Discover Vijayawada: Gandhi Hill, festivals and hotels

Vijayawada offers several clearly distinct themes to consider when planning your trip: Gandhi Hill with its toy train and planetarium, religious festival traditions on the Krishna, the annual festival in Gunadala, and Bhavani Island in the river. Whether you plan your trip mainly around an event date, the attractions on the hill or a location by the river will shape the focus of your stay. The following places and dates give you concrete points of reference.

Gandhi Hill: Train, planetarium and panoramic viewpoints

The toy train on Gandhi Hill runs on a circular track around the hill and is designed for children and families. It can carry 50 children per ride. The planetarium’s shows include “Journey to the Moon” and “Exploration of Planets.” This means the same hill offers a circular ride and two specifically named space-themed shows—different options for planning your day.

The panoramic viewpoints on Gandhi Hill can be reached by a 40-foot-high elevator. Before your visit, check the current show times and whether the elevator and toy train are operating.

Festivals on the Krishna and in Gunadala

The Kanaka Durga Temple is on the banks of the Krishna at Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada. During the ten-day Vijayadashami festival, the goddess is adorned. During the annual Nauka Viharam, she is carried across the waters of the Krishna on a swan-shaped boat; thousands of devotees gather on the banks to watch the ritual. The Krishna thus shapes both the temple’s location and the festival proceedings.

Another annual event is the festival at St. Mary’s Church in Gunadala, held every year from February 9 to 11. If a festival is the reason for your trip, check the dates for your travel year before booking a hotel and plan your travel dates accordingly.

Bhavani Island in the Krishna

Bhavani Island is a river island in the Krishna near Vijayawada, upstream of the historic Prakasam Barrage. In contrast to the Kanaka Durga Temple, which is on the bank at Indrakeeladri, it offers a different geographical perspective on the river: here, the central geographical reference is not the riverbank but an island in the Krishna. This makes it possible to understand the river both as the setting for a ritual on its bank and as the geographical reference point for the island upstream.

Bapu Museum: Collections and current access

The Bapu Museum is currently closed for repairs and is not open to the public. Its interior contains Indian and European paintings, weapons, prehistoric tools and pieces of jewelry. The outdoor exhibition includes sculptures dating from the Satavahana period through the period after the Vijayanagara Empire. The stonework depicts scenes from Buddhist and Hindu traditions. The collections described therefore range from paintings and jewelry to prehistoric tools and stone representations.

Discover more destinations: Governorpeta, Dosapadu, Gannavaram, Gudivada

Return to the main travel overview: Krishna.