 Lenin statue in Vijayawada Vijayawada (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, 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.
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.
During the British Raj the city experienced significant growth. In particular, the completion of the Krishna Barrage in 1854, and railway bridge on Krishna have helped the region expand its agricultural and commercial base.
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. The domestic airport located at Gannavaram, about 20 km, from the city connects Vijayawada to Hyderabad by air.
Education in Vijayawada
Andhra Loyola College
Maris Stella college
SRR & CVR College
Velegapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College
Koneru Lakshmaiah College of Engineering
Siddhartha Arts and Science College
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