5 famous sites that reflect the rich heritage of Vizag

The heritage of Vizag is a treasure chest of wonderful stories. These are stories from the past that can come alive taking a stroll at any of the many proud heritage sites in the city. On this World Heritage Day, we bring you 5 such popular heritage buildings in Vizag that you need to know about.

#1 Turner’s Choultry

Year: 1898

Location: Main Road, near Visakha Central

In order to provide affordable stay for the people, who visit KGH for medical purposes, many philanthropists came forward to build a choultry – a lodging facility – in the later part of the 19th century. Chief among them was Maharaja Gode Narayana Gajapathi Row of “Chemudu” region, who donated around thirteen thousand square yards in the area known, then, as ‘Enugula Thota’ – vernacular for “Elephant Lines” of early military days. It was named Turner’s Choultry – ‘Turner Chatram/Satram’ in Telugu – after the then famous former Vizag Collector, Mr. Henry Gribble Turner.

The building – raised to a height of around a meter-and-a-half from the earth – is in the shape of a rectangle with a big central courtyard, which is surrounded on either side with rooms. The dual-pitched roof rests on the Burma-Teak posts.  Its antiquity and architectural splendour are vividly visible in its stone columns, the facade on the entrance door, the floral pattern cut in the stone above the crown of the entrance arch, pointed and arched windows in the front lobby; etc.