Rajahmundry - Beyond the City Streets

If you want to discover the true essence of a city, you need to look beyond its urban façade of premium brands and elite coffee shops. I wanted to dive right into the cultural oasis which fuels the identity of Rajahmundry, painting its face in a motley of shades. So, I made the conscious choice of approaching the city from its outer fringes, unraveling little nuggets of history and tradition as I arrived at its center.

My first stop was Dindi, located 80 km away from Rajahmundry. A picturesque hamlet snuggling in the lap of the Godavari backwaters and abundantly bestowed with streams and canals rimmed by coconut palms, Dindi is a popular riverside holiday destination sans the cosmetic frills. Sterling Dindi, the resort I stayed at, looked almost mystical with water lilies and palm trees gelling together to create a transcendental aura. I was so famished when I got to this arcane land away from the fallacies of city dwelling that all I needed was a hearty lunch to whisk away my travel woes.  The chef delighted me with two different versions of locally sourced curried fish, namely Chepala Iguru and Chepala Pulusu. Smug and satiated by the exotic flavours of Andhra cuisine, I began my afternoon tour of the region. 

 

At a distance of 20 km from Dindi, in the sacred precincts of Antarvedi, I witnessed the poetic confluence of Vashishta Godavari and the Bay of Bengal. As romantic as the Elvis Presley track, the merging of the river with the sea indeed seemed like the esoteric handiwork of cosmic powers. Antarvedi, home to the highly regarded Lord Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple, is considered as ‘the second Varanasi by the grace of God’. What enticed me more though, was the narrow lane leading to Antarvedi with little fish farms separated by bunds on either side. Antarvedi also has a lighthouse and a vast stretch of pristine beach perfect for a private getaway.  

The general manager at Sterling encouraged me to visit Bandarulanka, a village near Dindi where the locals are involved in the trade of saree weaving. I was amused to find a whole community religiously at work on the loom in their front porches, producing yards of silk and cotton by adept finger movements. A magnanimous resident of the area guided me through the entire process of saree manufacturing, right from weaving and dyeing to pressing and folding. Handloom sector is only second to agriculture in terms of its contribution to the economy. I walked out of Bandarulanka with a handful of exclusive handloom sarees, each narrating a story of unmatched craftsmanship.

From Bandarulanka, I made my way past rice fields and coconut groves to the bewitching jungles of Maredumilli, 80 odd kilometres from Rajahmundry. An eco-tourism destination set against the backdrop of the Eastern Ghats with placid water bodies, bamboo forests and cryptic falls, Maredumilli is for those looking for an untainted nature escapade. For dinner, I tried the famous bamboo chicken prepared the tribal way by stuffing bamboo shoots with oil-less marinated chicken and shoving them into charcoal flames. The smoky flavour was as rustic as the place itself, blending in well with the chilly air and the whispering woods. I spent the night at Vanavihari community resort and headed straight to Rajahmundry at daybreak. As I sped past huge tracts of paddy fields flushed alive in the afterglow of the rising sun, I tried to imagine what Rajahmundry looked like.