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Tourism in Andhra Pradesh

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Culture of Andhra Pradesh
History
People and culture

Andhra Pradesh is a state in India.[1] Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) is a state government agency which promotes tourism in Andhra Pradesh by a tagline named Koh-i-Noor of India. Andhra Pradesh has a variety of tourist attractions including beaches, hills, caves, wildlife, forests and temples.

Major Tourist Destinations

Apart from these, there are many more places to be visited in the state. They include,

Visakhapatnam city

Visakhapatnam city has many tourist attractions namely Kailashagiri park near the sea, Visakha Museum, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, the INS Kursura (S20) Submarine museum, the Dolphins Nose, Lighthouse are very famous tourist attractions.

Vijayawada is also a tourist spot that includes Prakasam Barrage, Kondapalli Fort, Krishna River, Bhavani Island and many more parks in the city.

Rajahmundry city, located on the banks of Godavari River is one of the main attractions of the city. The serene palm-fringed canals, lakes, lagoons, rivulets, coconut groves, village of Dindi for its backwaters, soothing houseboat cruise have pristine beauty.

Nature Tourism

RK Beach

Beaches

Visakhapatnam has many beautiful beaches along the Bay of Bengal namely R.K.Beach, Rishikonda Beach, Lawsons Bay Beach etc. There are other beaches too along the long coastline of the state. They are Suryalanka Beach, located 9 km from Bapatla in Guntur District.

Caves

The Borra Caves in the Anatagiri Hills of the Eastern Ghats, near Vishakapatnam at an altitude of about 800 to 1300 metres are famous for million-year-old stalactite and stalagmite formations. They were discovered by British geologist William King George in 1807. The caves got the name from a formation inside the caves that looks like the human brain, which in Telugu language is known as burra.

Belum Caves

The Belum Caves in Kurnool District have a length of 3,229 metres (10,594 ft), making them the second largest natural caves on the Indian subcontinent. The Belum Caves derive their name from Bilum, the Sanskrit word for caves. The caves have long passages, spacious chambers, freshwater galleries, and siphons. The caves deepest point is 120 feet (37 m) from the entrance and is known as Patalganaga.

Araku valley scenic view

Valleys and Hills

Araku Valley, a famous hill station in Visakhapatnam district. The Anantagiri and Sunkarimetta Reserved Forest which are part of Araku Valley, are rich in biodiversity. It has beautiful thick forests, coffee plantations, waterfalls. This scenic beauty attracts large number of tourists.

Horsley Hills, a summer hill resort in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. It is situated at an elevation of 1,265 metres and attracts lots of tourists which is the departure point for the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary at a distance of 87 km (54 mi). The Papi Hills are located in Khammam district, near Bhadrachalam surrounding Godavari river which are famous.


Fields and Lakes

Birds gathered at Kolleru Lake
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary

Konaseema is another place in East Godavari for nature lovers with scenic greenery of lush paddy fields and Coconut Groves along the banks of river Godavari and its canals.

Kolleru Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in India located in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a located between Krishna and Godavari delta. The lake was declared as a wildlife sanctuary, and designated a wetland of international importance. The wildlife sanctuary covers an area of 308 km².[2] During the winter season, many birds migrate here to nest at the sanctuary from Siberia and other countries such as Siberian crane, ibis, and painted storks. The sanctuary is situated about 65 km from the city of Vijayawada.

Pulicat Lake is located at the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Pulicat Lake covers an area of 500 sq.km. It is a brackish water lagoon, the second largest in India, and is situated along the coast of Bay of Bengal. The barrier island of Sriharikota separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal. The lake encompasses the Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary attracts many migratory birds and also is a feeding and nesting ground for aquatic and terrestrial birds such as flamigoes, pelicans etc.

Divine destinations

Holy relic sites map of Andhra Pradesh
Srikalahasti Temple

The state is home to many pilgrim destinations. It has many temples and shrines, mosques, and churches. The crafted shrines and temples in the state has rich cultural heritage. A number of festivals are organized within the temple premises with thousands of tourists visiting them. Most of the temples were built during the reign of Vijayanagar empire. Some famous temples are

Durga Temple in Vijayawada
  • Simhachalam is another popular pilgrimage site of national importance located on a hill 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the Visakhapatnam city centre. Simhachalam is said to be the abode of the savior-god Narasimha.

The five ancient Hindu temples of Lord Shiva, known as Pancharama Kshetras, are located at - Amararama, Draksharama, Somarama, Ksheerarama and Kumararama. Other religious places include, Srikalahasti temple in Chittoor district, Raghavendra Swami Mutt in Mantralayam of Kurnool district, Lord Venkateswara temple in Dwaraka Tirumala of West Godavari District, Annavaram temple in East Godavari and Arasavalli Surya temple in Srikakulam District etc., are also religious places for divine worships in the state.

Sankaram caves

Islam is also popular religion with number of mosques built during the reigns of Muslim rulers. One of the famous is Shahi jamia masjid in Adoni of Kurnool district. There are many famous churches with historical significance constructed centuries old. One of them is the Gunadala Church at Vijayawada.

The state has numerous Buddhist centres at Amaravati, Nagarjuna Konda, Bhattiprolu, Ghantasala, Nelakondapalli, Dhulikatta, Bavikonda, Thotlakonda, Shalihundam, Pavuralakonda, Bojjannakonda (Sankaram), Phanigiri and Kolanpaka.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Andhra Pradesh top tourist destination: Tourism Ministry - Economic Times". Articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com. 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
  2. ^ "Ramsar List" (PDF). Ramsar.org. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  3. ^ Uma Sudhir (13 September 2007). "Tirupati Ousts Vatican, Reigns at Top". NDTV.com. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Srisailam Temple". Srisaila Devasthanam Administration. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  5. ^ "Kanaka Durga Temple". Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  6. ^ "The Templenet Encyclopedia — Temples of Andhra Pradesh". Retrieved 26 February 2009.
Sources
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Andhra Pradesh.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tourism in Andhra Pradesh.
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