What are some interesting facts about Visakhapatnam?

• There are several versions as to how Visakhapatnam (nicknamed Vizag) got its name:

1. The city was ruled by Andhra Kings of Vengi and Pallavas. The city is named after Sri Vishaka Varma.
2. Local residents believe that an Andhra king,built a temple to pay homage to his family deity Viśakha. This is now inundated under sea water near R K Beach.
3. Another theory is that it is named after a women disciple of Buddha named Viśakha

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• The Colonial British built another settlement away from the port. It housed their residence and the Andhra University. That settlement is calledWaltair. Waltair is a small part of Vizag now.

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• On April 6, 1942, Vizag was bombed by the Japanese forces in the course of World War II. The Japanese fleet present in the India ocean and the Bay of Bengalstalked the ships enroute to Chittagong. To evade the eemy, the vessels took shelter in Vizag's inner harbour. But the moment they tried to enter the port area, the American ships stationed there opened up their Bofors anti-aircraft guns in staccato. the retaliatory fire, combined with the natural protection of the hills on the three sides, did not allow the planes to have a peep in at the inner harbour and had to abort their mission.  In the course, the bomber planes strafed and dropped three bombs near the port area which exploded, causing 5 casualties.  The fourth and last bomb was dropped on a ship Marine Maller, which fortunately did not explode. If it had exploded, then that would have set up a chain reaction as the ship was laden with 2000 tonnes of explosives and Vizag would have been remembered as Pearl Harbour v2

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• A Submarine Museum -  INS Kursura, built in the USSR and commissioned in the Indian Navy as its fourth submarine on December 18, 1969, played a crucial role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. It was decommissioned in February 2001. It is the only one of its kind in Asia. Only the USA, the UK and Russia have such museums.

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• Dolphin's Nose is a huge (357 mt high) promontory jutting out into the sea. It shelters the harbour, from where manganese and iron ore are shipped out. The nation's most powerful lighthouse stands on it and directs ships 65 kms away.

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• Bheemunipatnam (or Bhimli), one of the finest sea resorts in India, is located at a distance of 24 kilometers NE of Vizag. In 1624 the Dutch arrived here, and in the fight that ensued between the locals and Dutch, 101 Dutch soliders and 200 locals died (as recorded in the Visakhapatnam Gazetteer). Later the Dutch made their peace with the locals and started business. In 1661 they constructed a fort measuring 235 x 405 feet with four minarets, a clock tower and a mint (in the present clock tower area). The fort was completely ruined. It is the oldest municipality after Surat in India. A bustling port once upon a time, it lost out to some sleepy little hamlet as a city of destiny when the port was re-located to Vizag. It was host to the Dutch East Indies Company and is a home to a Dutch Cemetery and a synagogue.

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• The Eastern Naval Command is a full-fledged operational command with it's HQ in Vizag, where the fleet provides naval defence in the Bay of Bengal. Equipped with a submarine base (INS Virbahu), asubmarine school (INS Satavahana), it plays host to the Flag Officer Submarines (FOSM) which are responsible for all submarine matters of Indian Navy. No wonder INS Kursura was immortalised here.

VIZAG TAKES A GIANT LEAP

Visakhapatnam
Aug. 3: The city of destiny has now become one of the fastest growing metros of Asia.
Recently, the city drew the attention of entire world after the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and his wife, Ms Gursharan Kaur, launched the country’s first nuclear powered submarine INS Arihant on July 26.
Just a day before this event, the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) opened its laboratory, a prelude to opening its major facility at Atchyutapuram on a 2,800 acre site, which will be second only to Trombay. The first phase of the facility would be commissioned in three years.
The new BARC campus would also be home for Homi Bhabha National Institute, a deemed university offering graduate programmes in nuclear science.
Giving a further academic boost to the city, the “Innovative University” proposed in the Union Budget two years ago is also coming up on the outskirts of the city. The location is being finalised this week.
The courses of this university, with special focus on industries, would be designed as per the recommendations of the Prof. Yashpal committee.
There are major developments on the industrial front too. An extent of 5,449 acres in Achyutapuram has been allocated for development of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
About 12 companies have registered and five have started their units here. The government is expecting an investment of Rs 27,804 crore in the zone.
“We believe that the Vizag SEZ would become the Pudong of the Indian east coast,” said the APIIC commissioner, Mr B.P. Acharya.
The Pharma City being developed by Ramky group, Apparel Park by Brandix of Sri Lanka and IT SEZs coming up on the hillocks of the Beach Road would also be accelerating the development process of the city.
The Visakhapatnam Steel Plant is also on an expansion mode with an investment of Rs 12,000 crore. Authorities believe that better air connectivity to important destinations, night landing facility and more international services would bring in more investment.

VIZAG TIMELINE
* 260 BCE: Ashoka conquers the Kalinga empire (of which Vizag was a part).

* 208: Chandra Sri Satakarni becomes the king of this region.

* 11th century: Simhachalam Temple is built by Kulottunga I.

* 13th century: Simhachalam Temple is renovated.

* 1515: Krishna Deva Raya’s rule begins.

* 1735: Dutch Colony is established.

* 1765: The territory of the Northern Circars, of which Vizag was a part, ceded to the British East India Company by the Nizam of Hyderabad. Following this, a British colony was established.

* 1902: Andhra Medical College is launched.

* 1904: Railway from Madras to Calcutta, passing through city.

* 1926: Andhra University is established.

* 1933: Vizag Port is established.

* 1942: Japanese war planes attack Vizag, killing 12 persons in the port area.

* 1947: Eastern Naval Command establishes its base. Before 1947 the Royal Navy had a base in HMIS Circars.

* 1949: Scindia Shipyard, later nationalised and called Hindustan Shipyard Limited, commissioned.

* 1953: The Boat Repair Shop expanded into a Base Repair Organisation.

* 1957: Opening of petroleum refinery, Caltex, currently owned by HPCL.

* 1965: Two survey ships, “Jumna” and “Investigator”, permanently deployed.

* 1971: INS Rajput destroys Pakistani submarine Ghazi off the Vizag coast

* 1977: Indira Gandhi Zoological Park established near Madhuravada.

* 1981: Visakhapatnam Steel Plant commences operations.

* 2008: Night landing operations at Vizag Airport begin.

* 2009: The Gangavaram Port, the second port in city and deepest in India, opens.

* 2009: Nuclear powered submarine is launched.

* 2009: Bhaba Atomic Research Centre opens laboratories.

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