Guntur
Guntur (<phonos file="Guntur.ogg">pronunciation</phonos>); is a city in the Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is situated in Guntur mandal of Guntur revenue division.[8][9] The city is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district. The city is also one of the suburbs of the state capital Amaravati, under the jurisdiction of APCRDA.[10] It is the third most populous city in the state with a population of 743,354, and an urban agglomeration population of 1,028,667.[5][6]
The city is renowned for education, business, e-commerce industry,[11] and agriculture. The region around the city up to Visakhapatnam, is identified as a major industrial corridor in India.[12] The city is famous for its exports, including Chilli pepper, cotton, and tobacco. It is the largest producer of chilies in India.[13]
Contents
Etymology
The name of the town Guntur stems or originates from two Telugu words Gunta [14] meaning Tank or a Reservoir and Ooru meaning 'Town' or Settlement. That translates to a town that has plenty of water tanks or reservoirs.From ancient times too the area had unique importance, plenty of reservoirs and tanks were everywhere in the area, to store water for both domestic needs and irrigation purposes as well.
The earliest reference to Guntur comes from the plates of Ammaraja I (922-929 CE), the Vengi Eastern Chalukyan King is a 'variant' of the word Guntur. Then the word Guntur itself appears in another two inscriptions dated 1147 A.D and 1158 A.D.[15]
History
The earliest recorded reference of Guntur comes from the Idern plates of Ammaraja I (922–929 CE), the Vengi Chalukyan king.[citation needed] French astronomer, Pierre Janssen observed the Solar eclipse of 18 August 1868 and discovered helium, from Guntur in Madras State, British India.[16][17] 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.[18] 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).[19]
Medieval period
With the arrival of the Europeans 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 the British 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 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..[20] 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[21] 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).[22] 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.
Climate
As per Köppen-Geiger climate classification system the climate in Guntur is tropical. The average temperature is warm to hot year round. The summer season (especially during May/June) has the highest temperatures, but these are usually followed by summer monsoon rains. The winter season (from October to February) is the most enjoyable with a pleasant climate. Winter months may feature more rainfall than summer but there are dry spells during the winter season. The wettest month is July. The average annual temperature is 28.5 C and annual rain fall is about 905 mm. Rain storms and hurricanes are common in the region during the rainy season, which starts with the monsoons in early June. Hurricanes may occur any time of the year, but occur more commonly between May and November.
| Climate data for Guntur City | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29.8 (85.6) |
32.2 (90) |
34.7 (94.5) |
36.9 (98.4) |
47.3 (117.1) |
37.5 (99.5) |
33.2 (91.8) |
32.9 (91.2) |
32.8 (91) |
31.7 (89.1) |
30.3 (86.5) |
29.2 (84.6) |
34.04 (93.28) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.4 (75.9) |
26.2 (79.2) |
28.7 (83.7) |
31.4 (88.5) |
33.6 (92.5) |
32.6 (90.7) |
29.4 (84.9) |
29.2 (84.6) |
29 (84) |
27.9 (82.2) |
25.7 (78.3) |
24 (75) |
28.51 (83.29) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 19 (66) |
20.3 (68.5) |
22.8 (73) |
25.9 (78.6) |
28 (82) |
27.7 (81.9) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.3 (77.5) |
24.2 (75.6) |
21.1 (70) |
18.9 (66) |
23.69 (74.59) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 1 (0.04) |
4 (0.16) |
6 (0.24) |
14 (0.55) |
56 (2.2) |
115 (4.53) |
172 (6.77) |
160 (6.3) |
151 (5.94) |
158 (6.22) |
58 (2.28) |
10 (0.39) |
905 (35.62) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org, altitude: 1m[23] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
In the 1961 census, Guntur had a population of 187,122 and increased to 516,461 in 2001, which shows a considerable growth during the last 5 decades. As of 2011[update][needs update] census, the city had a population of 651,382. It then increased to 7,43,354 after expansion, constituting 371,727 males and 3,71,612 females —a sex ratio of approximately 1000 females per 1000 males, higher than the national average of 940 per 1000.[5][24] The urban agglomeration of the city is projected to have a population of approximately, 1,028,667.[6]
Civic administration
Municipal corporation
In 1866, Guntur was made a municipality with a population of about 25,000. It was upgraded to III (1891), I Grade (1917), special grade (1952) and selection grade in 1960. Later, in 1994 it was made a "Municipal Corporation". In 1995, the first election of the Municipal Corporation was conducted. Bathini Srinivasarao was the standing committee Chairman of Guntur City during 1997-1998.[25][26][27] In the year 2012, the city limits were expanded by merging ten surrounding villages into the Guntur Municipal Corporation.[28]
According to the National Urban Sanitation Policy, the city was ranked 42nd in the country in 2009–10, with a total of 39.363 points.[29]
Law and order
Guntur is the regional headquarters of the Andhra Pradesh Police Department with its own Inspector General covering three nearby districts (including Guntur district). The High Court was in Guntur briefly after the separation from the erstwhile Madras State,[30] which was later moved to the current state capital after the formation of AP. There is a demand for setting up of High Court bench at Guntur, for the coastal districts.[31] Guntur also hosts one of the Indian Army recruitment and training centres.[32]
Conservation
"Green Guntur" is a social forestry project for Guntur which aims to make the Guntur region greener.[33]
Health care
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The region of Guntur is one of the medical hubs in India. It offers wide access to top medical care at reasonable prices and has a variety of charity hospitals that serve as a safety net for the destitute. It boasts major medical facilities (super speciality hospitals) and related research institutions. The General Hospital provides free health care to people across the coastal districts. The Sankar Eye Hospital,[34] Kugler Hospital, and St. Joseph Hospital are just a few of the many premier hospitals in the region. A new medical facility VIMS [1] is established at Viswanagar to serve the people in the rural areas that are to the south and west of the city.
Culture
The city has a place for its diverse culture, religions, castes, sects and creeds. One of the purportedly lost tribes of Israel called Bene Ephraim, has a presence in Guntur, with even a Jewish synagogue.[35][36] Traditional drama and theatrical events also have their presence in the city.[37] The lifestyle of the city has a mixture of both urban and rural with some cosmopolitan element. Guntur's residents wear both Indian style and Western style clothing. The common traditional clothing for women is a Saree, Salwar and for men formally, a Dhovathi.
Language and festivals
Telugu is the main language of communication in the city. One of the earlier forms of Telugu language can be noticed in this region.[38] The famous Mahakavi Tikkana (1205–1288) was born in this region. Most of the Muslims in the city speak Urdu as their mother tongue,[39] though they are fluent in Telugu. Kannada speaking people also placing many parts of Guntur, The culture is vibrant with many festivals (that have been celebrated over thousands of years). Those festivals observed in Guntur with great pomp and splendour are: Deepavali, Krishna-Ashtami, Rama Navami, Sankranti, Sivaratri, Ugadi, Vijaya Dasami, Vinayaka-Chaviti, Ekadasi, Karthika Purnima. Also, noticeable are festivals of Muslims and Christians including Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Juha. The 30th International Kalachakra festival was held at Amaravati near Guntur.
Local cuisine
Local cuisine includes typical south Indian style varieties namely Idli, dosa, vada etc. Other famous items in the city are pickles namely Roselle leaves (gongura) pickle, mirchi bajji, Mango (aavakaaya) pickle, with traditional Andhra style meals.[40] There are many top quality restaurants that offer varieties of food items (from several regions of India). The common masala stands, jilebi push-carts, and sugar cane juice sellers can be noticed in every corner of the city. Locally famous fruits and vegetables include Sapodilla(sapota/chikoo), Mango, Custard apple, and Cucumber.
Economy
Farming and vegetation
The outskirts of the city is mainly based on agriculture with the River Krishna flowing a few miles away, the farmlands and paddy fields grow wide variety of paddy, food grains, and other crops. The Guntur Branch Canal (GBC) and other smaller rivers serve water to the farmlands in the region.
Commercial exports
Guntur is a major commercial center for exports of Cotton, tobacco and chilli to different parts of the world. The city hosts the largest Asian market[41] for red chillies. The Tobacco Board, India, a part of the Government of India, is headquartered in Guntur. The chilies that are grown in this region are the spiciest.[42] One of the first of its kind, a global 'Spice Park' is currently being set up in the area.[43] Cotton produced is used in making some of the finest sarees in India.[44]
Industrialization
The industrial development in the Guntur Region is of medium scale. On a positive note, the region has minimal industrial and related pollution as compared to other major cities in the country. It has a large skilled and educated workforce. Some of the industries in the area are: textile mills, silk, dairy, cement, chemical and Biotechnology, fertilizers, jute, granite, diamond and other ore processing (Hindustan Zinc Limited). There are many small to medium scale industries such as Bharathi Soap Works, Tulasi Seeds, Crane Group, Nuziveedu Seeds Limited under the name NSL Textiles with spinning mills at Edlapadu, Ginning mills at Gurazla and Garmenting at Budampadu. Eastern Condiments has Chillies processing centre at Narakoduru. Textile Hub is being developed on the southwestern side of the city,[45] and the government is also encouraging the setting up of new industries. Another ongoing project is an 8.50 billion IT park in Guntur outskirts.[46] Possible future plans include a large scale Biotechnology Park, as well as a knowledge park.
Port trade
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Coastline, located about 40 miles (64 km) from the city, it has abundant opportunity for trade, transport, and tourism. Though the exports from Guntur region mainly depend on Chennai harbour, there is a push to bring back one of its shore points as a harbour, with a chemical park also under consideration.[47] Guntur Container Terminal near Marripalem is an ICD (Inland Container Depot), facilitating port operations in Guntur Region.
Transport
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Roadways
The city is well connected to all the major cities of the country through various national and state highways. NH 5 that runs from Kolkata to Chennai, passes through city, is a part of Golden Quadrilateral Project under taken by NHAI. This national highway is also a part of AH 45 which comes under the Asian Highway Network. The Hyderabad – Nalgonda – Guntur SH 2 is a state highway connecting the state capital with the city. It passes through Nagarjuna Sagar, a famous tourist destination.
The city is served by the state owned APSRTC buses. NTR Bus Terminus in the city is largest in the district, serving many passengers to the nearby towns and districts.The APSRTC has introduced a new fleet of city bus services on select routes in the city.The APSRTC has introduced 13 new bus services in four select routes. The routes are — Syamala Nagar to Pedakakani via NTR Bus Station Complex, SVN Colony to Nambur, NTR Bus Station Complex to Yanamadala and Perecharla to Chebrolu.
Railways
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Guntur junction is one of the Divisional headquarters (Guntur division) and a major transit point of the Indian Railways System. All four metro cities and most state capitals can be accessed through this transit point. Proposed Greater Guntur has the following stations: the Main Station (near Arundelpet and Railpet) and the others at Nallapadu, University-Center (Namburu), New Guntur. Two other major transit points close to Guntur are: Tenali and Vijayawada with a future plan of running suburban trains in the suburban region.
Airports
The nearest domestic airport is Vijayawada Airport. The nearest International airport is at Hyderabad. There has been proposal to build a more practical airport for the residents on the south-west side of the city.[48]
Tourism
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The tourism in and around the city includes parks, museums, nature conservation sites, forts, resorts and caves etc. Certain landmark places for tourist includes Uppalapadu Nature Conservation, situated in the southern part of the Guntur city which provides shelter to a number of endangered species of birds of Painted Storks and Spot-Billed Pelicans. Viswa Nagar is located to the South - West of the city close to Chowdavaram. This is the place of Viswayogi Viswamji and the Universal Integration Pillar.
Sringeri Mutt in Sampath Nagar of the city is a Spiritual Center, encompasses within its complex many temples. Kondaveedu Fort is an ancient fort and temple structure located eight miles west of the city. Also, there are many parks, Jinnah Tower in the city, Theme parks at Haailand, Manasa Sarovar, Jain templeNamburu and great god Siva temple,Kakani are areas located near to the city.
Education and research
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Guntur is famous for its quality education providing graduation and graduate programs. The Acharya Nagarjuna University is one of the largest universities in the country, and covers various institutions from three districts. There are a number of graduate schools, colleges, and high schools providing basic and higher education in the fields of agricultural, arts, bio-med, engineering, management, medical, nursing, pharmaceutical, sciences, technology etc. The Vedic University near Guntur specialises in the teaching of Vedic Sciences, other related philosophies, and the Vedanta.
- Acharya Nagarjuna University, university under state government
- Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, Lam Farm(Laboratory), Village Lam, Guntur.
- K L University, a Deemed University, Estd u/s 3 of UGC Act of 1956.
- Vignan University, a Deemed University, Estd u/s 3 of UGC Act of 1956.
- Vedic University at Sitanagaram of Jeeyar Educational Trust
- Medical Colleges: NRI Academy of Medical Sciences, KMC.Guntur Institute of Medical Sciences
- Engineering Colleges: GEC, LITAM, NIET, NEC, SCREC, CIET, NRIIT, VVIT, UCET, RVR&JC etc.
- Science & Management Colleges: A.C College, Hindu College, AM, JKC College, TJPS College, Mahatma Gandhi Degree College, GVR&S Institute of Professional Studies, SIMS College of Life Science
Research Centers
- Regional AGMARK laboratory[49]
- Regional Agricultural Research station, Lam of ANGRAU
- Regional Station of Central Tobacco Research Institute (CTRI) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
Sports and stadiums
The city has hosted several national and international level sporting events for various sports. Some of major sports include, Cricket, Kabbadi, Volleyball, Basketball, Tennis, Badminton and Table Tennis. It is one of the places in India to host the International Grandmaster Chess tournaments. Certain sports stadiums in and around the city include, Brahmananda Reddy Stadium, Prakasam Stadium,NTR Stadium, Krishna Cricket Academy, ACA Women Cricket Academy.[50]
Media
News sources, in Telugu, such as Sakshi, Eenadu, Vaartha and those in English, such as The Hindu (newspaper), Indian Express, Deccan Chronicle are widely used. Many newspaper headquarters are located within the city.
See also
References
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External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to [[commons:Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]]. |
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for [[Wikivoyage:Guntur City#Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 863: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Guntur City]]. |
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