 Area:
11,391 sq.km
The Boundaries of this are Krishna district and Bay of Bengal in the
East, Prakasam district in the South, Mahabubnagar district in the West
and Krishna and Nalgonda districts in the North directions.
Rivers: Krishna, Chandravanka, Naagileru, GundlaKamma.
Major Places: Guntur, Bapatla, Tenali, Narasaraopeta and Ponnur.
Tourist Places:
Stupas at Amaravati, Bhattiprolu, and Kesanapally, Undavalli caves,
Ettipothla Water falls, Nagarjunakonda, Bapatla beach, Amaravathi museum
Lam, Nagarjunasagar - srisailam Sanctuary, NTR Manasa Sarovar, and
Kondavidu Fort
Pilgrimage Centers:
Mangalagiri Panakala Swamy Temple, Kotappakonda Temple, Sri Anjaneya
Swamy Temple at Ponnuru, Sri Laxmi Chennakesava Swamy Temple at Macherla,
temples at Amaravati, Tenali, Hinkar Thirtha Jain temple and
Phirangipuram Mary Matha Church.
Handicrafts: Durgistone craft.
Industries:
Tobacco, Handloom, Silk, Sangam Dairy, Cement Factories at Thadepalli
and Macherla, Andhra Fertilizers and Jute mill at Guntur.
Guntur district was under the rule of the Mauryas, Ikshvakus,
Anandagotrins, Vishnukandins, Eastern Chalukyas, Velananti Cholas,
Kakatiyas, Reddys, Gajapatis, Vijayanagaras Qutub Shalin and the British
Sathavahana. World famous Nagarjuna Hill is in this district.
Historically Famous Palnadu War and first and foremost Tax non
co-operation Movement in 1921 were the happenings in this district. The
Forest in these Lands doesn't yield much of the Timber, but some
Household Commodities are produced in the forests. Social Forestry drive
has been set in the district growing forests on large scales. Chief
water source for the farming lands are from the Nagarjuna Sagar Right
bank, and from the Buckingham Canal of the Krishna Barrage. A stone dam
constructed across Naguleru river at Dachepalli irrigates about 350
acres of land.
Agriculture is the principle occupation of people of this district.
Paddy is cultivated twice a year. The Agricultural income of the
district is Rs.200 crores, contributing to the extent of 1/16th of the
agricultural income of the State. A Research center was established in
Laam near Guntur for the development of super quality seeds. The
Electricity is supplied to this district mainly through Nagarjuna Sagar
Project and Machkand Project. Dramas like Satya Harishchandra,
Chintamani, Ramanjaneya yuddham and Sri Krishnarjuna yuddham are very
popular in this district and people are very fond of these plays.
Copper, Iron ore, Silica, and the Ores used in Cement Manufacturing are
the Minerals available in these lands. Sangam dairy at Vadlamudi near
Tenali is a major dairy farm. Handloom Industry at Mangalagiri, major
Cement factories like Associated Cement Company and KCP Ltd. and Slab
polishing Factories at Macherla are the Major Industries set in this
District. Nagarjuna University, A.C.College, Hindu College at Guntur and
Agricultural College at Bapatla are the focal points for the students,
besides Engineering Colleges.
Accessibility:
Guntur is an important railway junction of the South. It is well
connected by road.
History
Centuries ago, Andhra Pradesh was a major Buddhist centre and
part of Emperor Ashoka's sprawling kingdom. Not surprisingly,
traces of early Buddhist influence are still visible in several places
in and around the state. After the death of Emperor Ashoka, several
dynasties from the Ikshvakus, Pallavas, Chalukyas,
Kakatiyas, Vijayanagaram kings, Qutb Shahis,
Mughals and the Asaf Jahi's, ruled this princely city.
The history of Andhra
Pradesh dates back to the epic era of the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha.
But the documented history points to 236 BC, when Satavahana
established a kingdom and a dynasty around the modern Hyderabad.
During the reign of 450 years, Buddhism flourished in the kingdom. The
rulers were followers of Brahmanism, but the women folk practiced
Buddism. It was during this period that Buddhism spread from these
shores to China, The far East and to Sri Lanka. The Ikshvakus
succeeded the Satavahanas and ruled the kingdom for 57 years. The
Pallavas annexed the area South of River Krishna and ruled till the end
of 6th century.
Then came the dynasties of Chalukyas and the Kakatiyas.
The Kakatiyas established themselves as rulers of a Telugu speaking
people. The glorious reign of the Kakatiyas came to end in the 14th
century and for the first time Telugus came under a Muslim regime
that brought with it a totally different set of customs, language and
religion.
The Delhi Sultanate came in power in 1347 AD, governed by Allahuddin
Hasan, claiming lineage to Bahman Shah of Persia, revolted against
the Delhi Sultanate and declared himself ruler of the southern part of
the territory, comprising mainly the Deccan and Telangana area.
It was somewhere around this time that the Qutub Shahi dynasty
came into being when Sultan Quli, the Bahmani governor of
Telangana, became independent and extend the new kingdom of Golconda
right upto Machlipatnam on the east coast. Given the title of
Quli-ul-Mulk by the Bahmanis, Qutub Shah, a descendant of a royal family
of Hamdan in Persia, took over the reins and ruled till 1548.
Aurangazeb last Mogul king to rule India, conquered the Deccan
in 1687 and left his governors, the Nizams, to rule Andhra.
The British and French took over from the Nizams. Andhra became a
part of Indian Union in 1947. The present state was formed in 1953,
merging a part of the then Madras State (present Tamil Naidu) and the
princely state of Hyderabad.
Heritage
The various dynasties that ruled the State of Andhra Pradesh, from the
Ikshvakus, Pallavas, Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagaram kings, Qutb
Shahis, Mughals, to the Asaf Jahis, all have contributed significantly
to the State's rich cultural tapestry and have left behind a heritage
studded with spectacular monuments, temples, mosques, palaces all
vibrant with arts, crafts, dance and literature.
The state has a rich cultural heritage. The great composers of carnatic
music Annamacharya, Tyagaraja and many others chose Telugu as their
language of composition, thus enriching the language. Kuchipudi is the
state's classical dance form.Andhrites have been movie buffs decades.
The state produces about 200 top notch movies per year.
Andhra Pradesh has several museums, including the Salar Jung Museum,
which features a varied collection of sculptures, paintings, and
religious artifacts, and the Archaeological Museum, which features
Buddhist and Hindu sculptures and other antiques; both museums are
located in Hyderabad
The State is rich in natural resources, cultural heritage, history and
most of all, an opportunity to explore them, created by combining the
old princely state of Hyderabad with the Telugu speaking portions of the
former state of Chennai, Andhra Pradesh to this day retains much of its
regal glory and mystic charm.
Telugu, the official language of Andhra Pradesh, is described by C.P.
Brown as the " Italian of the East ". It has been influenced by
Sanskrit. The prominent poets of Telugu include Nannaya, Tikkana, Sri
Krishna Devarayulu and a host of others.
The dance styles in the State are based on the standard treatises, viz.
Abhinaya Darpana and Bharatarnava of Nandikeshwara, which is sub-divided
into Nattuva Mala and Natya Mala.
Kuchipudi, a blend of music and abhinaya, is Andhra Pradesh‘s unique
contribution to dance it have flowered from a village called Kuchelapuri
or Kuchelapuram in Krishna district. From its birth around 300 B. C., it
has remained a continuous and living tradition of this region, performed
by men of the Brahmin community.
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