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Area : 13,076 sq.km

Nellore district is Bounded by Bay of Bengal in the East, Tamilnadu State and Chittoor district in the South, Cuddapah district in the West and Prakasam district in the North directions.

Rivers :

Pennar, Kandaleru, Swarnamukhi, Upputeru.

Major Places :

Nellore, Gudur, Naidupeta, Kavali and Sullurpeta.

Tourist Places :

Pulicat Sanctuary, Sangam, Srikarikota SHAR Space Center, Udhyagiri, Nelapattu Sanctuary and Jonnawada.

Pilgrimage Centers :

Talapagiri Ranganathan Swamy Temple, Jonnawada temple, Penchalakonda temple, Sri Raja Rajeswari Temple and Sri Ranga Nayaka Swamy Temples at Nellore.

Handicrafts :

Venkatagiri Sarees and Leather Toys.

Industries :

Dairy milk, Straw Board and Nippo Battery at Nellore, Sugar factory, Mica, Stone Polishing and Fisheries.

This District has Historical importance. This place was under the rule of Satavahanas, Cholas, Pallavas, Telugu Chodas, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagara Kings, Golkonda Nawabs and Britishers. Nellore Town is also called as Vikrama Simhapuri. This was under the rule of Manuma Siddhi in the 13th Centuary. During this period Thikkana Somayagi was the Minister in the Royal Court. He completed 15 cantos of Maha Bharat started by Nanaiah. Thikkana who hails from this district first wrote Nirvachanothara Ramayanam.

Forest area is only 18% of the total district area. Social forestry drive is in progress in many parts of the district. Pulicat Lake declared as the Birds Sanctuary with an area of 500 Sq.km, housing many rare birds. Tigers and Cheethahs Sanctuary near Velungonda are the efforts made by the Government in maintaining the Eco-Systems. Rice from this part is said to be the finest and of Top quality. Nippo - Batteries and Indo-Japanese collaboration plant is a major industry.Paddy Bussiness is high in this district. Fishers are fruitful because of the Coastline it's having and the Pulicat Lake.

There are many Medium scale Irrigation projects built in this district. Somasila project built on the river Pennar in 1875 is the biggest one in the district. Another Project was built on the river Pennar in 1886 at Sangam near Nellore. The Telugu Ganga project Currently under construction will fulfil water needs of this district to some extent. Veligonda project will also supply water to this district. The Galeru-Nagari and Sajala Sravanthi canals are the major sources of drinking water. Thermal Power Project situated at head quarters Nellore caters the power supply to the Mica mines and to domestics.

Accessibility :

Nellore is well connected by road and rail. The nearest airport is at Tirupati.

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.