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Vishakhapatnam Railway Station
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Sometime in the wee hours when I found myself standing on the
platform at Vishakhapatnam Railway Station with my backpack. The coastal city
of Vishakhapatnam was still cocooned in its deep slumber. I waited till the city
slowly woke up from its deep and cozy slumber to embrace a new day.
The general cleanliness and maintenance of the city impressed me the most during
my three days stay.
I got a nice room with a sea view at YMCA hostel near the
beach road. It had an attached small balcony, too. 😊
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view from my hotel balcony
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YMCA Hostel
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Visitors flock to Vizag for its museums, for its beaches,for its Buddhist sites, and for its hills. I slipped on my exploring shoes to explore the many interesting attractions
during my three eventful days. My encounter with the following places:
Victory at Sea Memorial
The location of my hotel is perfect. It is at the beach road that made it easy to explore the beach road attractions. The
War Memorial is conveniently located on the beach road. It was constructed in
1996 to commemorate the victory of Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command in the
1971 war with Pakistan. I noticed some exhibits on the grounds such as a fighter
plane, a tank, few bombs, and missiles.
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Victory at Sea Memorial |
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Victory at Sea Memorial |
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Victory at Sea Memorial |
TU 142 Aircraft Museum
The
city of Vizag takes pride in its many interesting museums. The TU-142M Aircraft
Museum is one such museums located on the beach road. The TU-142M Aircraft of
Indian Navy was decommissioned after 30 years of service and converted into a
museum. On entering the premises through the huge gate next to the ticket
counter, the huge aircraft on my left caught my attention. But I was first directed
towards the exhibition hall. Various equipment (sonobuoy, propeller, engine,
survival kit, anti-submarine missile, date recorder, etc.) and parts of aircraft
are on display with details in the exhibition hall. On exiting from the other
end of the exhibition hall, I was excited as it was time to enter the aircraft
that was earlier used for the Indian Navy. No photography is allowed inside the
aircraft. I tried my hand in enjoying doing flight simulator through VR
headsets at a nominal fee. There is a café within the premises and also a
souvenir stall.
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TU-142 Aircraft Museum
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displays at exhibition hall of the museum |
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displays at exhibition hall of the museum
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displays at exhibition hall of the museum | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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TU-142 Aircraft Museum |
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TU-142 Aircraft Museum |
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TU-142 Aircraft Museum |
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TU-142 Aircraft Museum |
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TU-142 Aircraft Museum |
INS Kursura Submarine Museum
The
INS Kursura submarine museum is just opposite to TU-142M Aircraft museum on the
beach road. After purchasing the entry ticket, I had to wait for some time
before being ushered inside the submarine in batches. I had goosebumps when I
found myself inside a real submarine!!!
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INS Kursura Submarine Museum
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INS Kursura Submarine Museum
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The
INS Kursura submarine museum looks huge from outside. Once inside you realise
how small are the cabins and how narrow are the passages. It is the first
submarine turned into a museum in Asia and second in the world. A guide took us
around the place explaining the history and activities of the submarine in great
detail. The guide was pretty helpful. The milestones of the evolution of this submarine
are depicted with the help of artefacts, photographs, and written scripts. As a
civilian it was definitely an interesting experience to understand about life
inside a submarine and hardships faced by the submariners in the sea. No
photography is allowed inside the museum.
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INS Kursura Submarine Museum
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INS Kursura Submarine Museum
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INS Kursura Submarine Museum
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Ramakrishna Mission Ashram
The
pink coloured structure is few minutes away from RK beach. It was evening when
I arrived here. A straight concrete path from the entrance gate led directly to
the door of a prayer hall. The serene prayer hall has a statue of Ramakrishna. I
sat with the other visitors on the carpeted floor for the evening prayer to
start.
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Ramakrishna Mission Ashram
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Ramakrishna Mission Ashram |
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Statue of Swami Vivekananda
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Ramakrishna and Vivekananda Literature Book Stall
& Library
Do
drop in if you are a book lover. This is located right on the beach road. It
has a reading room and a good collection of books. Not to be missed is the
doll-exhibition that beautifully displays the life and times of Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda.
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the library and the bookstall
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the doll exhibition
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the doll exhibition |
Vizag is well-known as the city of beaches. The long coastline
of Vizag are dotted by many beaches. Most of these are idyllic, scenic, clean, unspoilt,
and uncrowded. You can have your uninterrupted sun, sand, sea moment here. Do
not expect the frills and fancies of beaches like those found in Goa. I admit
am not much of a beach person. Following are the beaches I visited during my stay
in Vizag:
Ramakrishna Beach
Ramakrishna Beach which is popularly called
RK Beach is conveniently located right in the city. The inviting stretch of
sand and the sea water attracts everyone. It is without a doubt a great spot to
take a leisurely stroll early in the morning to see sunrise over the
mesmerizing sea, evening, and at night. Day time can be too hot to take a
stroll. It gets crowded with young and old alike as evening approaches. All the
strolling, relaxing, playing in the water, and people watching at the beach definitely
kicked in my hunger pangs. The many food stalls on the beach side came to my
rescue. It was time to treat my taste buds with variety of street food on
offer. In addition, I needed to give some rest to my weary walking feet.
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Ramakrishna Beach
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Ramakrishna Beach
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Ramakrishna Beach |
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Ramakrishna Beachsunset at RK Beach
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Ramakrishna Beach |
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hawkers at RK Beach promenade
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RK Beach road and promenade
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RK Beach road and promenade |
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lighthouse at RK Beach |
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RK Beach and promenade |
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RK Beach road and promenade |
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RK Beach road and promenade |
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one for the memories at the promenade
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RK Beach road and promenade |
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signboard
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Rushikonda Beach
It is around 11 kms from Vizag city. It is
easily reachable by public transport if you are on a budget. I took a public
bus for going and coming back. What I noticed about this particular beach was
that it has a pristine surrounding with green hills on one side and endless
stretch of sea water on the other side. This beach might whisper softly into
your ears, “Are you feeling adventurous?” If your answer is affirmative…then
what are you waiting for? Take the plunge and indulge yourself wholeheartedly
in swimming, water skiing, and wind surfing.
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Rushikonda Beach
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Rushikonda Beach |
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Rushikonda Beach |
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Rushikonda Beach |
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Rushikonda Beach |
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Rushikonda Beach |
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Rushikonda Beach |
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Rushikonda Beach |
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Rushikonda Beach |
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sunset in Rushikonda Beach |
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one for the memories in Rushikonda Beach |
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Rushikonda Beach |
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Rushikonda Beach |
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doggo company at Rushikonda Beach |
Thotlakonda Beach
I made my way to this beach after visiting the
Buddhist sites of Thotlakonda. It is also easily reachable from Vizag by public
transport. This beach comes after Rushikonda beach. It might be due to its distant
location many people are unaware of this rocky beach. As far as eateries are
concerned, there is only one hotel at the beach side manned by the tourism
dept. The beach was completely deserted baring a lone couple during my visit.
The beach is characterized by its rocky shore and the beautiful rocky
formations. I walked carefully over the slippery rocky shore and found a dry
spot to sit. I sat for a long time looking out into the sea enjoying the sound
of the crashing waves, the peace, and the solitude. It was fun to see the
crashing waves rushing towards the shore, and some rising from the gaps as the white
foamy waves did their watery dance for my entertainment.
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Thotlakonda Beach
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Thotlakonda Beach |
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Thotlakonda Beach |
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Thotlakonda Beach |
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one for the memories at Thotlakonda Beach |
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Thotlakonda Beach |
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Thotlakonda Beach |
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Thotlakonda Beach |
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Thotlakonda Beach |
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play of foamy waves at Thotlakonda Beach |
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Thotlakonda Beach |
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Thotlakonda Beach |
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Thotlakonda Beach |
Offering a bird's eye view of the coastline are some of the hilltop attractions of Vizag I took time to go and visit.
Kailasagiri Hill
I
took an auto from beach road. The autowalla dropped me at the foot of the
stairs near the entry gate of the ropeway. You can go all the way up to the top
of the hill via road or via ropeway or via the long flight of stairs. The
ropeway has specific timings and nominal fee is charged. Since I arrived quite
early morning, the ticket counter guy told me, “Madam, you have to wait an hour
before we can operate the ropeway.” I am someone who doesn’t have the patience
of the waiting game. Rather than keep waiting for the ropeway to operate, I
took the long flight of stairs. It turned out a good workout climbing those
steep stairs. As I kept climbing higher and higher, spectacular views of the
sea and the city came into view. Once I reached the top of the stairs, I
further needed to walk for a few minutes through a steep road to finally arrive
at the entrance of Kailasagiri.
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way to Kailasagiri Hill |
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price info for the ropeway |
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up and up I climb the many steep steps
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The
hilltop has a huge white-coloured statue of Shiva and Parvathi. There are several
viewpoints offering wonderful views of the city on one side and winding beaches
on the other side. It was hazy during my visit; and so the views weren't clear. The place is aesthetically well-maintained with flower gardens
and sitting benches under the cool shade of tall trees. There is a huge banyan tree near the food zone section. The twisting aerial roots hanging all peacefully from the tree. The children play
section will keep the kids occupied. Initially I wasn't keen to go for the toy train ride around the hill. I finally gave in and hopped on for the joy ride. When hunger pangs kicked in, I dropped in one of the eateries to have veg lunch.
I returned back to the city by taking a local bus from the hilltop.
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entrance gate to Kailasagiri Hill
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views from Kailasagiri Hill |
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views from Kailasagiri Hill
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view of Vizag city from Kailasagiri Hill
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statue of Shiva and Parvathi at Kailasagiri Hill
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one for the memories at Kailasagiri Hill
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well-maintained Kailasagiri Hill
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the big banyan tree at Kailasagiri Hill
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aerial roots of a banyan tree
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toy train ride at Kailasagiri Hill
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veg lunch at an eatery at Kailsagiri Hill
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Ross Hill Church, Venkateswara Temple, Baba
Ishq Madina Dargah
There
are three scenic hills dedicated to three different faiths which serves as a
unique testament to communal harmony of Vizag. It is located in the port area. The
first hill to greet visitors is the Sringamani Hill, adjacent to it is the Ross
Hill, and a little further away is the Dargah Pahad.
The highest hill among the three hills is the Ross Hill. Ross
Hill Church is at the top of this hill. Statue of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
is placed at the altar of the church. The winding pathway to the shrine is strewn
with Catholic icons. I was happy to see panoramic views of the port area,
including the port channel, which was the entrance of the inner harbour for
ships and liners.
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Ross Hill Church
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Ross Hill Church |
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way to Ross Hill Church |
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view from Ross Hill Church |
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view from Ross Hill Church |
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view from Ross Hill Church |
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view from Ross Hill Church |
After
paying visit to the church, I came down the winding pathway to go to Sri
Venkateswara Temple in Sringamani Hill adjacent to Ross Hill. A towering gopura greets visitors to the temple
dedicated to Lord Vishnu. I removed footwear at the entrance and climbed a
steep flight of steps from the entrance to arrive at the upper platform of the
temple. It is believed to be built in 17th century.
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steps leading to Sri Venkateswara Temple
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Sri Venkateswara Temple |
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Sri Venkateswara Temple |
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port area |
A little
further away lies the Dargah Pahad. I walked from the temple to the mosque. It is
a mosque and a mausoleum of the Muslim saint, Sayed Ali Medina alias Baba Ishak
Medina. A flight of steps from the entry gate leads to the tomb of the saint. The mosque is believed to be about seven hundred years old. Leaving the
mosque, I walked through the locality and realised it is a Muslim area. I
bought some eatables from a shop and some local fruits from a fruit seller. I didn’t
have to wait for long to get a local bus to return back to the city.
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entrance to the holy shrine |
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steps leading to the holy shrine |
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view from the holy shrine |
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the holy shrine |
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view from the holy shrine
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Before ending this travelogue, here are a few pictures of the many street art I came across in the nooks and corners of Vizag. These eye catching artwork added a dose of colour on the bare walls; and ended up beautifying the city. Kudos to the artists for their creative work!!!
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street art in Vizag
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street art in Vizag |
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street art in Vizag |
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street art in Vizag |
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street art in Vizag |
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street art in Vizag |
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street art in Vizag |
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street art in Vizag |
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street art in Vizag |
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signboard
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I will
write about my visit to the Thotlakonda and Bavikonda Buddhist sites of Vizag in my next
blogpost. Until then adieu.
Thank you
for stopping by!
Travelled on: 22-24 January 2020
© The content and images are copyright of Hema Hazarika
(thehaflonggirl).
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