Visakhapatnam is a port city and industrial center in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, on the Bay of Bengal. It’s known for its many beaches, including Ramakrishna Beach, home to a preserved submarine at the Kursura Submarine Museum. Nearby are the elaborate Kali Temple and the Visakha Museum
Kali Temple Vizag
Kalimata Temple or Kali Temple of Vizag is a popular pilgrimage destination. The most important reason behind this is the rich history it inherits. The foundation of the temple was, originally, a skeletal structure made of bamboo. The construction of this temple, thence, commenced in the year 1984.
Tall pillars, domes and minarets welcome you into this temple as you set foot into its premises. It houses an office, living quarters for priests, and a temple kitchen. While the temple is dedicated to the sanctuary of the Hindu Goddess Kali, there is another temple adjacent. This is dedicated to Lord Siva. The Shivalinga is made of ‘rasalinga’ which weighs about 10kgs made of complete stone.
The Kali Temple stands apart primarily because of its modernised, engineering brilliance that is breathtakingly beautiful. Amongst the many things you can do here, some of them include:
1. Darshan: Offering darshan or prayers is one of the few things that you can do at the Kali Temple.
2. Destress: The temple is nothing short of a shrine. It is a wonderful place to sit by yourself and enjoy the serenity the temple provides.
3. Photography: Temples make for great photographic opportunities, depicting culture, emotions, people in their truest form.
RAMAKRISHNA BEACH
Ramakrishna Beach, commonly known as RK Beach, situated in Visakhapatnam, lies at the heart of the city’s coastline. Positioned in the middle, if you cast your gaze to the right, you’ll catch sight of Dolphin’s Nose, while to the left, the INS Kursura rests gracefully by the sea. The beach derives its name from the Ramakrishna Ashram, positioned just across the road, possibly one of the earliest public buildings that contributed to the beach’s nomenclature.
During one evening stroll, following our visit to the Naval Museum and Submarine Museum, we were captivated by the array of art installations adorning the beach. This sight was truly unique, as I have yet to encounter such a display elsewhere in India. Delicately crafted mermaids and maidens adorned the base of lampposts, adding an enchanting allure to the surroundings. Additionally, a park nearby features sculptures reminiscent of Buddhist art, serving as a poignant reminder of the region’s rich Buddhist heritage. It’s a testament to the flourishing of Buddhism in this locale in the past, with a monastery situated not too far from the beach.
Submarine Museum
The Submarine Museum is the first submarine tuned to a museum in the whole of Asia and second in the World. INS Kurusura Submarine is a Soviet built I-641 class Submarine inducted into the Indian Navy on 18, December 1969 and the same was decommissioned on 28, February 2001 after 31 years of glorious service to the nation. The Submarine was brought from the sea to the sands of the Ramakrishna Beach and positioned on concrete foundation to set up as a museum. It has been established with the aim to create awareness among the public to know how the submarines work during wartime and for showcasing the life inside the submarine, etc.
The tourism department of Visakhapatnam looks after the maintenance of the INS Kurusura Submarine. The total investment upon this project was Rs. 5.5 Crores. It is one of the central tourist attractions of the city. This museum was opened to public on 14/8/2002.
The Museum shows the signboards of the growth of submarine through artifacts, photographs and written scripts. The museum showcases the life inside a submarine and hardships faced by the submariners in the sea. Guides are available in the museum to help the visitors.
At a distance of 6 km from Vizag Railway Station, the Submarine Museum situated on RK Beach is a Russian built submarine of the Indian Navy (INS Kurusura) turned to a museum in 2001. Submarine Museum is one of the prime attractions of Vizag city.
Entry Fee: Adults: Rs.40, Children: Rs.20, Camera: Rs.50 and Video Camera: Rs.200.
Timings: 2 PM – 9 PM from Tuesday to Saturday & 10 AM – 12 PM and 2 PM – 9 PM on Sundays. It is closed on Mondays.
Visakha Museum
Visakhapatnam is a popular tourist destination with a history dated back to 260 BC. Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Museum, more popularly known as the Visakha Museum has taken the huge task of preserving the records of the great history of Vizag city.
Situated on the RK beach road, Visakha museum attracts a huge number of tourists thronging this place to see the historical treasures and artifacts of the Kalinga Andhra region. Once a ruined Dutch bungalow on the beach road, it was renovated and turned into a Museum of great importance.
Visakha museum has a huge collection of items related to the port city of Vizag as well as historical items presented by other countries. Portraits of the royal family members of Vizianagaram and Bobbili, armour suits, spears and muzzle loading guns, weapons such as steel bows, Handguns and revolvers,daggers and swords, helmets of Greek/Roman and Viking, stuffed animals, crockery, coins, silk costumes, manuscripts, diaries, scrapbooks, and maps are some of the rare collections preserved in this museum.
Along with this, the museum has many models of planes, warships and submarines. The museum also houses the shell of a 250-lb unexploded bomb dropped by Japanese during the World War II.
The coconut broken by the first Prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru during the launch of the ship S.S Jala Usha is also preserved in Visakha museum. The photographs of Mahatma Gandhi walking with other prominent personalities of Vizag, the desk used by Gandhiji and later by Sri Tenneti Viswanadham can also be seen in this museum.
