The lowland village of Velika is built at an altitude of 19 metres, near the coast of the Messenian Gulf. It is 20 kilometres from Kalamata and only 2.5 kilometres from the homonymous sandy beach with deep blue waters. The village has approximately 300 permanent residents and was named after a Turkish general named Velik Agas, who lived there.
Velika was created at the beginning of the 20th century during the migration of the population from the Filippaki location. The move was completed shortly before the Second World War, while several families remained at Filippaki until the 1960s.
North of the village is the Castle of Velika, built on a low hill. On the western side of the hill, the river with the same name flows. Officially, the castle was discovered by the Archaeological Service in 2007.
