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 Head
Quarters: Visakhapatnam
Area: 11,161 sq.km
The boundaries of this district are Bay of Bengal in the East, East
Godavari district in the South, Orissa state in the West and North
directions.
Rivers:
Sharada, Varsha, Tandava, Machkand, Chempavathi and Gostnani .
Major Places:
Vishakapatnam, Anakapally, Bhimunipatnam and Narsipatnam.
Industries:
Visakha Steel Plant, Coramandal Fertilizers, Andhra Pradesh Refractory,
Ship Building, Caltex Oil Refinery, Bharat heavy Plates and Pencils.
Tourist Places:
Tyda park, Araku Valley, Borra caves, Rishikonda beach, Bhimunipatnam
Beach, Dolphin Nose, Baruva beach, Vuda park, Visakha utsav,
Visakhapatnam Harbour, Lawsons bay, Sankaram, Kalingapatnam beach, Rama
Krishna beach, Mudasarlova Wter Park, Ross Hills, Kailasagiri, Keertana
Vanamu, Indira Zoological park, Visakha Museum, Submarine Museum,
Anthropology Museum, Andhra University, Hindustan Shipyard, Caltex Oil
Refinery, Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Chintapally and Talakona Forests.
Pilgrimage Centers:
Simhachalam Temple, Dargakonda, Sri Venkateswara Swamy konda,
Upamaka temple, Anakapally Sri Kanyaka Parameswary Temple.
Handicrafts:
Etikoppaka Toys.In the olden days this place used to be apart of Kalinga
kingdom ruled by Chalukyans, Vijayanagara kings, Golkonda Nawabs and
British Empire.
Srikakulum and Vijayanagaram districts were under this district before
the formation of the two districts in 1950 and 1979 respectively.
Forest occupies 42% of the district area. Forest yields quality Timber
and Bamboo useful in Paper Industry. State Forest Department Planted
Cashew nut trees and Eucalyptus trees throughout the district. Coffee
Estates are picking up their produce each year of progress. Titanium's
ores, Magnalyte and Bauxite ores, quality Clays, Mica, and Graphite are
the minerals found in this soil. Vishakapatnam so often called as the
Metropolitan City of Andhra Pradesh has developed a lot since last
decade. Major Industries are setup in the district especially in the
Head quarters because of the Seaport.
India's First Shipping Yard - Hindustan Shipyard, Visakhapatnam Steel
Plant the one producing quality steel are the major industries found.
Vishakapatnam Port - Which is called as the Natural Harbor Because of
the Natural formation of the mountain peaks of the shape of Dolphin Nose
emerging from the sea, making this Port an unique one. Vishakapatnam is
also called as Waltair or Vizag.
Polavaram Project on the River Godavari is the Irrigation source to
these lands. Vishakapatnam Thermal Power project is the Power source to
the State as well as to the neighboring states. Upper Seleru Hydro Power
Project Producing electricity at a Less Expensive rates is another
feather in the Cap to this Industrious district. Electricity needs of
the district are fulfilled by Hydro Power project on Machkand River.
Andhra University's Head Quarters at Vishakapatnam is a very old
university.
Accessibility:
Visakhapatnam is well connected by road, rail and air.
History
Centuries ago, Andhra Pradesh was a major Buddhist centre and
part of Emperor Ashoka's sprawling kingdom. Not surprisingly,
traces of early Buddhist influence are still visible in several places
in and around the state. After the death of Emperor Ashoka, several
dynasties from the Ikshvakus, Pallavas, Chalukyas,
Kakatiyas, Vijayanagaram kings, Qutb Shahis,
Mughals and the Asaf Jahi's, ruled this princely city.
The history of Andhra
Pradesh dates back to the epic era of the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha.
But the documented history points to 236 BC, when Satavahana
established a kingdom and a dynasty around the modern Hyderabad.
During the reign of 450 years, Buddhism flourished in the kingdom. The
rulers were followers of Brahmanism, but the women folk practiced
Buddism. It was during this period that Buddhism spread from these
shores to China, The far East and to Sri Lanka. The Ikshvakus
succeeded the Satavahanas and ruled the kingdom for 57 years. The
Pallavas annexed the area South of River Krishna and ruled till the end
of 6th century.
Then came the dynasties of Chalukyas and the Kakatiyas.
The Kakatiyas established themselves as rulers of a Telugu speaking
people. The glorious reign of the Kakatiyas came to end in the 14th
century and for the first time Telugus came under a Muslim regime
that brought with it a totally different set of customs, language and
religion.
The Delhi Sultanate came in power in 1347 AD, governed by Allahuddin
Hasan, claiming lineage to Bahman Shah of Persia, revolted against
the Delhi Sultanate and declared himself ruler of the southern part of
the territory, comprising mainly the Deccan and Telangana area.
It was somewhere around this time that the Qutub Shahi dynasty
came into being when Sultan Quli, the Bahmani governor of
Telangana, became independent and extend the new kingdom of Golconda
right upto Machlipatnam on the east coast. Given the title of
Quli-ul-Mulk by the Bahmanis, Qutub Shah, a descendant of a royal family
of Hamdan in Persia, took over the reins and ruled till 1548.
Aurangazeb last Mogul king to rule India, conquered the Deccan
in 1687 and left his governors, the Nizams, to rule Andhra.
The British and French took over from the Nizams. Andhra became a
part of Indian Union in 1947. The present state was formed in 1953,
merging a part of the then Madras State (present Tamil Naidu) and the
princely state of Hyderabad.
Heritage
The various dynasties that ruled the State of Andhra Pradesh, from the
Ikshvakus, Pallavas, Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagaram kings, Qutb
Shahis, Mughals, to the Asaf Jahis, all have contributed significantly
to the State's rich cultural tapestry and have left behind a heritage
studded with spectacular monuments, temples, mosques, palaces all
vibrant with arts, crafts, dance and literature.
The state has a rich cultural heritage. The great composers of carnatic
music Annamacharya, Tyagaraja and many others chose Telugu as their
language of composition, thus enriching the language. Kuchipudi is the
state's classical dance form.Andhrites have been movie buffs decades.
The state produces about 200 top notch movies per year.
Andhra Pradesh has several museums, including the Salar Jung Museum,
which features a varied collection of sculptures, paintings, and
religious artifacts, and the Archaeological Museum, which features
Buddhist and Hindu sculptures and other antiques; both museums are
located in Hyderabad
The State is rich in natural resources, cultural heritage, history and
most of all, an opportunity to explore them, created by combining the
old princely state of Hyderabad with the Telugu speaking portions of the
former state of Chennai, Andhra Pradesh to this day retains much of its
regal glory and mystic charm.
Telugu, the official language of Andhra Pradesh, is described by C.P.
Brown as the " Italian of the East ". It has been influenced by
Sanskrit. The prominent poets of Telugu include Nannaya, Tikkana, Sri
Krishna Devarayulu and a host of others.
The dance styles in the State are based on the standard treatises, viz.
Abhinaya Darpana and Bharatarnava of Nandikeshwara, which is sub-divided
into Nattuva Mala and Natya Mala.
Kuchipudi, a blend of music and abhinaya, is Andhra Pradesh‘s unique
contribution to dance it have flowered from a village called Kuchelapuri
or Kuchelapuram in Krishna district. From its birth around 300 B. C., it
has remained a continuous and living tradition of this region, performed
by men of the Brahmin community.
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