Araku Valley
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| Araku Valley అరకు లోయ | |
|---|---|
| hill station | |
 | |
 
Araku Valley
| |
| Coordinates: 18.3333°N 82.8667°ECoordinates: 18.3333°N 82.8667°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Andhra Pradesh |
| District | Visakhapatnam |
| Elevation | 912 m (2,992 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Telugu |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 531 149 |
| Telephone code | 08936 |
Araku Valley (Telugu: అరకు లోయ) is a Hill station in Visakhapatnam district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It is a valley in the Eastern Ghats inhabited by different tribes. Araku Valley is one of the least spoiled and less commercialized tourist destinations in South India.[1]
Contents
[hide]Geography[edit]
Araku is located at 18.3333°N 82.8667°E.[2] It has an average elevation of 911 metres (2,989 ft).
It is located 114 km from Vishakhapatnam, close to the Odisha state border. The Anantagiri and Sunkarimetta Reserved Forest which are part of Araku Valley, are rich in biodiversity. This valley is surrounded by mountains like Galikonda, Raktakonda, Sunkarimetta and Chitamogondi. Galikonda hill rising to a height of 5,000 feet (1,500 m) is one of the highest in Andhra Pradesh. The average rainfall is 1700 mm, bulk of which is received during June–October.[3]
Coffee[edit]
Araku is popular for its famous coffee plantations. India’s first tribal growers’ organic coffee brand was launched in the Araku Valley in 2007. The premium organic "Araku Emerald" brand of coffee sells globally. Thousands of tribals in the Agency area are engaged in coffee cultivation as farm hands or small farmers.[4]
Transportation[edit]
The valley is connected through both rail and road to the city of Vishakapatnam. There are two railway stations at Araku and Araku Valley on the Kothavalasa-Kirandulrailway line of Visakhapatnam division of the East Coast Railway, on the Indian Railways network. Of them, the Shimiliguda railway station holds the record of being the highest Broad gauge railway station in India and is located at an altitude of 996 meters above mean sea level.
Panchayats[edit]
There are 14 panchayats in Araku Valley mandal.[5]
- Baski (village and panchayat)
- Bondam (village and panchayat)
- Chinna Labudu (village and panchayat)
- Chompi (village and panchayat)
- Gannela (village and panchayat)
- Iragai (village and panchayat)
- Kotha Bhalluguda (village and panchayat)
- Lotheru (village and panchayat)
- Madagada (village and panchayat)
- Madala (village and panchayat)
- Padmapuram (village and panchayat)
- Pedda Labudu (village and panchayat)
- Siragam (village and panchayat)
- Sunkarametta (village and panchayat)
In films[edit]
This scenic beauty is also a host for many Tollywood films like Happy Days, Katha. The movie Darling, released in year 2010, was shot in Araku.
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