History

The history of this beautiful town can be traced back to the early days when it was a small fishing village in the Kalinga Empire during the reign of Ashoka the Great (272-232 BC). Later on, this port town passed successively from the Andhra kings of engi to the Pallavas, Cholas and the Gangas, before it became a part of the Vijayanagar Empire in the 15th century. But it was ultimately the British who converted it into a thriving port town on the Eastern Coast.

Today, the Visakhapatnam port handles the maximum cargo in the country and is likely to become a leading port in Asia. The city has always held an important place on the defense map of India. During British rule, the city was the target of the envying Japanese in World War II. Pakistan too attacked the city during
the Indo Pak War in 1972, but fortunately, there was no damage to the city. Today, Visakhapatnam is said to be the heart of the Indian Navel Defense, as the Eastern Navel Command is located here.

Visakhapatnam is thus a rare mixture of a city with a magical past and a vibrant present. A thriving industrial natural harbour, the nation’s largest shipbuilding yard, the longest metalled beach road, India’s most powerful lighthouse and the world’s highest broad gauge railway track can all be found here. Telugu, Hindi and English are the main language spoken here.