Vijayawada
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Vijayawada (విజయవాడ) (also known as Bezawada or, because of its heat, Blazewada) is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India, located on the banks of the Krishna River, and bounded by the lndrakiladri Hills on the west and the Budameru River on the north. Situated along the Madras-Howrah and Madras-Delhi rail route, this is the largest railway junction of the South Central Railway. The city is in Krishna District, about 275 km from the state capital Hyderabad. and is spread over an area of 58 km² (urban area), with a population of 825,436 (2001 census).
History
The discovery of pre-historic remains belonging to the stone-age man all along the banks' of the river from Machilipatnam to Nagarjuna Sagar provides evidence that this part of the river valley was inhabited by the stone age man.
Vijayawada literally translates to "The Place of Victory". A legend narrates that Vijayawada was established by Arjuna around the Malleswara temple and Indrakiladri hills in commemoration of Lord Shiva's Darsan he had, and thus named after him as Vijayawada.
Besides being an important religious centre for Buddhists and Hindus, Vijayawada is also a centre of Andhra culture. The Chalukyas of Kalyan once conquered this place, and the famous Chinese Xuanzang (Hsuan-tsang) had visited this place in 639 when Buddhism was at its zenith in the region.
During the British Raj the city experienced significant growth. In particular, the completion of the Prakasam Barrage in 1854, and railway bridge on the Krishna River have helped the region expand its agricultural and commercial base. And Vijayawada Railway station is busiest railyway junction in India. The regions around the city have fertile soil and are irrigated by the river.
Regional setting
Vijayawada is an important link in connecting the three regions of Andhra Pradesh and is a major transit point. Two National Highways, the National Highway 5 from Madras to Kolkata and the National Highway 9 from Machilipatnam to Hyderabad pass through the City connecting it to other parts of the country. It is connected to other areas of the state by state highways and district roads. Vijayawada is also the busiest railway junction of India. The domestic airport located at Gannavaram, about 20 km, from the city connects Vijayawada to Hyderabad by air.