Jaunt to Vijayawada (Bejawada)

Vijayawada or the "City of Victory" so called because it is believed that Arjuna, the Pandava Prince was rewarded for his penance, which he did on Indrakiladri Hill. Today, with excellent communications, perhaps the best in the South where railways are concerned. Vijayawada on the banks of the holy river Krishna attracts many piligrims as well for its temple dedicated to Durra. The city is also a base for visiting the Buddhist excavations at Amaravati, which is less than 70 kms, away. Also accessible from Vijayawada are the towns of Kuchipudi, Mangalagiri and Kondapalli which are famous for dance, temple and handicrafts respectively. So altogether Vijayawada presents a colourful and varied picture and can be termed as a business cum pilgrim cum tourist center.

Altitude: 125 meters, Climate: (deg C) Summer- Max 45, Min 28. Winter- Max 32, Min 18., Best Season: September to February.

Places Of Interest: Akkana & Madanna Caves, Gandhi Hill, Haxrathbal Mosque, Kanakadurga temple, Mary's Temple, Milk Powder Factory, Mogalrajapuram Caves, Prakasam Barrage, Victoria Jubilee Regional Museum.

Excursions: Agripalli- 40 kms, Amaravati- 66 kms, Chilkalapudi- 71 kms, Gudivada- 45 kms, Hamsala Devi- 85 kms, Kandapalli- 16 kms, Kuchipudi- 60 kms, Mangalagir- 12 kms, Manginapuri- 83 kms.

Reach - By Air: Connected to Hyderabad & Rajamundary. By Rail: Connected with the major cities. By Road: Amaravati- 66 kms, Bhubaneswar- 792 kms, Bombay- 1010 kms, Calcutta- 1245 kms, Delhi- 1724 kms, Hyderabad- 271 kms, Madras- 433 kms, Rajahmundhry- 167 kms, Tirupati- 380 kms, Vishakapatnam- 366 kms, Warangal- 253 kms.