Tourism in Andhra Pradesh
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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, describing the state as the Koh-i-Noor of India. Andhra Pradesh has a variety of tourist attractions including beaches, hills, caves, wildlife, forests and temples.
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[hide]Tourist destinations[edit]
Visakhapatnam city has many tourist attractions such as Kailashagiri park near the sea, Visakha Museum, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, the INS Kursura (S20) Submarine museum, the Dolphins Nose, and the Lighthouse.
Tourist spots at Vijayawada include 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 state.
Nature tourism[edit]
Beaches[edit]
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, such as Suryalanka Beach, located 9 km from Bapatla in Guntur District..
Caves[edit]
The Borra Caves in the Ananthagiri 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 their name from a formation inside the caves that looks like the human brain, which in Telugu language is known as burra. TheBelum 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 Patalaganga.
Hills and valleys[edit]
Araku Valley is a hill station in Visakhapatnam district. The Anantagiri and Sunkarimetta Reserved Forest, which are part of Araku Valley, are rich in biodiversity. It has thick forests, coffee plantations, waterfalls. This scenic beauty attracts large number of tourists.
Horsley Hills is 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. The site which is the departure point for the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary at a distance of 87 km (54 mi). The Papi Hills located in Khammam district near Bhadrachalam surrounding the Godavari river is also famous.
Fields and lakes[edit]
Konaseema is a 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. 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 such as Siberian crane, ibis, and painted storks migrate here from Siberia and other countries to nest at the sanctuary. The sanctuary is situated about 65 km from the city of Vijayawada.
Religious and pilgrimage sites[edit]
The state's many temples and shrines, mosques, and churches attract many pilgrims. Most of the temples were built during the reign ofVijayanagar empire. A number of festivals are organized with thousands of tourists visiting them. Some famous temples are:
- Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in the town of Tirumala in Chittoor district is an important pilgrimage site for Hindus throughout India. It is one of the richest pilgrimage temple of any religious faith in the world.[3] It is the abode of Lord Venkateswara.
- Mallikarjuna Swamy temple situated at Srisailam in the Nallamala Hills of Kurnool district,[4] is the abode of lord Mallikarjuna Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines in India. Lord Rama himself installed the Sahasralinga, while the Pandavas lodged thePanchapandava lingas in the temple courtyard. The Vijayanagara Empire built a number of monuments, including the Srisailam andLepakshi temples.
- Kanaka Durga Temple of the goddess Durga is situated on the Indrakeeladri Hill in the city of Vijayawada on the banks of Krishna River. A large number of pilgrims attend the colourful celebrations of Tepotsavam and for a holy dip in the Krishna river during the festival of Dusshera.[5]
- Simhachalam, located on a hill 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the Visakhapatnam city centre, is another popular pilgrimage site of national importance. 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 inMantralayam 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 are also located in the state.
Islam is also popular religion, with a number of mosques built during the reigns of Muslim rulers. One of the famous is Shahi jamia masjidin Adoni of Kurnool district. There are many famous churches constructed centuries ago with historical significance. 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]
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