VIZIANAGARAM

also spelled Vizianagram, town, northeastern Andhra Pradesh state, southern India. Situated in the heart of the Eastern Ghats, Vizianagaram is a rail junction and shipping centre for sunn hemp (jute substitute) and jute products. Manganese is mined nearby. The town has several colleges. Vizianagaram derives its name from the Vijayanagar empire, a powerful Hindu realm that successfully resisted Muslim expansion in southern India in the 14th and 15th centuries. The town, founded in 1712, was the headquarters of the rajas of Vizianagaram, who played a notable role in the history of Andhra Pradesh in the 18th century and were patrons of education and the fine arts. Their fort (1714) lies about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the railway station. The area is well-served by roads and by branches of the South Eastern Railway. Pop. (1981) 114,806.