7 historical monuments in Vizag that you must visit at least once

While the history of Vizag dates back to 260 BC, when Ashoka conquered the Kalinga Empire, the earliest substantial edifice still standing today is perhaps the 14th-century Simhachalam Temple. Since then, Vizag has seen a lot of ups and downs, like the rise and departure of the Dutch and consequently the British. Offering a glimpse into the cultural history and heritage of this city are a few heritage structures in and around Vizag. Here are 7 historical monuments in Vizag that have stood the test of time and continue to be counted among the prized possessions of the city.

Prized historical monuments in Vizag:

#1 The Dutch Cemetery

The Dutch Cemetery buried in the lanes and bylanes of old Vizag dates back to 1659. Here, there are memorials of those who died during the French War. The Dutch Cemetery houses the memorials of Settlement Chief Charles Simpson, Alexander of Paris amongst others. The Dutch Cemetery situated near the lighthouse in Bheemunipatnam is divided into two parts. While the entrance has graves of the British, the rest of the area has tombs of the Dutch. Each of the fifty-two tombs present in the cemetery, resemble pyramids, with the cause of death engraved on the tombstones.

#2 The King George Hospital

Another key part of the historical monuments in Vizag, the King George Hospital

(KGH) has been an icon of medical assurance for Vizag and its surrounding areas right since the day it opened its doors in 1923. The main building is a monumental structure, built around 1845 on a 35-acre land donated by the Budhavarapu family. Some of the buildings were constructed by the Bobbili royal family. The design, elevation, and height of the buildings of the great hospital have been designed in such a way ensuring ample light and lots of ventilation.

#3 The Collectorate

The Collectorate Building was constructed between 1865 and 1914. A magnificent symmetrical stone E-shaped structure with pyramidal roofs, the Collectorate has two courtyards, a central buttressed porch with semicircular arch openings. The porch has a huge circular buttress on one side, as a watchtower, with a spiral staircase inside it. There is an elegant looking central bay window above the arch opening of the porch. The roof of the ground floor is supported on wooden rafters resting on steel I-sections. Some part of the first-floor corridor has a stone balustrade and the remaining part is made of wood.

#4 The Victorian Town Hall

The Victoria Town Hall was built by Maharaja of Bobbili in 1893 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria and handed over to the municipality in 1904. This symmetrical structure is situated on a widely spread hillock, well above sea level, and with an excellent view of the harbour. This is a double storey pitched roof structure.
There are stone towers on either side of the building covered with a conical wooden roof. The towers also have small semicircular arched openings and look like watchtowers. The structure has exquisitely carved wooden eaves board at the entrance. The structure’s elegant stonework has had a great influence on later structures.

#5 Mrs AVN College

What do premier personalities like the Nobel Laureate Sir C.V Raman, Sonthi Ramamurthy, ICS, Sri B.S. Sarma, Member of Viceroy’s Executive Council in the twenties, Sri Vepa Ramesam, High Court judge, Madras, Padma Bhushan Dwaram Venkata Swami Naidu, Sri Tenneti Viswanadham, Prof. B. Rama Chandra Rao, Ex-Vice Chairman, UGC, Sri S.V. Rangarow, Alluri Seetharama Raju, Dr M. Gopala Krishna Reddy, Former Vice-Chancellor, Andhra University, Padma Vibhushan Prof. C.R. Rao and many more such stalwarts have in common? It’s their association with Mrs AVN College and school. Once a school, this institute began as ‘The Anglo Vernacular School’ in the 1860s. It was founded by eminent like-minded persons like Sir Alexander Grant, Inspector of Schools, Mr. E. Fane, Collector of Vizagapatam, Maharaja Sri G.N.Gajapati Rao and Sri Chendiga Venkata Swamy Naidu mainly for uplifting the poor and downtrodden through education. Standing strong for the past 150 plus years and still counting, AVN College is one of the oldest vernacular schools in the whole of Andhra Pradesh.

#6 Hawa Mahal

Vizag has one, a grand edifice facing the sea on Beach Road. This rich heritage site, once a historical palace, is still being put to use as a popular venue for many civic events. The grand symmetrical heritage structure overlooking the sea is a tourist attraction that and hosts a number of art exhibitions and events. The Jeypore Samsthanam built this edifice during 1917-1921 for the royal family of the princely state of Jeypore (now in Orissa), as a transit halt and summer palace. It is designed to extract the maximum benefit of the cool sea breeze.

In the bygone days of royalty, the palace witnessed many a grand arrival by the royal family, their honoured guests and huge entourage on elaborately decorated elephants and horses as they converged here for the summers. This grand palace also played host to innumerable governors and high ranking dignitaries. Some of the prominent guests to this grand palace include the first prime minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru in 1961 who came to Visakhapatnam to inaugurate the Jalusha (the first ship manufactured by the Hindustan Ship Yard.) Dr Babu Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India too stayed in this palace during his stay. This palace has functioned as the first Women’s College of Vizag as well as a Nursing School for some time.

#7 St. Aloysius’ Anglo-Indian High School

Concluding this walk down the historical monuments in Vizag is a proud school. St. Aloysius’ Anglo-Indian High School is a unique blend of the glories of the past and conveniences of the present day. The imposing grand north-facing structure by the seashore is a heritage building with influences of the Gothic style of architecture. The school even received an award from the INTACH for the best-preserved heritage building. The oldest missionary school on the Coromandel Coast between Kolkata and Chennai, this school was founded by Fr. Tissor, a priest from the Missionaries of St. Francis De Sales (MSFS) in 1847 in a small two-room house jutting the sea in the Old Town Area. The first English medium school, the first to offer boarding facilities, the first to start an industrial school for the poor under the aegis of M.S.F.S. in 1890 (the Brother’s Workshop) … with so many firsts, the institution is truly an exclusive asset to Vizag.