Vijayawada earlier known as Bezawada, is the third largest city in Andhra Pradesh, India located on the banks of the Krishna River and bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. Vijayawada literally translates to "The Place of Victory". Its prominence as a major trading and business center has earned it the title of, “The Business Capital of Andhrapradesh. Situated along the Madras-Howrah and Madras-Delhi Railway route, this is the largest railway junction of the South Central Railway region. The city is in Krishna District, about 282 kilometres (171 mi) from the state capital Hyderabad. The very mention of Vijayawada, first brings to mind delicious mangoes and pickles. Lying in the rich coastal delta of the state, the cuisine of Vijaywada is spicy and deliciously varied.
The discovery of Stone Age Artifacts remains along the banks of the river from Machilipatnam to Nagarjuna Sagar indicates that this area was inhabited at that time.
Vijayawada is also a centre of Andhra culture, and is a religious center. The Chalukyas of Kalyan once conquered this place, and the famous Chinese Xuanzang (Hsuan-tsang) had visited this place in 639 AD when Buddhism was at its zenith in the region. Kings Choda Gangadeva and Ananga Bhimadeva of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty in the 12th century whose capital was in modern Bhubaneswar and who built the Lingaraja temple had re-annexed considerable part of modern Andhra region and marched up to Godavari but could not cross the wide river bed. He established a town 'Vijaya Bahuda' which means 'return after winning' which became known as Vijayawada.
During the British Raj the city experienced significant growth. In particular, the completion of the Prakasam Barrage in 1959, and railway bridge on the Krishna River have helped the region expand its agriculture and commercial base. Vijayawada Railway station is one of the busiest railway junctions in India. The regions around the city have fertile soil and are irrigated by the river Krishna.
Vijayawada is bounded by the Indrakiladri Hills on the west and the Budameru River on the north. The Northern, North-Western, and South-Western parts of the city are covered by a low range of hills, while the Central, South-Western and North-Western parts are covered by rich and fertile agriculture lands with three major irrigation canals. The topography of Vijayawada is flat, with a few small to medium sized hills. The Krishna River runs through the city. These hills are part of the Eastern Ghats cut through by the Krishna river. They have very low elevation compared to the average elevation of the ghats. Three canals originating from the north side of the Prakasham barrage reservoir, Eluru, Bandar and Ryves, run through the city. Vijayawada is the only city in the world with two rivers, Krishna, Budameru, and three canals. Buckingham Canal originates from the south side of the reservoir. Due to the presence of the Krishna river the soil around here is very fertile and cultivated intensively.
The climate is tropical, with hot summers and moderate winters. The peak temperature reaches 49 °C (120 °F) in May-June, while the winter temperature is 17-25 C. The average humidity is 68% and the average annual rainfall is 965 millimetres (38.0 in). Vijayawada gets its rainfall from both the south-west monsoon and north-east monsoon. It's nicknamed "Blazewada" for its scorching summer heat by the Britishers.
