Vijayawada is one of the biggest cities of Andhra Pradesh. Located atop the Krishna delta, the city lies between River Budameru on the north and the Indrakiladri Hills on the west. The meaning of the word Vijayawada is – ‘The Place of Victory’. It is said that the city was named Vijayawada when Lord Shiva blessed Arjuna on the Indrakiladri Hills. Another version is that the city got the name as Goddess Durga killed a demon she became ‘Vijaya’ (victorious) and the place where she rested became ‘Vijayawada’. Vijayawada is an ancient city and was ruled by kings like Madhava Varma, Chalukyas, and Krishna Deva Raya among others.The journey from Visakhapatnam to Vijayawada, covering around 352 km, is quite pleasant as the route boasts of picturesque natural scenery. Warangal, which is listed as the Best Heritage Place along with Jaipur by the Tourism Ministry of India, lies just 240 km away from Vijayawada and can be easily reached by bus. The distance between Vijayawada and other major cities like Guntur, Tirupati and Chittoor is 36 km, 416 km, and 483 km, respectively. Vijayawada is now a well-developed trade center of the state. It is well connected with other parts of the state by means of roadways and railways. Several bus services are available to various cities like Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Chennai, Pune, Vizag, and Bangalore among others.
Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh is one of the major cities of south India. A landlocked city, it is equally known for its pearls and Biriyani (an indigenous Hyderabadi cuisine). It is also one of the prominent historical cities of the country. Also called the land of Nizams, the history of Hyderabad is closely intertwined with that of the Muslim rulers of the country. A rich state in the olden times, Hyderabad attracted people from far and wide to it. Even today the remnants of its historical past are visible everywhere in the city add.
