Drive about 30 km from Andhra Pradesh’s Machilipatnam towards the south and you will reach Hamsaladeevi in Krishna district. A popular tourist spot, here the Krishna river merges seamlessly with the Bay of Bengal, referred to as Sagara Sangamam. If you’re arriving from Vijayawada via the Avanigadda route, the same drive will be about 80 km.
The approach to Hamsaladeevi offers charming views of paddy and black gram fields spread across the small villages of Chinnapuram, Gundupalem, Kona among others. As you get closer to Hamsaladeevi, you can also find several lakes meant for prawn and crab cultivation. However, in some parts you have to bear a bumpy ride on narrow roads when you pass through the villages.
Narrow roads in a village
Blackgram fields
A village house near water canal
A newly constructed bridge near Hamsaladeevi
Fishing boats at Hamsaladeevi amidst Mangrove forests
On reaching the Hamsaladeevi shore, you are likely to find it filled with scores of tourists. Families, couples and school students alike can be spotted enjoying the cool evening breeze at the beach. While some tourists like to sit on the shore enjoying the view, some others can be seen playing or taking a dip in the sea.
Tourists at the Hamsaladeevi beach
“Several tourists come to Hamsaladeevi and the crowd is bigger during weekends, especially on Sundays. While they spend half the day here at the beach, many people go to Sagara Sangamam in the second half from here,” says Rajakumari, who runs an ice cream shop at the beach.
The magical union of Krishna river with the Bay of Bengal happens 3 km from the shore. And the real task lies in reaching this Sagara Sangamam spot from the Hamsaladeevi shore.
Tourists can be seen walking along the shore to Sagara Sangamam in the cool breeze, collecting sea shells on the way. Earlier, auto-rickshaws were available to take tourists to Sagara Sangamam but that service has been temporarily halted since the lockdown. Now one has to walk or go on a two-wheeler through the sea line.
As you get closer to Sagara Sangamam, you can observe how the sea gets quieter and the intensity of waves is reduced too. And at the spot, the sea with its waves on the right side can be clearly distinguished from the river on the left with its calm waters.
Sagara Sangamam spot
A statue of Krishnamma representing the river has been erected at the merging site. Visitors often conduct rituals at this spot. The site gets very crowded on festival days such as Karthika pournami, and during Krishna Pushkaralu, a festival celebrated once in 12 years to honour the Krishna river.
Krishnamma statue at Sagara Sangamam
Hamsaladeevi has become even more popular after director Boyapati Srinu shot some scenes for his 2017 movie Jaya Janaki Nayaka here. The movie’s climax sequence was shot at Sagara Sangamam for more than 10 days on a budget of Rs 4 crore, according to reports.
Watch the making of Jaya Janaki Nayaka video here:
Hamsaladeevi is perfect for a day-long trip, where visitors can enjoy beautiful views of the ocean in a rustic backdrop.