Visakhapatnam - Andhra Pradesh

Vishakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam a.k.a Vizag is the largest city in Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India. It is a port city on the southeast coast of Bay of Bengal and often called as "The Jewel of the East Coast" and the "City of Destiny". It is the administrative headquarters of Visakhapatnam district and  Visakhapatnam. The city is known for heavy industries, steel plant, largest seaport of India and oldest shipyard. It has the only natural harbour of India and is the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy.

Hill range:

  
• Kailasagiri - It is a hilltop park in the city of Visakhapatnam. The park was developed by Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authorty (VUDA) comprising 380 acres (150 ha) of land covered with flora and tropical trees. The hill, at 360 feet (110 m), overlooks beaches, forests, and the city of Visakhapatnam.

• Bavikonda - 
  
  It is an important Buddhist heritage site located on a hill about 15 km, northeast from Visakhapatnam city. Here the Buddhist habitation is noticed on a 16 ha flat terraced area. The Hinayana school of Buddhism was practised at the monastery between the 3rd century B.C. and the 3rd century A.D. Bavikonda has remains of an entire Buddhist complex, comprising 26 structures belonging to three phases. A piece of bone stored in an urn recovered here is believed to belong to the mortal remains of the Buddha.

  
• Pavuralakonda - Also known as "pigeon hill" it is a hillock west of Bhimli, about 24 km from Visakhapatnam. The Buddhist settlement found here is estimated to date back from the first century BC to the second century AD. On the hillock (which overlooks the coastline) are 16 rock-cut cisterns for collecting rainwater. Gopalapatnam, on the Tandava River, is a village surrounded by brick stupas, viharas, pottery and other Buddhist artefacts.

Rivers:

• Nagavali River - It rises in the eastern slopes of the Eastern Ghats near Lakhbahal in the Kalahandi district of Odisha at an elevation of about 1,300 metres. Another name of the river Nagavali is Langulya. The total length of the river is about 256 km, of which 161 km are in Odisha and the rest in Andhra Pradesh. Nagavali is an interstate river basin. The river basin receives 1000 mm average rain fall annually. The uplands of the river basin are hilly areas with predominantly tribal populated. It drains parts of the Kalahandi, Rayagada and Koraput districts of Odisha and Srikakulam, Vizianagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh. Niyamgiri hills where Bauxite mining is proposed are located in Nagavali river basin.
• River Vamsadhara - The river originates in the border of Thuamul Rampur in the Kalahandi district and Kalyansinghpur in Rayagada district of Odisha and runs through many districts including Vizag, for a distance of about 254 kilometers, where it joins the Bay of Bengal at Kalingapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Tourist attractions of Mukhalingam and Kalingapatnam in Srikakulam district are located on the banks of this river.

Birds:

•  Pelicans (Rosy and Grey), 
• Painted Storks, 
• Peafowls,
• Ducks,
• Spotted Doves,
• love birds, 
• Parakeets, 
• Eagles, 
• Vultures
• Budgerigars, 
• Macaws, 
• Ostrich, 
• Emu