Vijayawada (with Undavalli and Kondapalli)

Overview

Vijayawada is a city of roughly 1.2 million people in NTR district, Andhra Pradesh, set on the Krishna River where the water passes between low hills. A Vijayawada tour suits pilgrims, anyone curious about rock-cut architecture, and families who want a river island and a craft village in the same stay. October to February is easier on the feet than summer, when the city has recorded highs of 48.8 C.

The temple comes first for most visitors. The Kanaka Durga shrine crowns Indrakeeladri, the hill that rises straight from the riverbank, and inside the goddess is carved with eight arms, standing over the demon Mahishasura. A Telugu inscription of 1229 CE records gifts to the shrine, and the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam administers it. Dasara is the busiest season, so check the devasthanam before planning a visit then.

The river itself is the second theme. Prakasam Barrage, finished in 1855, runs 1,223.5 m across the Krishna; it feeds canals and the city's water supply, and a road along its top takes traffic over to Guntur district. A little upstream, the 133-acre Bhavani Island sits mid-river; APTDC, the state's tourism corporation, keeps gardens and cycle tracks there and a crafts village it calls Shilparamam.

Two older sights sit outside the centre. Over the river in Guntur district, the Undavalli caves were cut into a sandstone hillside in the 4th and 5th centuries. They climb four storeys, and the largest chamber shelters a reclining figure some 5 m long, worked from one granite block. It is a centrally protected monument. West of the city, in Ibrahimpatnam mandal, the Reddi king Prolaya Vema Reddy started Kondapalli Fort in 1360 CE. Three gateways, one above the other, climb to the Tanisha Mahal, a palace tucked between two hills.

Kondapalli's other claim is its toys. The carvers work tella poniki, a soft wood from the hills close by, and colour the finished figures with vegetable dyes and enamel: sets of the ten avatars, bullock carts and little village scenes are the classic pieces, and the craft is protected by a geographical indication.

For arrival, Vijayawada Airport at Gannavaram (VGA) has had international status since 3 May 2017. Vijayawada Junction (BZA) opened in 1888, has ten platforms and sits where the Howrah to Chennai and Delhi to Chennai lines cross. Annual rainfall is about 978 mm.

Known for

The goddess's shrine on Indrakeeladri, above the Krishna, with an inscription of 1229 CE