Andhra Pradesh is located on the spectacular coastline of Bay of Bengal, irrigated by the river Godavari and is aptly termed the Rice Granary of India. Andhra is the third-largest state of India. The land that presents a beautiful amalgamation of varied cultures, traditions, historical sites, monuments, religious temples, prosperous flora and fauna, picturesque hill-stations, cascading waterfalls, gleaming lakes, lofty hills and Buddhist pilgrimage sites. This state is known as the 'Rice Bowl of India’. Andhra Pradesh comprises diverse styles of temples. The Chalukyan, Nagara, Dravidian, and the Orissa sculpture are seen in the edifice of temples in this southern state. Tirupati is one of the riches temples of the world, millions of pilgrims come to pray here throughout the year.
Andhra is also known for nomadic tribes, Banjaras and Lambadis. These tribes can be found here, they are especially recognized for their brightly coloured attire and the silver jewellery they use to sell. Due to this, Andhra is famous for melting pot of various handicrafts, made by skilled crafts men. The famous the Pochamapalli silks and Kalamkari vegetable dyed textiles, are quite popular and originated from this land.
Enriched with Indian history, art and culture, Andhra Pradesh is a flourishing land for tourism, there are more than 500 tourist places situated here. The architectural ruins recall the history of about 2000 years. Nagarjunasagar Dam is the pride of Andhra Pradesh, being the biggest masonry dam in the world. The state is blessed with variety of traditions, religion, cultures. The soil of this land, where most popular art dance form of Kuchipudi, was originated. The tourists should witness a performance of ‘Kuchipudi’, the amazing Indian classical dance, a dynamic choreography and is somewhat parallel to one the popular Bharatanatyam traditional dance.
Rivers like Godavari and Krishna traverse through the expanse of Andhra Pradesh, offering sparkling waters to the state and adding beauty to this wonderful land. Hyderabad, its capital city, is also known as second Silicon Valley of India. The city has a dualistic disposition and whether you visit markets and shops, sights or public places; you will find the blend of Hindu and Muslim living and culture in their own way. The state's journey, from the ancient to the modern times, makes it better-off in its outlook.
The state Andhra Pradesh quite popular for traditional and rich cuisine, offers a rich palate to the gourmet. Hyderabadi Muslims are quite recognized and fastidious in their culinary art, specialise in authentic Mughlai and Indian recipes, and endure throughout centuries. Here Kababs, Biryanis and Chicken delicacies are really mouth watering.
HyderabadHyderabad, the second Silicon Valley of the India, the city of Charminar and capital of Andhra Pradesh, the city was meant to be a symbol of the might of the Qutab Shahi rulers. Hyderabad founded in the late 6th century by Qutab Shahi dynasty, modelled after Isfaan in Iran, the city had been completed in 1592. Hyderabad was complimented with lavish praises from many known travelers like Abbe Carr and Tavernier. Hyderabad is also the city of rich and majestic Nizams, one of the richest city of India for hordes of diamonds, gold, precious stones and pearls, also known for culture, heritage monuments, temples, arts and crafts, wonderful and mosques with Saracenic, Mughal and Colonial architecture, reflecting splendid and unique architectural richness, rarely found in any other Indian city.
The city with a rich culture and history of 400 years, Hyderabad has many fascinating sites. Hyderabad most popular Nizam Asif Jahi Dynasty and seven generation of this Nizam family ruled the Deccan for 224 years up to 1948. Hyderabad in Indian history is also known as Deccan. The Nizam of Hyderabad were very fond of art and culture and archaeological buildings and historical monuments. The most interesting and tourist attractions are: The famous Charminar focus of the city and dominating monuments of this land others are Osmania University, Purani Haveli, Chow Mahalla Palace, Assembly Building, Jubilee Hall, Asifia Library, High Court, Hussain Sagar, Salar Jung Museum, Osmania Hospital, and all archeological buildings located in Public Garden.
The area exhibits undulating topography with number of huge water tanks and mountains. The height ranging between 500 - 600 meters. There are quite hilly areas like Banjara, Jubilee, Nawabat Pahad, Golconda, Tirumalagiri and Moula Ali are main hill ranges, Mir Alam and Hussain Sagar are popular tanks located in main city. Hussain Sagar tank is located in the heart of the city bifurcates between Hyderabad and Secunderabad. There is famous Musi River passing through the main city in an easterly direction.
The medieval age was the period of great artistic and architectural growth and era in South India, specifically the region of Deccan. The mighty Golconda Fort was the command centre of Qutab Shahi reign, during the 16th and 17th century before Mughal emperor Aurangzeb came to invade the region. Warangal was the capital of Kakatiyas and they built great and wonderful monuments to as a symbol their power and dignity. During that time Bidar was the capital of mighty Bahamani Empire and this was in area of Nagarjunakonda, reveals Buddhist influence during that era.
Today, Hyderabad is flourishing and developing city with sizable business and productions of Cotton and silk textiles, paper, pottery, cigarettes, glassware and presently a centre of IT technology and call centres.
Places of Interest:
Birla Temple, Charminar, Mecca Masjid,Indira Park, Osmania University, Nehru- Zoological Park, Qutub Shahi Tombs & Golconda Fort, Race Course,Public Gardens, State Central Library, Tank Bund, Asmongarh, Khajana Museum, Hussain Sagar,Planetarium, State Archaeological Museum, Salar Jung Museum.
Excursions:
Mir Alam Tank- 8 kms, Raymond's Tomb- 12 kms, Himayat Sagar- 22 kms, Osman Sagar- 22 kms, Yalagirigutta- 69 kms, Kolanupak- 80 kms, Bidar- 136 kms, Nagarjunasagar and Nagarjunakonda- 149 kms.
Reach -
By Air: Well connected with all major towns.
By Rail: Well connected with Bangalore, Bombay, Calcutta, Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Madras and other major cities.
By Road: Aurangabad- 548 kms, Bangalore- 568 kms, Bombay- 735 kms, Madras- 704 kms, Tirupati- 651 kms, Panaji- 698 kms.
Vijayawada earlier known as ‘Bezawada’ is the 3rd largest city in Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada means "City of Victory" it is believed that Prince Arjuna, among 5 mighty brothers of Mahabhart epic, Arjuna was rewarded for his penance, which he carried out on the hills of Indrakiladri. The city is located on the bank of beautiful river Krishna. And bounded Budameru River on the North and Indrakila mountains on the West. Vijayawada lies in the coastal delta of the Andhra Pradesh and quite known for its spicy and deliciously varied recipe and cuisine. The most delicious and juicy mangoes farm houses are located here and therefore the city is known for pickle making.
Today, with excellent communications, perhaps the best in the South where railways are concerned, Vijayawada is steeping up towards an exciting journey of growth. A predominantly trade and business city of the Andhra State, Vijayawada attracts many pilgrims as well for its popular holy temple dedicated to Durra. The city is also reflect Buddhist excavations at Amaravati, which around 70 kms from the main city. There are quite popular towns and villages nearby Vijayawada mainly Kuchipudi, Kondapalli and Mangalagiri which are famous for culture, traditions, dance, and handicrafts among the tourists. So in all means, the city Vijayawada presents a colourful and diverse images of present and past.
A popular landmark is the Prakasam barrage, the 1223 meters. Long contemporary regulator and bridge across the Krishna River, this was built in 1957. Its panoramic lake and the three canals that runs through the city, representing Vijayawada, a Venetian manifestation.
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 Rajamundary and Hyderabad.
By Rail: Connected with the major cities.
By Road: Amaravati-66kms, Bombay- 1010kms, Tirupati- 380kms, Calcutta- 1245kms, Delhi-1724kms, Hyderabad- 271 kms, Madras- 433 kms, Rajahmundhry- 167 kms,Bhubaneswar- 792 kms,Vishakapatnam- 366 kms,Warangal- 253 kms.
Warangal was the ancient capital of the Kakatiya rulers. It was here that the fort was constructed by king Ganapathi in 1199 A.D and completed by Rudramadevi in the year 1261. The thousand pillard temple with its star shaped shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Surya, the famous Ramappa temple & lake, the Pakhal lake are worth visiting. It is known for Thousand Pillar Temple. A fine specimen of Kakatiya architecture and sculpture, the Thousand Pillar temple as the name implies has many pillars, all efficient carved. The temple is built in Chalukyan Style. The Nandi here has beautiful finishing.
Area: 54.98 sq.kms, Altitude: 1,700 feet, Climate: (deg C) Summer- Max 39.6, Min 23.2. Winter- Max 30, Min 13.5., Rainfall: 82.5 cms ( June to September ), Best Season: September to February.
Places of Interest:
Thousand Pillar Temple, Fort-Warangal, Bhadrakali Temple, Planetarium.
Excursions:
Laknavaram Lake, Pakhal Lake and Wildlife Sanctuary- 60 kms, Ramappa Lake- 65 kms, Yadagirigutta- 64 kms, Yadagirigutta- 72 kms.
Reach -
By Air: Nearest Airport is Hyderabad- 141 kms and other major cities.
By Rail: Connected with all important cities.
By Road: Amaravati- 319 kms, Bangalore- 707 kms, Bombay- 880 kms, Hyderabad- 141 kms, Madras- 686 kms, Nagpur- 478 kms, Nizamabad- 199 kms, Tirupati- 633 kms, Vijayawada- 253 kms.
Lapped by the Bay of Bengal, on the eastern part of Andhra Pradesh lies the beach city, Vishakapatnam. Ages ago there stood a temple on the shores dedicated to Vaisaka, the God of Valour in the Hindu pantheon. The mighty sea has since swept away the shrine, but the name survived for identifying the now sprawling City of Visakhapatnam.
Altitude: 4.5 mts., Climate: (deg C) Summer- Max.39, Min.28. Winter- Max.29, min.19., Rainfall: 89 cms., Best Season: All round the year.
Places of Interest:
Andhra University Building- 4 kms, Dolphin's Nose, Sri Venkateswara, Konda, Hindusthan Shipyard, Simachalam Temple, The Three Hillocks, Indira Gandhi Zoological Gardens, Port, Visakha refinery.
Excursions:
Anantagiri- 88 kms, Araku Valley- 120 kms, Arasavalli- 110 kms, Bheemunipatnam- 29 kms, Borra Caves- 90 kms, Chintapalli- 165 kms, Coringa- 177 kms, Draksharama- 176 kms, Kakinada 165 kms, Kalingapatnam- 143 kms, Kondakarla Ava- 48 kms, Sankaram- 45 kms, Vizianagaram- 60 kms, Yanam- 213 kms.
Reach -
By Air: Linked with Calcutta, Hyderabad and Madras, Bombay and Calcutta.
By Rail: Well connected with all the important cities of India.
By Road: Araku Valley- 120 kms, Arasavalli- 110 kms, Bhubaneshwar- 426 kms, Calcutta- 879 kms, Cuttack- 444 kms, Delhi- 1861 kms, Hyderabad- 637 kms, Kakinad- 165 kms, Koraput- 198 kms, Madras- 799 kms, Rajamundhry- 199 kms, Tirupati- 746 kms, Vijayawada- 366 kms, Vizianagaram- 60 kms, Warangal- 619 kms.
Tirupati is one of the important pilgrim centre in India. It is famous for the shrine of the seven hills, dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara, of Tirumala- 13 kms. The principal deity of this temple is Lord Venkateswara also known as Balaji. The temple is a masterpiece of Dravidian architecture with its gopuram facing east. The vimana is completely covered with gold plate and this is known as Ananda Nilayam. The statues of Krishnadevaraya and his consort can be seen in the temple. The Brahmostavam or annual festival is celebrated in September. Akasaganga Waterfalls,Papanasam Waterfalls, Varahaswamy Temple, Perumallapalli.
Altitude: 150 meters. 860 meters., Climate: (deg C) Summer- Max. 43 Deg.C. Min 22.3 Deg.C. Max. 40 Deg.C. Min. 22 Deg.C. Winter- Max. 32 Deg.C. Min 14.9 Deg.C. Max. 30 Deg.C. Min. 13 Deg.C., Best Season: Throughout the year.
Places of Interest:
Lord Venkateswaram Temple, Govindarajaswamy Temple, Kapilathiraham, Kodandaraswamy Temple, Padmavati Temple.
Excursions:
Chandragiri- 11 kms, Kalahasthi- 37 kms, Kalyani Dam- 18 kms, Narayana Vanam- 36 kms, Kailesanathakona- 43 kms, Nagalapuram- 65 kms, Horsley Hills- 145 kms, Kanchipuram- 112 kms, Perumallapalli- 8 kms.
Reach -
By Air: Tirupati is connected by Vayudoot Services with Hyderabad.
By Rail: Connected by rail with Hyderabad, Madras, Madurai, Puri.
By Rail: Ahobolam- 272 kms, Bangalore- 248 kms, Horsley Hill-145 kms, Hyderabad- 617 kms, Kalahasti- 36 kms, Lepakshi- 379 kms, Madras- 151 kms, Srisailam- 436 kms, Vijayawada- 380 kms.
Nagarjunasagar - the tallest and biggest masonry dam in the world accross the river Krishna, is about 150 kms, away from the metropolitan city of Hyderabad. It creates the third largest man-made lake in the world. Nearby Nagarjunakonda is known for its extensive ruins of Buddhist Stupas, Viharas and a university that flourished under Acharya Nagarjuna, the great Buddhist savant, scholar and philosopher who migrated to Nagarjunakonda from Amaravati to spread the message of the Buddha.
Interestingly excavations conducted here have also revealed Brahmanical temples, which reveal the friendship that existed here centuries ago between the two faiths. Now though the actual site of the excavations have been flooded with the waters of the migty river, the relies of the ruins have been reconstructed and kept in an Island Museum, the largest of its kind in the world and are in an excellent state of preservation-thanks to the efforts of the Archaeological Survey of India. Today Nagarjunakonda along with Nagarjunasagar attracts many tourists from South East Asian Countries and also from all over India.
Altitude: 244 meters, Area:39 sq. kms., Climate: (deg C) Summer- Max 39.4, Min 20, Winter- Max 22, Min 13.8., Rainfall: 89 cms., Best Season: July to March.
Places of Interest:
Nagarjunasagar: Left Canal (Lal Bahadur Canal), Model Dam, Pylon, Right Bank Tunnel (Jawahar Tunnel), View Point.
Nargarjunakonda: Archaeological Museum, Mahastupa, Bodhisri Chaitya, Simhala Vihara, Mahisaka Vihara, Brahusutiya, Vihara, Ashwamedha and Royal Bath.
Excursions:
Ethipothala Waterfalls. A Very good picnic spot with deep valleys and cave temples.
Reach -
By Air: Nearest airport- Hyderabad.
By Rail: Macherla- 27 kms.
By Road: Hyderabad- 149 kms, Amravati- 179 kms, Bangalore- 619 kms, Bombay- 888 kms, Calcutta- 1422 kms, Delhi- 1602 kms, Guntur- 145 kms, Kurnool- 261 kms, Macherla- 27 kms, Madras- 546 kms, Tirupati- 493 kms, Vijayawada- 177 kms, Vishakhapatnam- 543 kms.
The temple at Srisailam is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is considered as one of his twelve Jyotirlingas. Srisailam, also known as Sriparvata is situated in the Rishabgiri Hills on the Southern banks of the river Krishna in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. Mention of Srisailam as Sriparvata has been made in the immortal epic of the Hindus - the "Mahabharata".
Climate: (deg C)-Summer- 38 Deg.C. 30 Deg.C. Winter- 26 Deg.C. 20 Deg.C., Rainfall: seasonal, Best Season: September to February.
Places of Interest:
Damsite, Hatekeswaram, Pathalaganga, Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, Sakshi Ganapathi Sikharam.
Excursions:
Alampur- 27 kms, Dindi Reservoir- 64 kms, Kurnool- 180 kms, Nagarjunasagar- 180 kms, Papanasam- 2 kms, Sangameswar- 18 kms.
Reach -
By Air: Nearest airport is at Hyderabad- 232 kms linked with Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Madras, Nagpur, Vishakapatnam.
By Rail: Nearest railhead is Markapur Road. Other railheads are Nandyal, Kurnool and Hyderabad- 232 kms.
By Road: Atmakur- 113 kms, Anantapur- 325 kms, Bangalore- 538 kms, Bombay- 971 kms, Calcutta- 1491 kms, Delhi- 1685 kms, Dornal- 49 kms, Hyderabad- 232 kms, Kurnool- 180 kms, Madras- 568 kms, Nagarjunasagar- 180 kms, Nandyal- 158 kms, Tirupati- 436 kms, Vijayawada- 248 kms, Visakhapatnam- 614 kms.
Andhra Pradesh travel agency and tour operators offers Andhra Pradesh tour packages with neighboring states like Karnataka, Kerala and Tamilnadu. In South India - Andhra Pradesh you will see various tour options with ancient temples, forts, palaces, beaches, ayurveda, culture, heritage, wildlife, nature, backwaters, adventure and hill stations etc., We are specialized to design the tour plans, that suits to the requirement and preferences to the guest. We can work out a customized tour plan according to nos. of days, arrival destination, season and preferences, hotel category or budget by the guest in South India and other tourist sectors of India. Visit to our tour India tours itinerary section http://www.india-tourism.net/itineraries.htm to choose the itinerary of your preference. You can mail to us your specific requirement and feedback about the tour at sales@india-tourism.net
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