Cities in Andhra pradesh | Major Cities of Andhra Pradesh

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Andhra Pradesh is rich in historical monuments.city guide of andhra pradesh,cities of andhra pradesh,andhra pradesh city guide,major cities of andhra pradesh, andhra pradesh cities, famous cities of andhra pradesh It possesses many holy temples with architectural beauty, which attract large numbers of pilgrims and tourists from inside and outside the country.

The places of main tourist attraction are the world famous Salarjung Museumcity guide of andhra pradesh,cities of andhra pradesh,andhra pradesh city guide,major cities of andhra pradesh, andhra pradesh cities, famous cities of andhra pradesh , Charminar, Golconda Fort, Nagarjunasagar and the vicinity, Simhachalam, Araku valley, Horsley Hills, Tirupati, Srisailam, Bhadrachalam, Lepakshi, Amaravati, Ramappa, Thousand-pillared temple at Warangal, etc.

Government of Andhra Pradesh has taken several measures for the promotion of tourism in the State. city guide of andhra pradesh,cities of andhra pradesh,andhra pradesh city guide,major cities of andhra pradesh, andhra pradesh cities, famous cities of andhra pradesh Tourist Information Centres were established at Hyderabad Airport, Nagarjunasagar, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam and Warangal. The Government also established Tourist Information Centres at New Delhi and Goa. The department prepares tourist literature and publishes several booklets incorporating therein the places of tourist importance in the State along with pictures for the use of tourists. It promotes the construction of well-furnished hotels and rest houses for the tourists. The department organises training courses to the guides.

Hyderabad guide, and the booklets on Horsley Hill, Nagarjunasagar, Golconda, Lepakshi, Srisailam, Yadagirigutta, Chittoor, Visakhapatnam, Bhadrachalam, Vijayawada and a booklet on Andhra Pradesh, etc., are supplied free of cost to the tourists by the department.

The state tourism dept. has bagged six awards for excellence out of the 14 categories at the national level.

The following are the award winning categories:


The places of tourist importance in the State are discussed under:

Hyderabad: Hyderabad, the fifth largest city in the country, is the capital of Andhra Pradesh and has several prominent places in and around it. It has a Hindu-Muslim culture with a number of monuments of historical importance like Charminar, Golconda, Salarjung Museum, Mecca Maszid, Osman Sagar and Osmania University. The capital is in reality the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad linked together by the Hussain Sagar.

Charminar constructed in 1591 is worth seeing for its grandeur and architectural beauty. The minarets are 48.77 metres high and they spring from the abutments of open arches facing the four cardinal points. Mecca Maszid is to the south of Charminar.

Golconda, about 8 km from the city, the capital of the Qutb Shahis in the 16th century, is rich in historical monuments, which include the famous Golconda Fort. Golconda was known the world over as a rich mine of diamonds in medieval times. Qutb Shahi tombs are nearer to this fort. These tombs mark the third and final stage of architecture that flourished during the 16th-17th centuries A.D.

Salarjung Museum was constructed by the Prime Minister Salarjung III of the erstwhile Nizams but was later shifted in 1968 to the new imposing building constructed on the southern bank of the river Musi. The museum consists of a vast and varied art mass collected from several countries in the world.

The `Public Garden' in the heart of the city is another tourist attraction with State Museum and Art gallery, Jawahar Bal Bhavan, Health Museum, Assembly Buildings, Lalita Kala Toranam (open-air theatre). On the other side, on the hillock, there is the Birla Mandir and the Planetarium. The State Museum displays prehistoric implements, sculptures, paintings, inscriptions, illuminated manuscripts, coins, old arms, Bidri and old Chinaware and textiles. It is an impressive building with four minarets, two large and two small. Its most unusual features are the lofty pillars supporting the arches and the prayer niche carved in single slabs of granite. Falaknuma Palace is a castle built on a hill by Sir Vicar-ul-Umra, one of the Prime Ministers of the Nizam's Dominions. The Nehru Zoological Park on the Bangalore National Highway is spread over 300 acres of undulating landscape, which preserves the beauty of the boulders in all its pristine glory.

Gandipet: 18 Km west of Hyderabad is a dam named `Osmansagar dam' constructed on the river Musi to control floods, some five and a half decades ago. It is now the source of drinking water to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The pleasant and beautiful gardens, comfortable rest-houses and placid expanses of water have made this place a tourist attraction and a picnic spot.

Warangal: It lies on the Vijayawada-Hyderabad section of the South Central Railway. It was the capital of the Kakatiyas during the 13th century AD. Warangal with its historic monuments, temples and fort attracts a variety of people including pilgrims, historians and archaeologists. The thousand- pillared temple at Hanamkonda, near Warangal is the best example of the architecture of the Kakatiya period.

Ramappa Temple: This is located at Palampet near Mulug in Warangal district. This is of tourist importance owing to the existence of the renowned and exquisitely carved sculptures of the Ramappa Temple, and the Ramappa Lake constructed at the time of Kakatiya Ganapati. The temple, built of black basalt with splendid carvings, is 12.19 metres high. The Ramappa lake is a magnificient irrigation work of the 13th century AD, and the place, where the lake stands, is surrounded by thick forests and presents a beautiful natural scenery making it a popular holiday resort.

Nizamsagar: At a distance of about 144 km north-west of Hyderabad, a reservoir known by the name Nizamsagar was constructed across the Manjira river, a tributary of the Godavari, between Achampet and Banjapalle villages of Nizamabad district. The most outstanding feature of the project is the gigantic masonry dam sprawling across the river for 3 km with a motorable road of 14ft width over it. There are excellent boarding and lodging facilities for the tourists at this project.

Kuntala: It is situated in Adilabad district, 22 km from Boath on the bank of the Kadam river. Here the river falls from a height of about 45 metres and enters Khanapur. The waterfall known as ``Kuntala Waterfalls'' is the highest in Andhra Pradesh. It affords picturesque scenery.

Basara (Adilabad district): It is on the bank of the Godavari on the Secunderabad-Manmad metre-gauge line of South Central Railway. It has one of the two temples dedicated to Goddess Saraswati in India, the other being at Kashmir. Vemulavada is in Karimnagar district and situated about 32 km., from Karimnagar on the road to Kamareddy. The village is an ancient one and has been in existence from the time of the Western Chalukyas. It is famous for the temples of Rajarajeswaraswami and another for Vaddegesvara. It is also a place of great historical importance and attracts thousands of pilgrims and tourists.

Bhadrachalam: This temple-town on the left bank of the river Godavari in Khammam district is considered a holy spot since Lord Rama is supposed to have lived here for some time. It owes its importance to the temple dedicated to Lord Rama, which is said to have been constructed by His ardent devotee, Kancherla Gopanna, popularly called as "Ramadas''. He was an official in the Taluk Office during the reign of the last Qutb Shahi ruler, Abul Hasan Tana Shah.

Vijayawada: It is one of the biggest cities and business centres in the State situated on the northern bank of the river Krishna. It is also the biggest railway junction in the South Central Railway leading to many major cities in the country like Chennai, Calcutta, Delhi and Hyderabad. Visitors and tourists to this place make it a point to see the Mogalrajapuram Caves, Kanakadurga Temple, Prakasam Barrage and Gandhi Hill.

The Gandhi Hill in the centre of Vijayawada is a unique monument dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. A fifty-two feet column of red marble was built and various figures representing the cottage industries were carved on it. Below this column, a Gandhi Memorial Library and a Seminar Hall were constructed. On the slopes of the hill, replicas of Mahatma Gandhi's house at Porbandar in Gujarat, his Phoenix Ashram in South Africa, his Sabarmati Ashram at Ahmedabad and his Sevagram Ashram near Wardha were built. A medium size planetarium was installed in an attractive building near the main entrance to the Gandhi Hill. A telescope and a camera were in the observatory set up on the Gandhi Memorial Library. It provides an opportunity to the visitors to have the thrill of seeing the distant stars in the universe and the grand scenery around the Hill.

Vijayawada is surrounded by picturesque hills, important of which are the Sitanagaram (on the southern bank of the river Krishna), and Indrakiladri. The city is a pilgrim centre for the Hindus on account of its location on the bank of the Krishna, and three important temples, namely, Kanakadurga, Bhramaramba Malleswara and Vijayeswara. The Krishna Pushkaram, celebrated once in twelve years, attracts Hindu devotees from all over the country. Prakasam Barrage, constructed on the river Krishna, is a scenic attraction.

Amaravati: It is an important tourist centre at a distance of 32 km north-west of Guntur owing to its world famous Buddhist stupa and antiquities of the 2nd century B.C. The Stupa here is the biggest with its dome measuring 49 metres and it rises to a height of 29 metres. Amaravati is a byword for sculpture among the plastic arts of the world as the Buddhist sculptures found here are perfect specimens of what is called the Andhra or Amaravati style of sculptures.Amaravati and its neighbouring village Dharanikota were the seats of the rule of the Satavahanas and these places are full of antiquities of great archaeological values depicting scenes from the life of Buddha, embodying various Buddhist emblems and symbols, and also inscriptions in Pali character. The lofty temple of Amareswara stands on the southern bank of the river Krishna, and is considered sacred and holy. It attracts a large number of pilgrims, especially on the Sivaratri day.

Ettipothala Water falls located six km northwest of Macherla in Guntur district is one of the many beautiful scenic spots in the State. The rivulet Chandravanka joins the Krishna falling from a height of 21 metres and the waterfalls offer a delightful view.

Nagarjunakonda is at a distance of 24 km both from Macherla and Nagarjunasagar Project. It is of significance on account of its ancient Buddhist culture. The museum, located on a hilltop on the right side of the Nagarjunasagar Canal, is housed with excavated antiquities.

Undavalli (Guntur district) lies on the south bank of the river Krishna about two kilometres from Prakasam Barrage at Vijayawada. There are the famous Undavalli Caves associated with the Vishnukundin kings of A. D. 420--620. These caves were dedicated to Anantapadmanabha and Narisimhaswami. From the point of sculptural and architectural excellence, these caves compare very well with those of Ajanta.

Nagarjunasagar Dam: the highest masonry dam in the world, is at a distance of about 150-km from Hyderabad. It is constructed on the river Krishna, bordering Nalgonda and Guntur districts. The first Prime Minister of the country Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of this dam. It is one of the biggest multipurpose projects in India.

Srisailam: This is known as a sacred place of pilgrimage in India, located at an altitude of over 1,500 feet above the sea level in a most picturesque natural surroundings in the northernmost plateau of the Nallamala Hill range. Atop the hill, there is the temple of Siva known as Mallikharjunaswami temple, which is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in the country. Another temple at this place is that of the goddess Bhramaramba, the consort of Mallikharjuna. The temple abounds in sculpture and there are many inscriptions in and around it. Apart from the religious importance, Srisailam is also a place of scenic beauty and one of the most important tourist spots in the country.

Mantralayam: situated on the southern bank of the river Tungabhadra in Kurnool district is about 15 km. from Mantralayam Road Railway station on the Chennai-Mumbai line. It is also well connected by road from Hyderabad, Kurnool and other important centres. It is famous for Raghavendraswami Matt or Brindavan. It is here that Raghavendraswami, a great follower of Madhvacharya, entered samadhi after preaching the Madhva cult or Dvaita philosophy. There is no idol of Raghavendraswami but his Brindavan (samadhi) is worshipped.

Lepakshi lies at about 14 km east of Hindupur in Anantapur district. It is of great historical and archaeological importance in the State. This place is a repository of the best mural paintings of the Vijayanagara Kings. The best specimens of the Vijayanagara style of sculpture and mural paintings are found in the temples here. There is a colossal stone Nandi, reputed to be the largest of its kind in the country.

Tirupati and Tirumala in Chittoor district are two sacred places not only for Andhra Pradesh but also for India. The presiding deity here is Lord Venkateswara, who is also worshipped as `Balaji' by the north Indians. Tirumala lies in the midst of the Seshachalam hills, which are 2,000 feet above the sea level. It has also worldwide importance as a major tourist centre.

Srikalahasti (Chittoor district) is also a famous pilgrim centre and the temple here is dedicated to Lord Siva known as Vayulingam and considered as Dakshina Kasi.