(January 2026)
Valteru, Walteero, Wattair, anglicised to Waltair, Vishakhapatnam, Visakhapatnam, VIZAG all refer to the same place. A neat, clean city inhabited by pleasant, focused, friendly and helpful people speaking in Telegu — a melodious language.
(Moving around in a friend’s car- which he had generously given to us for our 3 days stays in the city- heard Telegu film songs consistently,. Even without understanding a single word of the songs- enjoyed them tremendously for their softness and melody)
Next to the Bay of Bengal, the city generally enjoys a pleasant temperature all year round (except in summers when it turns sultry and humid). The land is extremely fertile and throughout the city and in most residences a lot of plants, fruit trees etc. are seen.
Multicoloured bougainvilla growing from the same single plant, varigated coleus are a common sight in the city.
Today the city has been coined to be a “Smart City” . It is also known as the shipbuilding capital of India due to presence of multiple shipyards such as Hindustan Shipyard, Naval Dockyard and is also the central naval command of the east coast. (Wiki)
The walls which ran parallel to the roads of the city were painted- often with images reflecting the building
Billboards were plenty and they were colourful — mostly political — with one or two central figures and many smaller ones all around. Not only that but
each political party had its own colours for the billboards- Saffron for BJP, Yellow for Telanga Rashtra Samiti, Blue- Green for YSR, Pink for Bhartiya Rashtra Sabha etc.
Evenings saw various open air food courts sprout up all over the city.
Office workers returning home, family out for a meal — all converge. No two stalls offered the same food. Similar stalls ( except they were the temporary table chair assembles) sold healthy chat of millets, millet drinks and fruit juices, tea, coffee, eggs etc. were sold on the promenade next to the beach in the morning to the walkers.
The Rama Krishna Road or the Beach Road as is popularly known is a prominent road of the city which runs parallel to the sea front. This is shut for 2–3 hrs in the morning — no vehicular trafic is allowed and the entire stretch is reserved for the morning walkers.
Seen below is a (probably ) a model of Pakistani flagship submarine PNS Ghazi which our Navy sank during the 1971 Indo-Pak war claiming the lives of all 93 personnel on board.
“We have had a close look over the Ghazi by a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV). It lies just a few nautical miles off the Vishakhapatnam coast, but we do not touch it in deference and out of respect for those fallen in true traditions of the Indian Navy,” said an officer of the Indian Navy during a briefing to reporters (wiki)
However a victory pillar has been erected to commemorate itright across
the submarine museum. The Helicopter Museum, Aircrafts museum among others are also in line on the promenade
Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple or Simhachalam
Dedicated to Lord VIshnu in his Narasimha avtaar. For the uninitiated this form is where he was half man (lower body) and half Lion (upper body). He took this form to kill Harinyakashyap- a king who had such a huge ego that he considered himself mightier than the Gods. He had a boon that he would not die during the day or night, not inside a building nor outside it, not by poison or any other weapon, not by a human nor an animal, not in the air nor on the earth…
Lord Vishnu came as half man half lion at dusk and killed him by digging his claws in his stomach while holding him suspended on his knees standing in the doorway.
We had gone at a non peak tourist season and still the crowds and lines were huge (hence the picture from the net)
A Statue of the Lord is covered in Sandal wood throughout the year — to keep him cool and calm. It is at specific times only when the sandal wood paste is removed and the devotees can do “darshan” of the God.
Tip: (i)Leave your footwear and mobiles in the car- else you may have to stand in line first to deposit them and then to retrieve them. (ii) If you do not want to perform puja and simply want to see and do darshan- catch hold of one priest ( many are standing around to manage the crowds) and ask him to take you for a quick darshan. He will open closed barricades for you and take you for a quick viewing and parsad- cutting the queues. Of course for a price- reasonable.
First time I saw Tulsi leaves garland along with the flower garlands being sold outside the temple- the leaves are offered to the animal statues inside- horses.
Kailasgiri- seen from afar is a beautiful drive up the mountain overlooking the city and offering scenic viewpoints of the Ocean.
On the top are these huge statues of Shiv — Parvati amidst flowering shrubs, fountains and cascading waters.
close by are opportunities for Air Cycling, Zip Lining and walking the Glass Skywalk(longest in the country at 55 metres) with magnificent views
Imagine standing on a sheet of crystal-clear glass, (had to remove shoes and wear those blue foot mittens as are used to enter hospital ICUs) with the Bay of Bengal stretching endlessly on one side and the verdant hills
of the Eastern Ghats’ on the other. A transparent glass separates you from the valley below- and looking down ( without holding on to something) is slightly disorienting(not recommended for those suffering from vertigo). However looking straight ahead and walking is okay- not a hard task as the ocean is front draws your eyes. Though the capacity is large only groups of 30 are allowed for 15 minutes. An experience both exhilarating and unforgettable.
Bheemunipatnam (also known as Bheemili[) a sleepy little village about 40 minutes from town offered nothing beyond swaying coconut trees, dusty roads, a beautiful beach with black rocks scattered all over and a mermaid in the centre. — Made us wonder why our friends insisted it is a must do .
So there were these photographers in matching T-Shirts who offered to shoot digital pictures @ 20 bucks a picture which they sent to your whatsapp (and the pictures were really good- good enough to be framed and displayed) but what else?
Wiki: Bheemili made history by becoming the first municipality in Andhra Pradesh and the second in India, (Chennai is the oldest). in India.
In the 17th century the Dutch East India Company had a settlement here and they minted Dutch coins. They were defeated by the British in the 18th century and they used to lease it to the rich of Waltair (now Vizag) for a symbolic sum of Rs 50 per annum.
In reality the cemetery is overgrown with weeds and some rubbish. It was locked when we were there so we could not explore — but apparently this is one of the oldest cemeteries in India, dating back to 1661.
Some of the tombs apparently have interesting skull-and-crossbones motifs, associated with pirates
Food tended to be delicious but spicy. Local food markets at night all over the city may offer a great insight (we did not go) A good place we went to was the House of Dosas- must do if you go to Vishakapatnam. The lassi they have should be had.
The Spicy Avenue is a local favourite ad often has a 10–20 minutes waiting. Serving local fare- vegetarians will have limited varieties to choose from. The Apricot Delight — crafted by the owner is a must have dessert. Food was good if a tad spicy(even tho’ they had reduced spice levels for us)
Another favourite with the students of Gitam University is the Raju Dhaba on Bheemli road- they serve mutton, chicken, fish , vegetable biryani with a smattering of non veg pakoras. one serving was big enough for two of us to bursting point. Raita and a salan like curry was placed in containers on the table and all were supposed to share that. Another joint with a huge waiting. Spicy
The Araku coffee is great as well- strong and flavourful -Araku hills being close by where Britishers in the past built their residences due to the cooler environs- can be seen in the horizon from various parts of the city and are lush green and fertile.
The trip was an eyeopener for us- it was heartening to see cities other than the metros doing so well- quite whets the apetitite to visit more Indian cities.