. 5th century Buddhist and Hindu Undavalli ...
; Mangalagiri Municipality and its outgrowths of
Navuluru Nowlur is a neighbourhood and a part of ''Urban Notified Area'' of Amaravati, the state capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was an out growth of Mangalagiri Municipality in Guntur district, prior to its merger in the urban area o ...
and Atmakur.


Utility services

Water supply from the 59 water reservoirs, maintenance of roads, sewerage, underground drainage, environment protection programs, recycling of solid waste and producing power are the services provided by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation. There has been an underground drainage system in the city since 1967–68. Many green parks are maintained by the corporation to protect the environment such as Raghavaiah park, Rajiv Gandhi Park, Dr. B.R Ambedkar Park, Mahatma Gandhi Park etc. The corporation won many awards and achievements such as National Urban Water Award (2009), Siti e-Governance Project, ISO 9001 certification for
Quality Management System A quality management system (QMS) is a collection of business processes focused on consistently meeting customer requirements and enhancing their satisfaction. It is aligned with an organization's purpose and strategic direction (ISO 9001:2015). I ...
. The
Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Response and Fire Services Department The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Response and Fire Services Department is the agency responsible for fire protection and disaster management in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The department issues No Objection Certificates for buildings t ...
with its headquarters in the city is responsible for protecting from fire accidents that occur during summers on the hill slope areas of the city.


Pollution control

The report on solid waste generation in 46 metro cities for the year 2015–16 shows Vijayawada produces 550 tonnes of solid waste per day. Vijayawada is one of the cities to be covered under the Solar/Green Cities scheme launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and is one of the 15 cities in the country listed in Pilot Solar Cities. In 2007, the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) that operates the city's public transport system introduced less-polluting
CNG Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in cyl ...
fueled public transport busses in a drive to reduce the operational cost and protect the environment. In 2019, with the cost of CNG and fleet maintenance on the rise, the APSRTC had begun replacing the CNG run busses with BS4 and BS6 standard diesel-fueled buses. However, APSRTC continues to be committed to alternative fuels for its fleet. It has since added more electric, and biodiesel fueled busses. Likewise, the city has a large number of CNG fueled
auto-rickshaws An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many terms in various countries including auto, auto rickshaw, baby taxi, mototaxi, pigeon, jonnybee, bajaj ...
that support public transportation needs. However, auto-rickshaw operators have frequently suffered disruption in CNG supply and usually endure long queues to refuel. In February 2020, Piaggio Vehicles Private Limited launched the sale of electric auto-rickshaws in the city.


Law and order

The Vijayawada City Police has its own Police Commissionerate, which is responsible for an area of , is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an
IPS IPS, ips, or iPS may refer to: Science and technology Biology and medicine * ''Ips'' (genus), a genus of bark beetle * Induced pluripotent stem cell or iPS cells * Intermittent photic stimulation, a neuroimaging technique * Intraparietal sulcus ...
officer of Additional Director General of Police rank along with one joint commissioner of police and four Deputy Commissioners of Police who are also IPS officers. The present Police commissioner is Bathini Sreenivasulu.


Economy

Vijayawada is one of the rapidly growing urban markets of the country. The sectors that contribute to the city economy are construction, education, entertainment, food processing, hospitality, registrations, transport, etc. Based on the recommendations of the
Sixth Central Pay Commission The Sixth Central Pay Commission was convened by the Union Cabinet of India on 5 October 2006. The Pay Commission was headed by B. N. Srikrishna. The other members of the Commission were Ravindra Dholakia, J. S. Mathur, and Member-Secretary Su ...
, it is classified as one of the Y-grade cities of India. According to one study, the GDP of the city in 2010 was $3 billion (Rs. 18,000 crore) and is expected to grow up to $17 billion (Rs. 1,02,000 crore) by 2025. According to another by Oxford the GDP of the city in 2018 was $5.8 billion and is expected to grow up to $21 billion by 2035. Andhra Cements (1937) was the first
cement factory A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...
in Andhra Pradesh. Siris Pharmaceuticals was the first pharma company in Andhra Pradesh and was established in 1950. The city has trading and exporting markets for agriculture and industrial goods. The Nunna
Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...
Market is one of the largest mango markets in Asia, exporting to major cities in the country. It is also a hub for storage, bottling, and transportation of petroleum products of all major companies like
BPCL Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is an Indian central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It operates three refineries in Bina, Kochi and Mumbai. BPCL is In ...
, HPCL, and
IOC The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
. The city is also attracting many international IT companies. HCL Technologies, Wipro, the Noida-based Indian multinational is constructing its Vijayawada campus in Kesarapalli village, near to Gannavaram. In the first phase, HCL will provide employment to 5,000 students. There are two major IT parks one at Gannavaram and other in Mangalagiri there are big companies like TechMahindra, HCL, PI Data Center, VSoft, Efftronics, KJ Systems, and EPSoft. The city is also most preferred tier-two city destination for IT/ITES services. There is an APIIC Mega Food Park in Mandavalli near Gannavaram. The growing population and economy have resulted in rising real estate prices. There is also a cyber security office that is operating by
Tech mahindra Tech Mahindra is an Indian multinational information technology services and consulting company. Part of the Mahindra Group, the company is headquartered in Pune and has its registered office in Mumbai. Tech Mahindra is a 6.0 billion company w ...
.And the Wonderla an amusement park is trying to invest around 250 crores rupees to expand its branch in between guntur and vijayawada in 50 acres.


Culture

The city is known in the state for its cultural history, whose residents are more often referred to as ''Vijayawadians''. There are many religions, languages, traditions, and festivals.
Durga Pooja Durga Puja ( bn, দুর্গা পূজা), also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated ...
and a special Theppotsavam in Krishna river are important events of the
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
festival of Dussera in the city, mainly due to the existence of self-manifested Kanaka Durga Temple. Hazarat Bal Mosque is a
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
shrine housing the holy relic of the
Prophet Mohammed Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...
. The Gunadala Mary Matha Church is an important shrine for Christians and illuminates during Christmas Eve. The city corporation organises "Happy Sunday," an event organised on the first Sunday of every month at
M.G. Road This is a list of roads across the world named after the Indian anti-colonial nationalist and lawyer, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Mahatma Gandhi), known for his nonviolent resistance to lead a successful campaign for India's independence from ...
for promoting activities such as sports, games, cultural events, and yoga. The clothing of the locals includes traditional men wearing dhoti and women wearing
saree A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various Languages of South Asia, regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી ...
and salwar kameez.
western clothing Western wear is a category of men's and women's clothing which derives its unique style from the clothes worn in the 19th century Wild West. It ranges from accurate historical reproductions of American frontier clothing, to the stylized garmen ...
is also predominant.


Arts, crafts and artefacts

The Vijayawada Art Society promotes Telugu arts. The city hosted Poetic Prism 2015, a multilingual poet's meet on 19 September 2015. All these activities are organised in collaboration with the ''Cultural Centre of Vijayawada''.
Kondapalli Toys Kondapalli Toys are toys made of wood in Kondapalli of Krishna district, a nearby Vijayawada in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. ''Bommala Colony'' translates to ''Toys Colony'' in Kondapalli is the place where the art of crafting takes place ...
— which were granted geographical indication in 2007 — are handmade by the artisans of Kondapalli, a suburb of Vijayawada.
Victoria Jubilee Museum The Bapu Museum (formerly: Victoria Jubilee Museum) is an archaeological museum, located at M. G. Road of Vijayawada. It was renamed in the memory of the renowned film director, illustrator, cartoonist and author Bapu. The museum is maintaine ...
is an
archaeological museum An archaeology museum is a museum that specializes in the display of archaeological Types Many archaeology museum are in the open air, such as the Ancient Agora of Athens and the Roman Forum. Others display artifacts inside buildings, such as Na ...
in the city, which houses sculptures, paintings, and artefacts of Buddhist and Hindu
relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
s, dating back to the second and third centuries.


Cityscape

Vijayawada was paired as a sister city of
Modesto, California Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...
in 1993. The city has old and new town areas. The One Town area of the city is known as old city area, comprising areas such as Islampet, Jendachettu Centre, Kamsalipet, Rajarajeswaripet, Kothapet, Ajith Singh Nagar, and Winchipet. The new city areas include areas such as Autonagar, Benz circle, Chuttugunta, Labbipet, Machavaram Down,
Mogalrajapuram Mogalrajapuram is a major residential and commercial area in Vijayawada. It is one of the shopping district of the city. It is located at centre of Vijayawada beside low range hills.The area consists of many shopping malls.The area is well conn ...
, NTR circle, Tikkle Road, Governorpeta, Pinnamaneni Polyclinic Road and Suryaraopet. Brindavan Colony, Commercial Taxes Colony, Gunadala, Veterinary Colony are some of the residential areas. Bank Colony, Bharati Nagar, Gayatri Nagar, Currency Nagar, Satyanarayana Puram, Gurunanak Colony, APIIC Colony, LIC Colony,
Patamata Patamata is an affluent suburban in centre part of Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is one of the most expensive commercial and residential locations in Vijayawada. The area contains shopping malls and jewellery shops. It has become a ma ...
and MG Road are the upscale residential areas. The major commercial areas include the stretch of MG Road and from Benz Circle to Ramavarappadu Ring. Other commercial centers are Besant Road, Rajagopalachari street, One Town market area covering Kaleswara Rao Market (KR Market), and Vastralatha. The city has many landmarks which include, Prakasam Barrage across the Krishna river; ''Krishnaveni Mandapam'' (River Museum) depicting the history of Krishna river and a nearby idol of the river known as, Krishnaveni statue;
Gandhi Hill Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
, the first Gandhi Memorial in the country, located at an elevation of on a hill; Bhavani Island, one of the largest river island amidst Krishna river.


Transport


Public transport

The primary modes of intra-city public transport are city buses and auto rickshaws. Apart from these, other means of transport are motorcycles, cycle rickshaws, and
bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...
s. The Pandit Nehru Bus Station and the
Vijayawada Junction railway station Vijayawada Junction railway station (station code:- BZA) is an Indian Railways station in Vijayawada of Andhra Pradesh, categorized as a ''Non-Suburban Grade-2 (NSG-2)'' station in Vijayawada railway division. Situated at the junction of Howra ...
are the major transport infrastructure for road and rail transport. The Pandit Nehru bus station is the administrative headquarters of APSRTC, which is ranked as the fourth largest and busiest bus terminals in the country. The City Division of APSRTC operates close to 450 buses for an average of 300,000 daily commuting passengers. Autonagar bus terminus and city bus port is used for city bus services. The city buses ply in major routes of
Besant Road Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (Malayalam actress) (born 1975), Indian actress who works in Malayalam-language films * An ...
, Eluru Road, MG Road and to the city outskirts of Ibrahimpatnam, Kondapalli, Mangalagiri, Kankipadu, Uyyuru, Gannavaram, Nidamanuru and
Nunna Nunna is a part of Vijayawada in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Vijayawada (rural) mandal in Vijayawada revenue division Vijayawada revenue division (or Vijayawada division) is an administra ...
. In 2016, APSRTS has discontinued city services on the BRTS corridor due to poor response from the commuters. It was built at a reported cost of , exclusively to be used by city buses has been.


Road

The two major National Highways, NH-16 (Kolkata–Bhubaneshwar-Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada-Guntur-Nellore-Chennai) and NH-65 (Pune-Hyderabad-Suryapet-Vijayawada-Machilipatnam), provides road connectivity with other states and major cities.
National Highway 30 The following highways are numbered 30: International * Asian Highway 30 * European route E30 Australia * Albany Highway (State Route 30, Western Australia) Brazil * BR-030 Canada * Alberta Highway 30 (defunct) * British Columbia Highway 30 ...
from
Jagdalpur Jagdalpur is a city in Bastar district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Jagdalpur is the administrative headquarters of Bastar District and Bastar Division. It was earlier the capital of the former princely state of Bastar. It is the fo ...
of
Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...
terminates near the city suburb of Ibrahimpatnam. The Inner Ring Road connects NH-16 and NH-65 to serve the main purpose of easing traffic congestion. The seamless commuting in the city is supported by the presence of 16 bridges across the three canals of Bandar, Eluru, and Ryves. M. G. Road (Bandar Road) and Eluru Road are the major arterial roads of the city, with as many as 90,000 vehicles plying M. G. Road itself. The city has a total road length of , used by 678,004 non-transport and 94,937 transport vehicles. The heavy vehicles like lorries are used for freight transport and hold a share of 18% in the country. Short distance commuting is served by 27,296 auto rickshaws plying the city roads every day, which include the women-driven 'She Autos' as well. The city has a total road length of , covering of municipal roads, of R&B (Roads & Buildings) department roads, of National Highways. Benz Circle is one of the busiest road junctions in the city with an average of 57,000 vehicles crossing daily, The junction has the intersection of two national highways of NH 16 and NH 65.


Rail

Vijayawada Junction railway station Vijayawada Junction railway station (station code:- BZA) is an Indian Railways station in Vijayawada of Andhra Pradesh, categorized as a ''Non-Suburban Grade-2 (NSG-2)'' station in Vijayawada railway division. Situated at the junction of Howra ...
was established in the year 1888. It is one of the busiest stations of Indian Railways, the busiest railway station in South India, and is classified as a ''Non-Suburban Grade-2 (NSG-2)'' station in Vijayawada railway division. The station is a junction station for the trains from , , and . A train route connecting Vijayawada and Hyderabad was laid in 1889. Suburban rail services are operated from the railway station to the nearby cities of
Guntur Guntur () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Guntur is spread across 168.49 km square and is the third-largest city in the state. It is situated to the west of the Ba ...
and Tenali. The city houses the headquarters of Vijayawada railway division, one of the three railway divisions of South Coast Railway zone. The station has also a diesel and electric loco sheds which have a capacity of holding 220 locos by both the sheds. The city of Vijayawada has several satellite stations such as , , , , , , , and .


Suburban and high speed rail

A proposed circular train connectivity would connect Vijayawada with neighbouring cities of Eluru,
Guntur Guntur () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Guntur is spread across 168.49 km square and is the third-largest city in the state. It is situated to the west of the Ba ...
, Tenali, Mangalagiri and the state capital, Amaravati.


Metro rail System

A 66km light transit system is proposed to connect the city with
Amaravathi Amaravati () is the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the river Krishna in Guntur district. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone at a ceremonial event in Uddandar ...
and its surrounding suburbs.The metro project is implemented by a special purpose vehicle named as, Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation. Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation has been renamed as Andhra Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd after the Managing Director of AMRC suggested that it might be appropriate to change the name AMRC as APMRC so as to implement the Metro Projects in other parts of the State and the ruling government obliged.


Air

The
Vijayawada Airport Vijayawada International Airport is an international airport serving Vijayawada and the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region in India. The airport is located at Gannavaram in Vijayawada, where National Highway 16 connecting Chennai to Kolkata pass ...
at Gannavaram provides air connectivity to major metropolitan cities of the country. On 3 May 2017, the airport was upgraded from domestic to international. Currently, Air India, Jet Airways and Spice Jet are operating in the Vijayawada Airport. International flights started from 4 December 2018 by Indigo Airlines to Singapore. The international flights to Singapore stopped after 27 June 2019 because the State Government stopped Viability Gap Funding in June 2019. , it registered a domestic passenger movement growth rate of 70.0% with a total of 11 Lakh 92 Thousand Passengers in FY 19. Aircraft movement recorded a growth of 65.0%.


Education

The Primary and Secondary School Education is imparted by the Government, Aided and Private Schools, under the State School Education Department. As per the school information report for the academic year 2015–16, the city has 133,837 students enrolled in 529 Schools. The state and CBSE syllabus are followed by schools for the Secondary School Certificate. The languages of instruction are English, Urdu and Telugu. For
10+2 10+2 refers to the 2 years of schooling which is required post grade 10, adopted by high schools in Nepal. 10+2 is gradually replacing the conventional modes of intermediate education, being the Intermediate of Science (I. Sc.), Intermediate of Co ...
education, there are two government junior colleges, namely S.R.R. & C.V.R. Government College and Government Junior College (at Vinchipeta); a railway junior college; three co-operative, 12 private aided, including the oldest, S.R.R & C.V.R College (established in 1937), Andhra Loyola College (established in December 1953), Maria Stella College for Girls (established in 1962),K.B.N College (established in 1965),
Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College or VRSEC is a private engineering college located in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India, that offers undergraduate education and postgraduate education in engineering. The institution is the ...
(established in 1977), the oldest engineering college in Andhra Pradesh, and many private unaided colleges. School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada (SPAV) was established in 2008, a higher education institute in Vijayawada. It is one of the three Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPAs) established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2008 as an autonomous institute and a fully central funded institution. The Sarvotthama Grandhalaya is a city library established on 30 March 1987. It serves an average daily readership of 200, equipped with 22,000 books related to many fields. VMC & VBFS Research and Reference Library is a reader's room/library maintained by Vijayawada Book Festival Society.


Media

''
Visalaandhra ''Visalaandhra'' is an Indian Telugu-language daily newspaper established on 22 June 1952 in Vijayawada. The state Communist party of India decided to rename then daily Prajasakti to Visalaandhra (A combination of two words ''Visala'' meaning l ...
'' was the first newspaper in the state, started from Vijayawada. As per the 58th annual report of Press India 2013–14, the large and medium Telugu daily publications from Vijayawada include ''
Andhra Jyothy ''Andhra Jyothi'' () is the third largest circulated Telugu language daily newspaper of India sold mostly in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It was founded by K. L. N. Prasad, an Industrialist on 1 July 1960. It is also one of the ...
'', '' Eenadu'', '' Sakshi'', '' Suryaa'', '' Andhra Prabha'', ''
Vaartha ''Vaartha'' is a Telugu newspaper headquartered in Hyderabad, India. ''Vaartha'' means "news" in Telugu. History ''Vaartha'' was launched in 1996 with A.B.K Prasad as its first editor. It claimed to be the first Telugu daily in Tel ...
'', ''
Prajasakti ''Prajasakti,'' also spelled as ''Prajashakti,'' is a Telugu newspaper that is published in Andhra Pradesh, India by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) PI (M) It started as a daily newspaper in 1981 with Vijayawada as the centre. Currentl ...
'', and ''Udaya Bharatam''. The English publications are '' Deccan Chronicle'', ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'', '' The Times of India'', '' The Hans India'', ''News Boom'', ''The Fourth Voice'', and ''Views Observer''. The All India Radio Vijayawada was commissioned on 1 December 1948. Its building was named after
Pingali Venkayya Pingali Venkayya (2 August 1876/8 – 4 July 1963) was an Indian freedom fighter and a Gandhian. He was the designer of the flag on which the Indian National Flag was based. He was also as a lecturer, author, geologist, educationalist, agricul ...
, the designer of the
Indian flag The national flag of India, Colloquialism, colloquially called the tricolour, is a horizontal rectangular tricolour flag of Saffron (color)#India saffron, India saffron, white and Variations of green#India green, India green; with the ', a 24 ...
. The channels broadcast by All India Radio are Rainbow Krishnaveni FM, Vividh Bharati. Telugu Doordarshan Saptagiri is located here.


Sports

Indira Gandhi Stadium in the city is the headquarters of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh. It hosted its only men's
One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
(ODI) on 24 November 2002, played between India and West Indies. The only women's ODI was hosted on 12 December 1997, played as a group match of
1997 Women's Cricket World Cup The 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup, also known as the Hero Honda Women's World Cup, was the sixth edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup, held in India. With 32 matches between a record 11 teams across 25 cricket grounds, England, Australia, New ...
between England women's and Pakistan women's teams. Makineni Basavapunnaiah Stadium at Ajit Singh Nagar is another stadium that caters the sporting needs of the northern part of the city. Indoor stadiums include Dandamudi Rajagopala Rao Indoor Stadium (DRRIS) at M. G.Road and Chennupati Ramakotaiah Indoor Stadium (CRIS) at Patamatalanka. The DRRIS was named after the former weightlifter, Dandamudi Rajagopal Rao, who participated in the
1951 Asian Games The 1951 Asian Games ( hi, 1951 एशियाई खेल; Marathi: १९५१ आशियाई खेळ), officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in New Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Game ...
and the
1956 Olympics 1956 Olympics refers to both: *The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy *The 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport even ...
. The DRRIS hosted several national and international sporting events, such as the 79th Senior Badminton Champions. Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) International Cricket Stadium is being built on a site at
Navuluru Nowlur is a neighbourhood and a part of ''Urban Notified Area'' of Amaravati, the state capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was an out growth of Mangalagiri Municipality in Guntur district, prior to its merger in the urban area o ...
village,
Mangalagiri Mandal Mangalagiri mandal is one of the 57 mandals in Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is under the administration of Tenali revenue division and the headquarters are located at Mangalagiri town part of Mangalagiri Tadepalle ...
of
Guntur district Guntur district is one of the twenty six districts in the Coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative seat of the district is located at Guntur, the largest city of the district in terms of area and with a po ...
, from the city. It serves as the Andhra Cricket Association stadium. Vijaya Madhavi Tennis Academy is in Loyola College. Loyola College Grounds hosted many national-level events which includes a Ranji match. The Railway Sports Stadium, near the railway station, hosted several national level railway competitions such as bodybuilding competitions, Under-19
Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
championships and a few non-railway events. This stadium has a gallery facility of over 10,000 people. Makineni Basava Punnaiah stadium is another open stadium in the city. Dandamudi Rajagopal Rao Indoor Stadium is one of the noted Badminton stadiums in Andhra Pradesh. It has hosted several national level Badminton and Table Tennis championships.


Awards

The Swachh Survekashan 2021 has identified Vijayawada as the third cleanest city in the nation. In the category of cities with more than 10 lakh inhabitants, the city rose from sixth place in 2020 to third place this year. A five-star designation for "Garbage Free City" has also been given to Vijayawada. Such a good ranking can be accredited to policy measures such as the introduction of waste disposal vehicles in the city by
N. Chandrababu Naidu Nara Chandrababu Naidu ( born 20 April 1950) is an Indian politician and current leader of opposition of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He was also the leader of the opposition of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 2004 to ...


Notable people

Notable people born in, or associated with, the city include: * Nadeem BaigPakistani actor, singer and producer *
Saraswathi Gora Saraswathi Gora (28 September 1912 – 19 August 2006) was an Indian social activist who served as leader of the Atheist Centre for many years, campaigning against untouchability and the caste system. Biography In the 1930s, Saraswathi cham ...
– Indian social activist who served as leader of the
Atheist Centre The Atheist Centre is an institution founded by Goparaju Ramachandra Rao (aka Gora, 1902–1975) and Saraswathi Gora (1912–2006) to initiate social change in rural Andhra Pradesh based on the ideology of Gandhism and Atheism. Founded in 1940 ...
* Koneru Humpy - reigning women's world rapid Chess champion *
Lavanam Goparaju Ramachandra Lavanam (10 October 1930 – 14 August 2015), known popularly as G. Lavanam or Lavanam, was an Indian social reformer and Gandhian. He worked to remove untouchability in Indian society. He was an atheist and co-founded the ...
– social reformer and Gandhian *
Prasad Murella Prasad Murella is an Indian film cinematographer, who mainly works for Telugu cinema. He started his career in the Tamil film industry. Personal life He was born in Vijayawada where he completed his schooling and his higher studies. Due to ...
, Indian film cinematographer *
Ayyadevara Kaleswara Rao Ayyadevara Kaleswara Rao (22 January 1882 - 23 February 1962) was an Indian freedom fighter and the first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh. He was born in Nandigama village, Krishna district, then in Madras Presidency, British ...
- Indian freedom fighter and the first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh. * Goparaju Ramachandra Rao – founder of Atheist Centre * Kanuri Lakshmana Rao – Three time MP from Vijayawada and Chief Engineer of Nagarjuna Sagar Dam * N. T. Rama Rao – founder of Telugu Desam Party and actor in
Telugu films Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
*
Viswanatha Satyanarayana Viswanatha Satyanarayana (10 September 1885 – 18 October 1976) was a 20th-century Telugu writer. His works included poetry, novels, dramatic play, short stories and speeches, covering a wide range of subjects such as analysis of his ...
- awarded the Jnanpith Award in 1970, the first for a Telugu writer, and Padma Bhushan in 1971 *
Puchalapalli Sundarayya Puchalapalli Sundarayya (Born Sundararami Reddy on 1 May 1913 – 19 May 1985) popularly known as Comrade PS was an Indian Communist politician leader including of the peasant revolt in the former Hyderabad State of India, called the Telanga ...
– founding member of Communist party (Marxist) and former MLA from Vijayawada *
Pingali Venkayya Pingali Venkayya (2 August 1876/8 – 4 July 1963) was an Indian freedom fighter and a Gandhian. He was the designer of the flag on which the Indian National Flag was based. He was also as a lecturer, author, geologist, educationalist, agricul ...
– creator of
National Flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...
. * Dandamudi Rajagopal Rao - Weightlifting, Olympics .


See also

* List of most populous cities in India * List of cities in Andhra Pradesh by population *
Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014, commonly known as the Telangana Act, is an Act of Indian Parliament that bifurcated the state of Andhra Pradesh into Telangana and the residuary Andhra Pradesh state, as an outcome of the Telanga ...


References


External links


Vijayawada Municipal Corporation website
* {{Authority control Cities in Andhra Pradesh Cities and towns in NTR district Cities in Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Metropolitan cities in India Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India Archaeological sites in Andhra Pradesh Ancient Indian cities Hindu holy cities Former capital cities in India