Machilipatnam
An old trading port with block-printed cloth and a quiet beach
Machilipatnam tourist places include the old Masulipatnam port, Pedana-style kalamkari block printing and Manginapudi Beach, 11 km out, in Krishna district.
Overview
Machilipatnam, once written Masulipatnam, is a coastal town of about 232,000 people in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, roughly 60 km from Vijayawada. Machilipatnam tourist places suit travellers interested in trade history and hand-printed textiles who also want an uncrowded stretch of Bay of Bengal shore. November to February is the better time, since May brings a mean daily maximum of 37.8 C and a recorded high of 47.8 C.
The town's weight in history comes from its harbour. It was the main seaport of the Golconda kingdom, and in the 17th century merchants from France, the Netherlands, Britain and Portugal all traded here. The British set up an early east-coast base in the town, and through the 17th and 18th centuries Dutch, French and British influence alternated. Ruined buildings put up by those settlers still stand in the town.
Cloth is the other reason to come. Along with the Srikalahasti style, Machilipatnam kalamkari is one of the two main kalamkari traditions in India, and it uses vegetable dyes applied with wooden blocks. Production is confined to Pedana town and neighbouring villages, and Pedana Kalamkari received a geographical indication in 2013. So go to Pedana rather than only to shops in the town if you want to see the work in progress. The town's sweets, Bandar laddu and Bandar halwa, are the other things people carry home.
The coast is easy to add. Manginapudi Beach lies about 11 km from the town and is maintained by the state tourism corporation (APTDC), with broad sands and comparatively quiet water. Back in town, the Panduranga Temple at Chilakalapudi and the Agastheeswara Temple are the Hindu sites named, and a Shia community keeps Moharram with imambargahs and astanas.
Rain peaks in October at about 208 mm, from an annual total near 1,075 mm, and the coast has taken severe cyclones, including those of 1864 and 1977, so check forecasts before travelling in that month. Machilipatnam station is the terminus of the branch line from Vijayawada, and National Highway 65 serves the town. Vijayawada Airport at Gannavaram is the nearest, about 63 to 70 km away.
Known for
A Golconda seaport that later drew Dutch, French, British and Portuguese traders
Quick facts
Hot, with a mean daily maximum of 37.8 C in May, about 1,075 mm of rain a year, October the wettest month at about 208 mm, and a record of severe coastal cyclones.
Vijayawada Airport (VGA) at Gannavaram, about 63 to 70 km
Machilipatnam (MTM), in the town, the terminus of the Vijayawada branch line
National Highway 65 serves the town, which is about 60 km from Vijayawada. Manginapudi Beach is about 11 km away. Distance to Pedana and drive times (to be supplied).
Go to Pedana to see kalamkari being made, since the geographical indication limits production to that town and its neighbouring villages
Check the weather forecast for October, the wettest month, and for cyclone warnings before a coastal trip
Buy Bandar laddu and halwa locally as the town's own sweets
Location
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