Places to visit in Andhra Pradesh: tourist attractions

Andhra Pradesh has India's second longest coastline, the green deltas of the Godavari and Krishna, the hills and caves of the Eastern Ghats, and some of the most visited temples in the world. Hyderabad, Warangal and the Ramappa Temple are now in Telangana: see Telangana Tourist Attractions.

Tirupati and Tirumala

Tirupati is one of the most important pilgrim centres in India. On the seven hills of Tirumala above the town stands the shrine of Lord Venkateswara, also known as Balaji, believed to be one of the most visited places of worship in the world. The temple is a masterpiece of Dravidian architecture with its gopuram facing east, and its vimana, covered with gold plate, is known as the Ananda Nilayam. Statues of Krishnadevaraya and his consorts stand in the temple. The Brahmotsavam, the annual festival, is celebrated in September or October. See About Tirupati.

Places of interest: Sri Venkateswara Temple, Govindaraja Swamy Temple, Kapila Theertham, Kodandarama Swamy Temple, Padmavathi Temple at Tiruchanur, Silathoranam (a natural rock arch), Talakona waterfall, and Srikalahasti, about 36 km away.

Visakhapatnam

Lapped by the Bay of Bengal, Visakhapatnam is the state's largest city and a major port and naval base. Long ago, it is said, a temple to Visakha, the god of valour, stood on its shore; the sea swept the shrine away but the name survived. See About Visakhapatnam.

Places of interest: Ramakrishna Beach, Rushikonda Beach (a Blue Flag beach), the INS Kursura submarine museum, Kailasagiri hill park, Dolphin's Nose, the Simhachalam temple, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Yarada beach, and the Buddhist hill sites of Thotlakonda, Bavikonda and Bojjannakonda.

Araku Valley and Borra Caves

Araku Valley, about 115 km from Visakhapatnam in the Eastern Ghats, is a cool hill valley of coffee plantations and tribal villages, reached by a scenic railway through dozens of tunnels. On the way are the Borra Caves, million-year-old limestone caves with stalactites and stalagmites, discovered by the British geologist William King in 1807. Araku's tribal museum and the Dhimsa dance are other attractions.

Vijayawada

Vijayawada, the "City of Victory", is where, it is believed, Arjuna was rewarded for his penance on Indrakeeladri hill. A busy business city on the Krishna, it is famous for the Kanaka Durga temple on the hill and is a base for Amaravati, Kuchipudi, Mangalagiri and Kondapalli, known for Buddhist ruins, dance, temples and toys respectively. See About Vijayawada.

Places of interest: Kanaka Durga Temple, Prakasam Barrage, Undavalli Caves, Mogalrajapuram Caves, Akkanna Madanna Caves, Gandhi Hill, Bhavani Island, Victoria Jubilee Museum, Hazratbal Mosque, Gunadala Mary Matha shrine.

Amaravati

Amaravati, on the Krishna near Vijayawada and Guntur, is being built as the capital of Andhra Pradesh. The ancient town of Amaravati was a capital of the Satavahanas and is famous for its great Buddhist stupa, whose carved marble panels are among the finest early Indian sculpture, and for the temple of Lord Amareswara. The Archaeological Museum displays sculptures from the stupa.

Srisailam

The Mallikarjuna Swamy temple at Srisailam, on the Nallamala hills above the Krishna, is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and one of the Shakti Peethas. The Mahabharata mentions it as Sriparvata.

Places of interest: Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, Srisailam Dam, Pathala Ganga, Sakshi Ganapati, Hatakeswaram, Akkamahadevi Caves.

Nagarjunakonda and Nagarjuna Sagar

The Nagarjuna Sagar dam across the Krishna, on the border with Telangana, is one of the largest masonry dams in the world. When its lake was filled, the ruins of the Buddhist centre where the philosopher Acharya Nagarjuna taught were moved to Nagarjunakonda, now an island in the reservoir with a museum of stupas, viharas and sculptures. Ethipothala waterfall is nearby.

Rayalaseema

Lepakshi: the 16th-century Veerabhadra temple with its painted ceilings, a "hanging pillar" that does not touch the floor, and one of India's largest monolithic Nandis.
Gandikota: a fort above a deep gorge of the Pennar river in Kadapa district, called the Grand Canyon of India.
Belum Caves: one of the longest cave systems in India open to visitors, in Nandyal district.
Ahobilam: nine temples of Lord Narasimha in the Nallamala forest.
Mantralayam: the samadhi of the saint Sri Raghavendra Swamy on the Tungabhadra.
Horsley Hills: a small hill station in Annamayya district.
Puttaparthi: the ashram of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

The coast and the deltas

Rajamahendravaram and the Papi Hills: boat cruises on the Godavari through the gorge of the Papi Hills.
Konaseema: the coconut-palm villages and canals of the Godavari delta.
Annavaram: the hilltop temple of Sri Satyanarayana Swamy.
Srikakulam: the sun temple at Arasavalli and the Srimukhalingam temples.
Sriharikota: India's spaceport, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, beside Pulicat Lake.
Beaches: Mypadu near Nellore, Suryalanka near Bapatla, Manginapudi near Machilipatnam and Bheemunipatnam near Visakhapatnam.

Official tourism information: Andhra Pradesh Tourism.