Etikoppaka, a small village on the banks of the Varaha River in Visakhapatnam district.

Overview

Etikoppaka, a small village on the banks of the Varaha River in Visakhapatnam district, is famous for its age-old tradition of wooden carvings and artifacts, especially the toys, mythological figures and carvings that are created to resemble the shapes that were excavated at the sites of Mohenjodaro and Harappa.

Etikoppaka means, a group of houses on the banks of the river. It is 65 km from Visakhapatnam. More than 200 artisan families live in this village.

Significance

Etikoppaka is a picturesque village at the foothills of the Eastern Ghats famous for the toys and dolls made with a light, soft wood that is locally known as ankudu.

Traditionally, these toys depict scenes from rural life bullock carts, wells, birds and women are some of the famous ones. The carefully etched toys are coated with lacquer. Interestingly, no chemicals substances are used in colouring the toys. Several shops in the village sell these toys, however, they are closed by sunset.

Photos

How to Reach

Visakhapatnam is the nearest airport which is about 49 km away from Etikoppaka.

Elamanchili Rail Way Station , Narasingapalli Rail Way Station are the very nearby railway stations to Etikoppaka.

Visakhapatnam is 80 km from Etikoppaka. Road connectivity is there from Visakhapatnam to Etikoppaka

Best time to visit

Highlights

Ananthagiri: Area is a paradise for coffee lovers since several plantations are located around the resort.

Tyda Nature: Area has a natural bounty of flora and fauna and has several waterfalls

Borra Caves: See the huge million year old caves with stalactites and stalagmites considered to be one of India's deepest caves"

Dolphin's Nose: It is a hill, so named because its headland has the shape of a dolphin's nose. 

Vizag: Port city and Industrial center in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.