Krishna district is a district in the Coastal Andhra region in Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, with Machilipatnam as its administrative headquarters. It is surrounded on the East by Bay of Bengal, West by Guntur district, Bapatla district and North by Eluru district and NTR district districts and South again by Bay of Bengal.
Etymology
Krishna District with its district headquarters at
Machilipatnam is the coastal district of
Andhra Pradesh. It was formerly called as Machilipatnam District. Later it was renamed as Krishna District after the holy river Krishna, by adding certain Taluks of the abolished
Guntur District in 1859. Again in 1925, Krishna District was further divided into Krishna and West Godavari Districts. There are no changes in its jurisdiction except some minor changes (in Divi Taluk and Munagala Paragana). Further Again in 2022 Krishna District was divided into Krishna and NTR Districts.
It was named after the
Krishna River (also known as Krishnaveni in literature) the third longest river in India. The river flows through the district before it empties itself into Bay of Bengal, near
Hamsaladeevi village.
History
The history of this region dates back to the 2nd century BCE. The area was ruled by the
Satavahanas (230 BCAD 227);
Pallavas (AD 340AD 500),
Chalukyas (AD 6151070 AD) and later by
Cholas,
Kakatiyas,
Musunuri Nayaks,
Reddy dynasty and
Gajapati Kingdom kings of
Odisha.
Satavahana period (230 BCAD 227): The Satavahanas ruled this region with headquarters at Srikakulam, at present a village in Ghantasala mandal of the district. Prominent rulers during this period were Srimukha (founder), Gotamiputra Satakarni and Yajnasri Satakarni (last Satavahana king). The Satavahanas imparted more stability and security to the life of the people of the region for more than four centuries.
Pallava Kingdom (AD 340AD 500), spread over from Krishna river to Tungabhadra, including Amaravati in the East, Bellary in the West and Kancheepuram in the South with capital cities at Venginagar near Eluru and Pithapuram, both in Vengidesa. Bruhitpalayanas, the contemporaries of Pallavas ruled the district with Koduru as their capital. (AD 6th century) rulers created cave temples at Mogalrajapuram (now in Vijayawada) and Undavalli caves.
Chalukyas (AD 615AD 1070), the entire Andhra country was under the control of a single ruler under their reign. The Eastern Chalukyas were credited with the excavations of the cave temple at Undavalli caves, rock cut shrines, and Shiva temples.
Cholas ruled this region with their capital located at Rajahmundry. It was during Rajaraja Narendra's reign that Nannayya Bhattu translated the Mahabharata into Telugu language. ruled this region up to the early 14th century with Warangal as their capital. They are followed by Musunuri Nayaks who rebelled against Delhi sultanate and won. Musunuri Nayaks constructed various forts in South India including Hampi and ruled many states of India independently. Reddy dynasty a subordinate of Musunuri Kapaya Naidu established himself in the hill fort of Kondaveedu. The Kondaveedu Reddis were great patrons of Telugu literature. The poet Srinadha and his brother-in-law Bammera Pothana flourished at his court.
Gajapati Kingdom of Odisha: Kapileswarapuram named in honour of Kapileswara Gajapathi now in Pamidimukkala mandal exists to this day. He was succeeded by Vidyadhara Gajapathi who built Vidyadharapuram (now in Vijayawada) and constructed a reservoir at Kondapalli. Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara empire conquered this region in the early 16th century. Then this region became part of the Kingdom of Golconda in 1550 which was founded by Sultan Quli Qutub Shah as part of the Qutb Shahis in 1512. Abu-l-Hussain Shah known as Tanisha was the last ruler of Qutab Shahi dynasty.
Medieval period
Aurangazeb ruled this region as part of the province of
Golconda. Asaf Jah who was appointed as subedar or viceroy of the Deccan in AD 1713 with the title of Nizam-ul-Mulk. The province of Golconda comprised five Nawabs’ charges viz. Arcot, Cuddapah, Kurnool, Rajahmundry and Chicacole (Srikakulam). This region was part of the Nawab of
Rajahmundry.
The British: In the year 1611 the English founded their settlement at Machilipatnam which remained their headquarters until they finally moved to Chennai in 1641. The Dutch and French also had settlements at Machilipatnam. Upon the death of the old Nizam-ul-Mulk in June 1748, his heirs strove for the succession with the support of the English and the French. When Nizam Ali Khan was proclaimed ruler of Golconda in 1761, the British secured at first the divisions of Masulipatnam, Nizampatnam and part of Kondaveedu and later the entire Circars. At first the district was administered by a chief and council at Masulipatnam but in 1794 Collectors, directly responsible to the Board of Revenue, were appointed at Masulipatnam.
The Krishna District was formed from the district of Rajahmundry in 1859, when it also included Guntur district and West Godavari districts of united Andhra Pradesh. Guntur district was created from Krishna district in 1904. Similarly West Godavari district was created from Krishna district in 1925.
After 1947
Krishna District had 10 Talukas in 1971. In 1978 they were increased to 21 Talukas. In 1985, Mandal system was created and 50 mandals were formed in the district. In 2022 Krishna district was divided into Krishna and
NTR district districts.
Historical demographics
census of India, the district had a population of 4,517,398 with a density of 518 persons per km2. The total population constitute, 2,267,375 males and 2,250,023 females –a ratio of 992 females per 1000 males. The total urban population is (40.81%). There are literates with a literacy rate of 73.74%.
Geography
Krishna district is surrounded on the east by Bay of Bengal, west by
Guntur district and
Bapatla district districts and north by
Eluru district and
NTR district districts and south by Bay of Bengal. The Krishna district occupies an area of . It has a total coastline of .
Flora and fauna
The forest occupies only 9 percent of the total undivided district area. However, it contains Reserved Forest areas in
Nandigama,
Vijayawada,
Tiruvuru,
Nuzvid,
Gannavaram,
Machilipatnam and Divi Seema Talukas. A type of light wood known as ‘Ponuku’ (Gyrocapus Jacquini) is found in the Kondapalli hills. The wood is used for the manufacture of the well known
Kondapalli Toys toys. The most noticeable trees are pterocarpus, Terminalia, Anogeissus and Logustroeinai and Casuarina.
Panthers, dholes, jungle cats, foxes, bears and other carnivorous mammalian fauna are found here. Deer, spotted deer sambar, blackbuck and other herbivorous animals are found in the inland forests. The district has a large number of Murrah buffaloes and cows.
Climate
The climatic conditions of the district consist of extremely hot summers and moderately hot winters and may be classified as tropical. The period starting from April to June is the hottest. The annual rainfall in the region is about 1047.68 mm and 66% of it is contributed to by the Southwest monsoon.
Black Cotton (57.6 percent), Sand clay loams (22.3 percent), Red loams (19.4 percent), and sandy soils account for balance 0.7% in the district.
Demographics
After reorganization the district had a population of 17,35,079, of which 482,513 (27.81%) live in urban areas. Krishna district has a sex ratio of 996 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 73.75%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 346,989 (20.00%) and 37,716 (2.17%) of the population respectively.
Based on the 2011 census, 93.30% of the population spoke Telugu language and 5.97% Urdu as their first language.
Administrative divisions
Politics
The parliamentary constituency is Machilipatnam Lok Sabha constituency
It comprises the following legislative assembly segments:
|
71 | Gannavaram | None | Machilipatnam |
72 | Gudivada | None |
74 | Pedana | None |
75 | Machilipatnam | Nona |
76 | Avanigadda | None |
77 | Pamarru | Dalit |
78 | Penamaluru | None |
The district is divided into 3 revenue divisions: Gudivada, Machilipatnam and Vuyyuru, which are further subdivided into a total of 26
Tehsil, each headed by a sub-collector.
Mandals
The list of 26 mandals in Krishna district, divided into 3 revenue divisions, is given below.
-
Gudivada revenue division
-
Bapulapadu
-
Gannavaram
-
Gudivada mandal
-
Gudlavalleru
-
Nandivada mandal
-
Pedaparupudi
-
Unguturu mandal
-
Machilipatnam revenue division
-
Avanigadda
-
Bantumilli
-
Challapalli
-
Ghantasala
-
Guduru mandal
-
Koduru mandal
-
Kruthivennu
-
Machilipatnam North
-
Machilipatnam South
-
Mopidevi mandal
-
Nagayalanka
-
Pedana mandal
-
Vuyyuru revenue division
-
Kankipadu mandal
-
Movva mandal
-
Pamarru mandal
-
Pamidimukkala
-
Penamaluru
-
Thotlavalluru
-
Vuyyuru mandal
Cities and Towns
There are one municipal corporation and four municipalities in the district.
+Municipal Bodies in Krishna District
!Ciy/Town!! Civil status!! Revenue Division !!Population |
Machilipatnam | Municipal Corporation | Machilipatnam | 169,892 |
Gudivada | Municipality Grade – Special | Gudivada | 118,167 |
Tadigadapa | Municipality Grade – Special | Vuyyuru | 126,190 |
Vuyyuru | Nagar Panchayat | Vuyyuru | 49,521 |
Pedana | Municipality Grade – 3 | Machilipatnam | 30,721 |
Source: Assembly segments of Parliamentary constituencies
Villages
Economy
Agriculture is the main stay of economy. Paddy is the main food crop cultivated. Based on 2019–20 data, the gross cropped area of the district was 3.76 Lakh Hectares of which gross irrigated area was 2.42 lakh Hectares. Other products produced include
sugarcane,
mango, tomato, milk, meat and
Fishery.
Transport
Road
NH 65 from
Pune to
Machilipatnam, NH 165 from Pamarru to
Palakollu, NH 216 from
Ongole to
Kattipudi pass through the district.
Rail
There exists of rail network in the district. Gudivada Junction railway station and Machilipatnam railway station are prominent railway stations in the district. Nearest major railway station is Vijayawada Junction railway station at a distance of 80Km from Machilipatnam by train.
Water
The Machilipatnam Port is currently under construction.
The Port will have an initial cargo capacity of 35 million tonnes (35 MMTPA), through four berths-three general cargo berths and one coal terminal. The Port is scheduled to be completed in two years. In the future, the capacity of the four-berth deep water port will be increased to 116 million tonnes (116 MMTPA) as the cargo traffic increases gradually.
Air
Krishna district is served by Vijayawada International airport located in
Gannavaram at a distance of 67.9 km from Machilipatnam.
Education
Dr.Gururaju Government Homoeo Medical college and Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy are located in
Gudivada. Krishna University is located in Machilipatnam.
Culture
The culture of Krishna district is mostly traditional in rural places and moderately modern in
Gudivada and
Machilipatnam. It is also famous as the birthplace for Indian classical dance named
Kuchipudi. The dialect of Telugu spoken in Krishna is widely considered to be the standard form of Telugu.
Sports
Kabbadi is the most popular sport, followed by
cricket,
volleyball,
badminton,
basketball and
tennis.
NTR Stadium is the main sports venue in Gudivada. It is used for several sports, like athletics, volleyball, cricket practice, kho kho, kabaddi, badminton, tennis and basketball. It is also the stadium for Krishna District Cricket Association.
Tourism
There are several places of tourist interest in the district. Some of them are given below.
-
Kolleru Lake (Kaikaluru Mandal): largest freshwater lake
-
Manginapudi beach: Natural beach
-
Movva: Sri Movva Venugopala Swamy temple. Kshetrayya is said to have composed his famous lyrics here.
-
Kuchipudi:the birth place of Siddhendra Yogi, the originator of the Kuchpudi dance
-
Ghantasala: once upon a time, a port and a halting place for Buddhist pilgrims and merchants travelling from Kalinga to Ceylone. Hindu and Buddhist Sculptures can be seen here
-
Srikakulam (Ghantasala Mandal): the historical capital of Andhra Empire of Goutamiputra Satakarni (AD 102–123). This is famous for the temple of Andhra Mahavishnu
-
Hamsaladeevi(Koduru Mandal): river Krishna drains into the Bay of Bengal at this place
-
Gudivada: famous for Jain temple of Parswandha Swamy
Notable people
-
Kakarla Subba Rao was born in Pedamuttevi of Movva mandal and became the first director of Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad
-
Tripuraneni Ramaswamy born in Angaluru of Gudlavalleru mandal was a poet and social reformer
-
Kasinadhuni Nageswara Rao was born in Pesaramilli village of Gudlavalleu mandal, was the founder of (Andhra Patrika, first telugu newspaper and also company which manufactures ayurvedic pain balm called Amrutanjan.
-
Pingali Venkayya was born in Bhatlapenumarru,near Machilipatnam, was a freedom fighter and was known as designer of Indian National Flag.
-
Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu was born in Machilipatnam. He served as the first-ever captain of the Indian national cricket team.
-
N. T. Rama Rao popularly referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and a Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He was born in Nimmakuru of Gudivada mandal.
-
Narla Venkateswara Rao was a Telugu language writer, journalist and politician from Andhra Pradesh in India. He was Rajya Sabha member twice from 3 April 1958 to 2 April 1970, and wrote a satakam in Telugu along with several other books.
-
Narla Tata Rao was a prominent person in the power sector of India and a former chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board. He was born in Kavutaram
-
Patcha Ramachandra Rao was a distinguished metallurgist and administrator. He was born in Kavutaram in Krishna District
-
Kaikala Satyanarayana was an Indian actor, producer, director, and politician who predominantly worked in Telugu cinema. He was born in Kavutaram village in Krishna district.
See also
Books
External links