Guntur District

Guntur District is situated in the state of Andhra Pradesh beside the east coast of Bay of Bengal. The coastline of the district is almost 100 km. The city of Guntur is the administrative hub and the largest city in Guntur District. The district is renowned as a foremost learning center. In the year 1970, a portion of Guntur district was segregated to become part of Prakasam district. Guntur district is presently a part of the Red Corridor. Guntur district is deeply rooted in history and comprises of several temples that are scattered through out the district.

It is considered that Agastya built the Agasthyeswara Sivalayam, a Shiva temple, during the Treta-Yuga. There are inscriptions Naga Lipi that date back to around 1100 CE. The caves of Guthikonda and Sitanagaram are calculated to be form around the Treta-Yuga and Dwapara-Yuga. The Sala kings ruled the region from 5th century BCE. There are references of Guntur in the Idern plates of the Vengi Chalukyan King, Ammaraja I (922-929 CE). Guntur district also finds mention in 2 other inscriptions that are dated around 1147 and 1158 CE. Gautama Buddha preached at Dhanyakatakam, which is near Guntur and organized the Kalachakra ceremony during 500 BCE.

In the ancient times, buddhists founded universities Dhanyakatakam and Amaravathi. In the villages of Guntur district numerous Buddist stupas were excavated. Hiuen Tsang, a Chinese traveler, observed and wrote magnificent accounts of many Viharas in Amaravathi during 640 C.E. But some of them were abandoned, as Hinduism was gaining popularity. During ancient and medieval periods, Guntur district was sequentially ruled by various dynasties like Andhra Ikshvakus, Vishnukundina, Satavahanas, Chalukyas, Pallavas, Vijayanagara, Ananda Gotrikas, Kakatiyas, Cholas and Qutb Shahis. The battle of Palnadu was fought in Guntur district around 1180 CE.

During 1687 CE, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb defeated the Qutb Shahi sultanate of Golconda and conquered Guntur. By 1788, Guntur district came under the rule of the British East India Company and was included in the Madras Presidency. Guntur district played a noteworthy role during the Indian freedom struggle and the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Guntur district consists of a total area of around 11,400 sq km. The Krishna River flows through the district and comprises the northeastern and eastern border of Guntur district, separating it from Krishna District. The district is bordered by the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, by Prakasam District on the south, by Mahbubnagar District on the west, and by Nalgonda District on the northwest.

As per the 2011 census, Guntur district consists of a population of 4,889,230 and is ranked at 22 out of 640, in India. The population density is 429 inhabitants per sq km and population growth rate during 2001-2011 was 9.5 %. The gender ration of Guntur district is 1003 females for every 1000 males. The literacy rate is 68% in Guntur.

Guntur district is divided into 3 revenue divisions, Guntur, Narasaraopet and Tenali. The district is further divided into 57 mandals for better administration and supervision. The various mandals include Achampeta, Amaravathi,Bellamkonda, Bollapalle, Cherukupalle, Chilakaluripet, Duggirala, Durgi, Edlapadu, Gurazala, Ipuru, Karempudi, Kollipara, Krosuru, Macherla, Medikonduru, Nadendla, Nagaram, Narasaraopet, Pedakakani, pedanandipadu, Pittalavanipalem, Rajupalem, Rompicherla, Sattenapalli, Tadikonda,Tenali, Tsunduru, Veldurthy, Vinukonda and others.

The main language of Guntur district is Telugu which is spoken widely. Urdu is the second official language of the district. The festival of Shivaratri is grandly celebrated in Guntur district.

There are many premiere institutions in Guntur district like Guntur Medical College, NRI Medical College, Katuri Medical College, RVR and JC College of Engineering, Vignan University, Bhashyam Group of Institutions, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Andhra Christian College, Hindu College etc. There are 2 deemed universities in Guntur district, K L University and Vignan University.

Guntur Medical College : The Guntur Medical College (GMC), Guntur came into existence on 6th July, 1954 and has successfully completed 50 years of its service in the medical field in India. The college is considered as one of the premier medical institutions in Andhra Pradesh and it has played an important role in spreading medical education in the state. The college offers medical education to the students at both the undergraduate and post-graduate level and it also offers training to the Paramedical Staff like Radiographers, Lab. Technicians, Lab. Attendants, Pharmacists, Nurses, and Sanitary Inspectors. The college got affiliated to the Andhra Pradesh University of Health Sciences (APUHS), after the inception of the later in 1989. The APUHS is known as NTRUHS and is situated in Vijayawada.

The Guntur Medical College (GMC), Guntur started its journey with 50 students at the undergraduate level and it started offering post-graduate courses in Pre-Clinical Subjects in 1956 and in Clinical subjects in 1958. The College admits 78 P.G students in different specialties both in degree and diploma, every year at the moment. The GMC, Guntur instituted a large number of Medals and Prizes with a view to encourage its students to study with more enthusiasm and competitive spirit. The college also conducts quiz programmes at College and National Levels for exploring the skills of the Students, on a regular basis. There are two separate hostels available, for providing accommodation to the male and female students in GMC, Guntur.

Apart from the medical college, there is also a hospital named Guntur General Hospital, adjacent to the Guntur Medical College. The hospital has bed strength of 1038 and about 4-5 thousand people throng the O.P. departments of the hospital daily for Medical relief. There are a number of 32 departments in the Guntur Medical College (GMC), Guntur and the departments include, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine, Pathology, Medicine, Paediatrics, Cardiology, Venereology, Dermatology, Nephrology, Radiotherapy, Gastroenterology, Radio-diagnosis, Psychiatry, Neurology, Anaesthesiology, Fever Hospital, Surgery, Orthopaedics, ENT, Plastic Surgery, Paediatric Surgery, Urology, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Dental, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Social & Preventive Medicine.

Agriculture is the main occupation of the people of Guntur district. Tobaccos, Paddy, Chillies, Cotton etc. are some of the major cultivated products in the region.

Temples of Guntur District is a district with large surface area, depending mostly on agricultural benefits. However, industrial development takes place on a medium scale. The city of Guntur is special with religious diversity being a major part of the communal harmony. Ancient Vedic principles, Israeli, Jewish, Islam and Christian faiths reside collectively. However, Hindu architecture reigns in big and small towns and villages, and also in various temples in Guntur, like- Mangalagiri Pankala Swamy Temple, Kotappakonda Temple, Shri Anjaneya Swamy Temple, Sri Laxmi Chennakesava Swamy Temple, The Temple clusters of Amaravati, Hinkar Tirtha Jain Temple, Kesanapalli Buddhist Centres, Swamy Temple and the Tenali Temples. Ponnuru can be considered a temple town, with half of the temples situated in this area. Some others include-Amaralingeshwar Temple, Brahmalingeshwara Temple, Diada Temple, Kakani Malleswara Swamy Temple, Kapotheswara Temple, Nageshwara Temple, Laxmi Narasimha Temple.

The common factor noticed in almost all the temples are that, they are dedicated to Lord Shiva in His various manifestations. Some of them, devoted to earthly versions of heavenly saints (Swamy) can also be noticed. Most of these constructions happened during the time of King Krishnadeva Raya, the Chalukya Kings, saturated with legendary lore. The time period dates back to the 10th-14th centuries with lofty gopurams (inner ceiling), and built entirely of stonework.

Kapoteeswara Temple is probably the only temple in the whole of India dedicated to Lord Siva as Kapotheswara. The temple has three types of architecture - the Nagara, the Vesara and the Dravida, with distinguishing features seen in the Vimana over the main shrine of the temple. There are a number of halls in front of the main shrine and one contains a large Nandi facing the entrance.

Guntur is a district of the South Indian states, Andhra Pradesh. This district has various tourist places in and around it. Some of them are given here:

Amaravathi
Amaravathi is a famous pilgrim centre of the Buddhists. It is situated about 35 km west of Guntur. It is on the sumptuous banks of the splendid river Krishna. It is said that a holy Buddhist Stupa stood here over two thousand years ago. It measured about 36.5 ft across and about 29 m in height. The stupa was built of special bricks baked in kiln, faced with glossy slabs made of marbles. There are beautiful carvings on it, which displays events from the sublime life of Buddha along the crown of its rotunda and either sides of the railing. It can be reached by road from Guntur, Vijayawada or Hyderabad which are about 35, 82 and 350 kms respectively.

The railway stations at Guntur and Vijayawada are 36 and 82 kms away. The Vijayawada airport is 65 km from Amaravathi. Good accommodations are available for the visitors at Guntur and Vijayawada.

Sri Amareswara Swamy Temple
This is an ancient temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It stands on the wide banks of the charming river Krishna. As per the legends, it is said that the `Linga` here is found in its usual form. It was installed by `Lord Devendra`, the head of `Devas` at the end of `Dwaparayugam` one of the four cyclic periods of time, in the order of millions of years.

Archaeological Museum
A large number of extraordinary sculptures can be seen in this museum. Among those ancient sculptures are the lotus medallions, lotus carved crossbars of railings, panels depicting Jataka tales, the valued `Bodhi` tree and devotees in front of it in the act of worship, Dharma-chakras and numerous other figures. These are the beautiful reflections of the elegant Indian art. These sculptures belong to a time period from 200 BC to 250 AD.

Vaikuntapuram
It is the holy abode of the Lord Vishnu and so the name. It is situated about 5 km from Amaravathi. This cave temple is situated on a beautiful hill, which is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara. The presiding deity of the temple is at Thirumala Thirupathi in Chittoor district. The legends say that Lord Venkateswara manifested here. Recital of Rosary and performance of Pujas is carried out everyday here.

Nagarjunasagar/Nagarjuna-konda
This is a beautiful dam across the mighty river Krishna. It is placed in a picturesque environment and serves multipurpose. The ancient name of the place was Vijayapuri. It was the ancient capital of Ikshvaku Empire. In the year 1926, the initial excavations were carried out here. Some fascinating relics, Mahachaita, the sacred Buddhist stupa, the ramshackle remains of a once sturdy university, vihara etc were recovered here. It also discovered ancient creativity and the reticent ruins of a number of grand ancient monuments.

Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Wildlife Sanctuary
This beautiful sanctuary consists of a number of fascinating wildlife species. It has undulating sylvan landscape ranging between 200 and 900 meters in altitude. It is surrounded by Mahaboobnagar, Kurnool, Prakasam, Guntur and Nalakonda districts. A picturesque lake can also be seen here on way to Srisailam from Nagarjunasagar. It is about 22 km from Macherla by road and 150 km from Hyderabad and 180 km from Vijayawada. There are regular busses between Macherla and here. The nearest railway station is at Macherla and the nearest airport is at Hyderabad.

Bottiprolu
This is another ancient sacred Buddhist place of Andhra Pradesh. It is situated in the Repalle Taluk, about 320 km from Hyderabad. One can see the sacred `Maha stupa` here, which had one of the ancient inscriptions. It has several sacred relics of the Buddha. The huge dome of the massive stupa is 40 meter in diameter. There is a 2.4 meter drum with oblong stone slab, which is juxtaposed with pilasters.

Three stone receptacles were discovered here, and its reference can be seen in the inscriptions here. One of them include articles such as the Blackstone casket, copper beads, precious pearls and ornate jewellery, glittering flowers made of gold, two thin pieces of gold with three pieces of bones, and other jewellery.

Ettipothala Waterfalls
This waterfall is situated about 6 km northwest of Macherla. It was created by the mighty river Krishna and the sizzling rivulet Chandravanka. It was formed in the confluence with Krishna at a point before the ravishing falls where the turbulent waters fall from a height of 21 meters.

Undavalli
It is situated on the gigantic banks of the wonderful river Krishna. This sylvan region has enthralling caves, which has excellent architecture. The sculptures found here are compared with those of the world famous Ajanta caves. The Vishnukundin rulers of 420 AD are believed to have been closely involved with these splendid caves.

Pedapulivarru
The beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Narendreswara Swamy is found here. This god is one of the various forms of Lord Shiva. This temple was built so technically that the rays of the Sun fall directly on `Lingam` at sunrise on every Sankranti day. The temple also has a huge bronze image of Lord Nataraja.