Bezwada

Vijayawada Bejjamwada, Bezawada, Rajendracholapuram, Vijayavatika
Metropolis
Clockwise from top left: VMC pylon, Krishnaveni statue, Deccan Queen (bus), Krishna River and Prakasam Barrage, Police control room junction, Kanaka Durga Temple and Telugu Talli statue
Etymology: Vishākhā
Vijayawada Show map of Andhra Pradesh Vijayawada Show map of India Location of Vijayawada
Coordinates: 16°31′09″N 80°37′50″E / 16.5193°N 80.6305°E / 16.5193; 80.6305Coordinates: 16°31′09″N 80°37′50″E / 16.5193°N 80.6305°E / 16.5193; 80.6305
Country	India
State	Andhra Pradesh
District	Krishna
Incorporated (Municipality)	1 April 1888
Incorporated (Corporation)	1981
Founded by	Arjuna
Named for	Victory
Government
• Type	Mayor–Council
• Body	Vijayawada Municipal Corporation
• Mayor	Koneru Sridhar (Telugu Desam Party)
• MLAs	List of MLAs Gadde Ramamohan (East) Janab Jaleel Khan (West) Bonda Uma Maheswara Rao (Central)
• MP	Kesineni Srinivas
• Municipal commissioner	G.Veerapandian
Area
• Metropolis	61.88 km2 (23.89 sq mi)
• Metro	160.00 km2 (61.78 sq mi)
Area rank	2nd (in state)
Elevation	23 m (75 ft)
Population (2011)
• Metropolis	1,034,358
• Rank	27th(India) 2nd(Andhra Pradesh)
• Density	31,289/km2 (81,040/sq mi)
• Metro	1,800,000
Demonym(s)	Vijayawadian
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	520 XXX
Telephone code	+91-866
Vehicle registration	AP
Official language	Telugu
Website	vijayawada.cdma.ap.gov.in

Vijayawada is a metropolis within the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region, on the banks of Krishna River. It is located 35 km (22 mi) away from the state capital Amaravati. Vijayawada is the administrative headquarters of Krishna district, of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The city is one of the million-plus cities in India, with a population of 1,034,358 (census 2011). As per the Demographia World Urban Areas:2016, the city is the third most densely populated, in terms of urban population of built-up areas in the world. Vijayawada is classified as a Y-grade city as per the Sixth Central Pay Commission. It was recognised as a "Global City of the Future" by McKinsey Quarterly, which had a nominal GDP of $3 billion in 2010, and is expected to increase to $17 billion by 2025.

There are many legends behind the origin of the name Vijayawada. Goddess Durga killed the demon and relaxed in this place for some time. As she was victorious (vijaya), the place came to be known as Vijayawada (vijaya translates to victory and wada as place/location, literally "The Place of Victory"). The epic Mahabharata refers to the Indrakiladri hills as the place where Arjuna secured Pashupatastra from Lord Shiva. The city thereafter came to be known as Vijayavatika and later as Vijayawada. In some legends, Vijayawada was referred to as Rajendracholapura. A tale behind its acquiring the name Bezawada is that Goddess Krishnaveni (River Krishna) requested Arjuna to make a passage for her to merge into the Bay of Bengal. Hence, Arjuna made a bejjam (hole) through the mountains and the place came to be known as Bejjamwada which later changed to Bezawada.