Today, a quick Google search for ‘Visakhapatnam’ brings up a summary of the city, painting a pretty picture of its beaches, port, and attractions like the Submarine Museum and Kali Temple. A few centuries from now, perhaps this digital footprint will help future generations understand what Vizag was like in our time. But how do we understand the Vizag of the past?
Ancient inscriptions etched into temple walls across Andhra Pradesh offer compelling clues. These stone records trace Visakhapatnam’s history back over a thousand years, revealing its significance as a thriving center of trade, culture, and community life. Here are four fascinating insights ancient texts offer about Visakhapatnam:
1. Visakhapatnam Has Been Around Since at Least 1068 AD
The earliest known reference to Visakhapatnam can be found on a stone inscription at the Lord Bhimeswara Swamy Temple in Draksharamam, located in present-day East Godavari district. Published by the Government Epigraphical branch of the Archaeological Survey of India, the inscription reads:
“In the year Saka 990 (1068 AD), a merchant named Papaya, son of Mediya Setti from Visakhapatnam, made a donation to Lord Bhimeswara. The donation included a metal lamp stand and fifty cows to supply ghee for the lamp, so it may burn perpetually as long as the Sun and Moon exist.”
This record is the first concrete evidence of Visakhapatnam’s existence, proving that the city is more than a thousand years old.
2. It Had Flourishing Trade Culture with Merchants from Kerala
The same inscription that mentions Papaya’s donation also hints at the presence of an active merchant class in the city. Further inscriptions offer more insight into the trading life of Visakhapatnam.
For instance, a 1199 AD record talks about the sale of land and a house to a merchant in the city. Another inscription from 1250 AD documents a merchant gifting a mantapa (pillared pavilion) to a temple. Most notably, an inscription from 1090-91 AD (Saka 1012) mentions a merchant guild called “Perumballi of the 500”—part of the Anjuvannam group from Malamandala (present-day Kerala)—making a donation to another Kerala merchant.
These inscriptions reveal that Visakhapatnam was an active port with merchant guilds and a multicultural trading population, including those from Kerala.
3. Visakhapatnam Was Renamed ‘Kulottunga Cholapatnam’ for Nearly 200 Years
During the reign of the Chola Empire, Visakhapatnam underwent a significant name change, according to ancient texts. Around 1083 AD, a general of King Kulottunga I renamed the city Kulottunga Cholapatnam in honor of the ruler. The Cholas had a tradition of renaming places they conquered, but what makes this instance unique is that it was a port town—highlighting its importance in trade and strategy.
Three inscriptions dating from 1090 to 1250 AD, published by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1909, support this fact. King Kulottunga I, also known as Rajendra Chalukya, played a key role in shaping the region’s history. After the Chola influence faded, the city eventually returned to its original name—Visakhapatnam.
4. A Melting Pot of Communities, Cultures, and Artistry
Inscriptions at Simhachalam Temple provide further insights into the city’s social makeup. One record from 1266 AD during King Vira Narasimha Deva’s reign details the appointment of about 100 women singers to serve the temple. Some of these artists hailed from Visakhapatnam, indicating the presence of a thriving artistic community.
Another inscription from 1421 AD reveals that a Tamil-speaking individual purchased a garden from a local and donated it to the temple. This suggests the existence of agrarian communities and further cements the city’s multicultural fabric.
Together, these records paint a vivid picture of ancient Visakhapatnam—not just as a fishing village but as a dynamic port town with bustling trade, diverse communities, and a rich cultural life.
These ancient texts about Visakhapatnam not only just preserve history but also give us a powerful sense of continuity, showing how the past still echoes in the present.
Disclaimer: This article has been framed using information from Visakhapatnam through inscriptions, an article by local historian Edward Paul. For pictorial references, refer to the story.
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