kanaka durga temple
the temple of kanaka durga is located in vijayawada and leaves visitors spellbound. the beautiful and picturesque temple lies on top of indrrakiladri hills and enshrines goddess kanaka durga. the hill offers some amazing vistas of the city. there are two routes to the temple. one can take the stairs leading to the temple which can be difficult and arduous. the one route is driving up the ghat road. along both routes there are ancient inscriptions that reveal the stories from the ancient times. local legend claims that arjuna, the mighty warrior from the mahabharatha, received his divine weapon, the pasupatha, at this site and after getting the weapon, he constructed the temple to honor goddess durga.
amaravati
amaravati the new capital of andhra pradesh, after the historical capital of the satavahana dynasty in second century a.d.
amaravati was a prosperous and historically important city. new capital region between vijayawada and guntur that is now to be called by the same name, will be the best city in the world.
it is about 33 kilometres from vijayawada and has historical importance. it used to be the site of an ancient buddhist settlement, which was known as chintapalli. the stupa at this site was said to be bigger than the one at sachi. this stupa was built in the 3rd century bc during the reign of king ashoka. it had gateway at each cardinal point. while these structures are no longer there, one of the gateways was meticulously reconstructed. the carvings on the gateway highlight the life of buddha. there is a small museum that has collections right from the 3rd century to the 12th century ad and one of the images of buddha has lotus symbols on the feet with long ear lobes and tight curls. the museum is fascinating.
bhavani island
spread over an area of 133 acres, bhavani island is a river island that offers a wonderful escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. it is a place to rest, relax and enjoy oneself with its mangroves, well-manicured gardens, pristine woodlands, rolling meadows and shimmering water bodies. bhavani island is a popular picnic spot, where children can run around carefree while adults can enjoy the energising and refreshing ambience. situated in krishna river, the island is quite close to prakasam barrage. there are great boating facilities, which allow visitors to explore the river. the swimming pools on the island are well-maintained and clean. visitors, who do not want to spend time in the pools, can opt for other watersports or try their hand at fishing and angling.
prakasam barrage
the prakasam barrage extends across the width of the krishna river, linking the districts of krishna and guntur. the barrage doubles up as a road bridge, and the last three canals of the barrage pass through vijayawada. the dam over the river came about from an idea that originated in the year 1798 in the mind of captain buckle, before being reinforced by captain best and captain lake in the year 1839 and 1841 respectively. following the approval by major cotton, the dam was further given a green signal by the board of directors of east india company on january 5, 1850. the construction started in the year 1852 and was completed three years later in 1855. the bridge was built later on and named after sri tanguturi prakasam, the first chief minister of andhra pradesh. the dam irrigates over 1.2 million acres of land, and is the first major irrigation project of south india. besides irrigating vast tracts of farmland, the dam provides a spectacular view of the lake and has become a major tourist attraction of vijayawada.
undavalli caves
the undavalli caves date back to the 7th century bc and are prime example of rock-cut architecture. the caves are about 8 kilometres from vijayawada and offer a unique perspective into ancient religious practices. the caves are carved out of sandstone on the side of a hill. while there are many caves, the largest is the one that is most popular for its huge monolith of lord vishnu in the reclining posture. this monolith is made from a single granite block and is located on the second storey of the temple, which has a total of four stories. it is believed that the caves were originally used by jain monks because of its udayagiri and khandgiri architectural styles. the main cave is a prime example of gupta architecture style, which concentrated on primitive rock-cut monastery cells.
kuchipudi
rajadhani car travels
the ancient hamlet of kuchipudi is renowned as being the birthplace of one of the most popular dance forms of south india, the kuchipudi dance. this beautiful and serene village is about 60 kilometres from vijayawada and is home to the kuchipudi dance school. according to the locals, siddhendra yogi, the founder of kuchipudi dance, used to live in this village. he is responsible for establishing a base for the dance form and over the years, kuchipudi not only flourished in india, but also around the world. visiting this hamlet, visitors can marvel at the site where this extremely expressive dance form originated. the experience of visiting the site of the dance school can be very enriching.