Andhra Pradesh is a tourist paradise and Bheemili aka Bheemunipatnam is one of the places you shouldn’t miss. Bheemili, the second oldest municipality in India, was formed on February 8, 1861. At the time of its formation, the population of the town was 5,219. In contrast, the population of Visakhapatnam then was about 4,600.

History:
Local people say that Bheemunipatnam was originally known as ‘Ekachakrapuram’. According to history, The Pandavas were said to have stayed in the village, which was then part of the ‘Dandakaranyam’. The villagers used to be harassed by a demon ‘Bakasura’. They had to supply him a cartload of food and a human being to satiate his hunger every day. Bheema killed the demon and saved the villagers from his wrath. The place where Bhima killed the demon and established a Shiva Linga had later become famous as Bheemeswara Kshetram. The Pandavas are said to have reconstructed the temple of Lord Narasimha, on the Soumyagiri hill, which was destroyed by the demon. It has since been known as Bheemunipatnam.

The Dutch entered Bheemunipatnam in the 17th century after a battle in 1624, when it was under the rule of the Nawabs of Golkonda. It became one of the major Dutch settlements and one of the main trade centers of the Dutch East India company. A witness to many bloody wars and battles, the town was attacked and burnt by the Marathas in 1754 and destroyed in the Anglo-Dutch wars of 1781 and 1795. It was finally handed over by the Dutch to the British in 1825 following a treaty in 1824 and became a peaceful Anglo-Dutch settlement.

Dutch Cemetery:
The cemetery situated in the west of the town at the sea which had the depiction of the cause of the death on the grave enlivens the past written in Portuguese and Dutch. There are 52 tombs spread across two locations…One of the pyramid shaped graves, that of Federick Kesslerus who died in Oct 8th 1661, is considered to be the earliest. This cemetery is divided into two parts, at the right side of the entrance is for British people and rest of the area is for Dutch.

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Light House:
The lighthouse dated to 1868 acts as a citadel on the shores of Bheemili beach which played a vital role in Dutch settlements.

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Churches:
The “Red Church” in as old Church dating back to 1850. Another church, ‘The Andhra Baptist’ has a rich history of more than 130 years.

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Clock Tower:
The clock tower was built by the Dutch rulers in the early 18th century which was a major landmark in those days.

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Beach:
Bheemili Beach is located at the origin of the Gosthani River which reflects the British and Dutch settlements, which is a paradise for nature lovers.

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Buddhist Places:
Bheemili also has several Buddhist pilgrim places like Pavuralakonda and Thatikonda, Bavikonda. It was believed that people lived here in 1st and 2nd centuries. Some archeologists believe that the science of water harvesting started as early as 1st century BC. Because there are water cisterns on the hillock which was used to collect rain water.

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Erra Matti Dibbalu:
In the south of the Bheemunipatnam ridge, this is an area comprising deeply gullied red sand dunes of around 4 km length and 2 km width. It is bounded by streams “Chittigadda” in the North-West and “Peddagadda” in the South-West. This area is referred to as “Erra matti dibbalu”. They are unique because of the gullied red dunes formations they were first reported by William King, deputy superintendent of Geological Survey of India in the year 1886 and these are now declared as a Geo Heritage site by Geological survey of India.

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Narasimha Swamy Temple
It is on the eastern side of Pavuralakonda facing the sea. As per the historical evidences, the temple was constructed around 14th century by the Mindi Kings. There are two more temples in the town of Bheemili, which date back to the times of Chola’s as Bheemeswaralayam and Choleswaralayam.

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And some of the places like Gali Meda, 116 doors bunglow, Vanda Gummala Meda, Municipal Choultry. Custom House, Lion’s Building, Moses Mansion etc are a few places you shouldn’t miss when you are in Bheemili.

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