Guntur

Guntur ); is a city in the Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters for Guntur district. It is also the mandal headquarters of Guntur mandal in Guntur revenue division. The city is the second largest by area and third most populous in the state. with a population of 743,354 and with an urban agglomeration population of 1,028,667. The city is situated on the plains and located 40 miles (64 km) to north of the Bay of Bengal. River Krishna is the main source of water for the city through channels and tributaries.

The city is part of Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and Vishakhapatnam-Guntur Industrial Region, a major industrial corridor in India. It is also a Tier-II city as per Government of India and the headquarters to many state departments and agencies and is renowned for education, business, e-commerce industry, and agriculture. It exports chilli pepper, cotton, tobacco and also it is also the largest producer of chilies in the country.

Etymology

The earliest reference to the present name of the city can be dated back to the period of Ammaraja–I (922-929 CE), the Vengi Eastern Chalukyan King. It also has its appearance in another two inscriptions dated 1147 A.D and 1158 A.D. In Sanskrit, the name of Guntur was referred as Garthapuri, which translates to Tank village during the French occupation.

History

The earliest recorded reference of Guntur comes from the Idern plates of Ammaraja I (922–929 CE), the Vengi Chalukyan king. French astronomer, Pierre Janssen observed the Solar eclipse of 18 August 1868 and discovered helium, from Guntur in Madras State, British India. The inscriptions stones in the Agastyeshwara temple in 'Naga Lipi' (an ancient script) dates back to about 1100 CE. It is considered one of the most famous temples in the city. It is said that Agastya built the temple in the last Treta Yuga around the swayambhu linga and hence it has this name. The 'Nagas' were said to have ruled the region at that time. The region has been historically known for Buddhism and the first Kalachakra ceremony performed by Gautama Buddha himself. The place of Sitanagaram and the Guttikonda caves are referred in the ancient texts (Vedic puranas) going back to the Treta Yuga and Dwapara Yuga (Traditional time scale: 1.7 to 0.5 million years ago, Ref).

With the arrival of the Europeans in the late sixteenth century the city attained national and international significance. The French shifted their headquarters from Kondavid Fort to here in 1752, probably because of the ample availability of water due to the two large tanks. This settlement formed the nucleus of the modern city. The Nizams and Hyder Ali also ruled the city until it came under British rule in 1788. It was made the headquarters of a district named after it that was abolished in 1859, only to be reconstituted in 1904. The city rapidly became a major market for agricultural produce from the surrounding countryside due to the opening of the railway link in 1890. The expansion continued post independence as well and was concentrated in what is now called "New Guntur", with many urban areas such as Brodipet, Arundalpet and suburban areas like Pattabhipuram, Chandramouli Nagar, Sita Rama nagar, Brindavan Gardens, etc.

Geography

Guntur Plains: Guntur is located at 16°17′N 80°26′E / 16.29°N 80.43°E / 16.29; 80.43. It has an average elevation of 33 m (108 ft) and is situated on the plains. There are a few hills in the surrounding suburban areas. The city is located around 40 miles (64 km) to the west of the Bay of Bengal on the east coast of India. The Krishna delta lies partly in the Guntur district. There are other smaller rivers and channels in the region such as Guntur Channel, Chandravanka, Naagileru, Guntur Branch Canal etc.

As quoted in NASA's website "it is typical of the wider deltas along the southeast coast of India (known as the Coromandel Coast). The braided stream channels, broad floodplain, and extensive sandbars suggest that this part of the Krishna River flows through relatively flat terrain and carries a substantial amount of sediment, especially during the monsoon season." Image Website of NASA of the Guntur City and District/Region of India. With the ocean on the top portion of the image, the actual location of the city is on the bottom right side portion of the image.

Geography

It is situated on the plains and located 40 miles (64 km) to north of the Bay of Bengal. It is surrounded by small hills and Perecherla Reserve Forest on the west. River Krishna is the main source of water for the city through channels and tributaries.

Culture

The city residents are referred as Gunturians. Traditional drama and theatrical events also have their presence in the city. The city has various religious presence and hence, many festivals such as, Eid al-Adha by Muslims; Hindu festivals of Diwali, Holi; and Christmas by Christians; etc., and many more.

Cuisine

The South Indian breakfast varieties such as, Idli, Dosa etc., are preferred mostly. The Red chilli biryani is one of the most distinguished food item of the city. Guntur Sannam, a chilli variety was registered as one of the geographical indication from Andhra Pradesh under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

Transport

Public transport

APSRTC operates buses to various destinations from NTR bus station of the city. It has also introduced city bus services from the city to the nearby destinations of Pedakakani, Namburu, Yanamadala and Chebrolu. Other local transport of the city are private mini buses and auto-rickshaws.

Roadways

The city is well connected to the major destinations through various national and state highways. National Highway 16 bypasses the city, which is also a part of Asian Highway 45 and Golden Quadrilateral. The highway is connected with the Mahatma Gandhi Inner Ring Road, encircling the city. The State Highway 2 connects the city with Macherla and State Highway 48 with Bapatla and Chirala. The Guntur-Parchoor road is a part of the core road network of the district, that connects it with the Parchur. The city has a total road length of 853.00 km (530.03 mi).

Railways

Guntur Junction and New Guntur are classified as an A and E category stations respectively in the Guntur railway division of South Central Railway zone. These two railway stations of the city are used for rail transport. Nallapadu and Perecherla are the other two satellite stations. Rail Vikas Bhavan in the city is the headquarters of Guntur railway division.

Air

Vijayawada Airport is located at Gannavaram. It is the nearest Domestic Airport to Guntur city. It connects to the nearest International Airport Hyderabad and also to other places like Bangalore, Coimbatore, Chennai, Delhi, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Kadapa. The domestic airport is served by Air India, SpiceJet, TruJet and Air Costa. A plan for its expansion has been proposed which will enable the landing of larger aircraft and also provide night landing facilities. Government of Andhra Pradesh is planning to Build a new Greenfield Airport near City.