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Guntur is a city and a
municipal corporation in the Indian
state of Andhra Pradesh, located 40
miles (64 km) to the north and west of
the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately
1,000 miles (1,600 km) to the south of
the capital, New Delhi. The city has an
estimated population of 818,330 (514,707
as per 2001 census) with an Urban
Agglomeration of approximately
1,028,667. Guntur is one of the larger
(tier-2) cities in the country.
Guntur is a centre of learning and the
administrative capital of Guntur
district, which is home of historically
significant Amaravati, Bhattiprolu and
Sitanagaram monuments. The city is also
a centre for business, industry, and
agriculture. The region is identified as
a major transportation and textile hub
in India. Additionally, the Guntur area
economy has an agricultural component
that is internationally known for its
exports of chillies, cotton, and
tobacco.
History
The Kingdom of Pratipalapura of 500 BCE
(Bhattiprolu in Guntur district),
appears to be the earliest known kingdom
in south India. The earliest recorded
reference of Guntur comes from the Idern
plates of Ammaraja I (922-929 CE), the
Vengi Chalukyan king. Guntur also
appears in two other inscriptions dated
1147 CE and 1158 CE. The original
Sanskrit (ancient Vedic
culture/tradition) name for Guntur was
Garthapuri (a place surrounded by water
ponds('garta'/'gunta')).
The 'Agasthyeswara Sivalayam' in the old
city is an ancient temple for Lord Siva
. It has inscriptions on two stones in 'Naga
Lipi' (an ancient script) dating back to
about 1100 CE. The backyard of the
temple hosts a very historic tree . It
is said that Agastya built the temple in
the last Treta-Yuga around the Swayambhu
Linga and hence it has this name. The 'Nagals'
were said to have ruled the region at
that time. More recently, the region was
under the Nizam's rule (known as jagir
of Nawab Salabat Jung till 1788) prior
to the colonial period. During colonial
rule, Guntur was under the control of
the French and then the British, until
India's independence. The region has
been historically known for Buddhism and
the first Kalachakra ceremony performed
by Buddha himself
Modern guntur
The original Guntur used to be located
where the current 'Old Guntur' exists.
Over the last 50-100 years, the city has
expanded largely to the north, which is
called New Guntur. The current size of
the city has an inner radius of about 6
miles (9.7 km). The City-region
comprises the surrounding suburban and
rural areas spanning in all the
directions. New townships are
mushrooming in these areas
Geography
Guntur Plains: Guntur is located at
16°12′N 80°16′E/16.20°N
80.27°E/16.20; 80.27. It has
an average elevation of 33 metres (108
ft) and 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
Guntur district. There are other smaller
rivers and channels in the region such
as Guntur Channel, Chandravanka,
Naagileru, Guntur Branch Canal 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). 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.
Rain storms and hurricanes are common in
the region during the rainy season,
which starts with the monsoons in early
June. The hurricanes could occur any
time of the year, but commonly between
May and November.
Demographics
As of 2001 India census Guntur had a
population of 514,707. Males constitute
50% of the population and females 50%.
Guntur has an average literacy rate of
68%, higher than the national average of
59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female
literacy is 62%. In Guntur, 11% of the
population is under 6 years of age. A
study on prevalence of Aids in Guntur
district collected blood samples from
12,617 people aged between 15 and 49. It
estimated that there were 45,900 people
living with HIV in Guntur one of the
worst affected areas in the state,
compared with the estimate of 112,600
reached by the official method.
The region extends over an area of 11.68
sq. miles, while its population was
about 25,000 by 1866 census and 30,183
by 1902 census. By 1961 census Guntur
had a population of 187,122. It has
grown about six times in its size during
these 60 years. Currently the city is
estimated to have population of around
800,000 with Urban Agglomeration of
approximately 1,028,667.
Culture and diversity
With the culture and traditions of
ageless Sanatana Dharma/Ancient Vedic
Civilization (known as Hinduism) and its
principles (Sarvē Janā Sukhinō Bhavantu),
the Guntur Region had a place for all
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.
Religious faiths such as Islam and
Christianity lead a harmonious
existence.
Language and Festivals
Telugu is the main language of
communication in the city. One of the
earliest/purest forms of Telugu language
can be noticed in this region. Other
languages such as English and Hindi are
used in the city to a minor extent. 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. Also,
noticeable are festivals introduced
before a few centuries, including
Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr, Muharram,
Ramadan. The 30th International
Kalachakra festival was held at
Amaravati near Guntur.
City lifestyle
The city's lifestyle has a mixture of
both urban and rural with some
cosmopolitan element. Like any typical
Indian city, the majority of the
population is from middle and lower
middle class families. With a reasonable
cost of living and most basic amenities
available, the city attracts people from
outside. 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 or Pancha or
casually, a Lungi.
Economy
Cotton-Tobacco-Chilli city
Guntur City and its region is a major
commercial centre in India. Cotton,
tobacco and chilli are some of the major
commodities that are exported from here
to different parts of the world. The
city hosts the largest Asian market
for red chillies. The Tobacco Board,
India, a part of the Government of
India, is headquartered in Guntur. The
chillies that are grown in this region
are some of the hottest in the world,
and are in constant competition
with chillies from Mexico for first
place. A 'Spice Park' is currently being
setup in the area . The cotton that
grows in the region is used in making
some of the finest sarees in India.
Industrialisation
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
major cities in the country. Some of the
industries in the area are: textile
mills/handloom, silk, Sangam Dairy,
cement factories, Andhra Fertilizers,
jute mills, granite industries, diamond
and other ore processing (Hindustan Zinc
Limited), Auto-Nagar and software/IT
Companies. A Textile Hub is being
developed on the southwestern side of
the city [16], and the government is
also encouraging the setting up of new
industries. Possible future plans
include the Biotechnology Park, [17]
Knowledge Park etc.
Farming and Vegetation
Farm lands
The Guntur region (that is, the Krishna
Delta part) is one of the most fertile
areas in India. With the River Krishna
flowing to the north of the district,
the area has many farmlands and paddy
fields growing wide varieties of rice,
other food grains, and other various
crops. The Guntur Branch Canal (GBC) and
other smaller rivers serve water to the
farmlands in the region.
Roadways
The city is the regional headquarters of
the State Road Transport System. It is
connected to all the major cities of the
country through various national and
state highways. There are major highways
such as Madras—Guntur—Kolkata highway,
Guntur—Nagarjuna Sagar—Hyderabad highway
(which can take to other major routes
like Mumbai and Delhi) and the Guntur—
Vinukonda -Kurnool highway. Within the
city the traffic primarily flows using
the inner, outer ring-roads, few
bridges, main roads. Few intersections
have traffic signals and video cameras
to control and monitor the traffic .
Common modes of road transport within
the city are buses and auto-rickshaws;
antique pedal rickshaws can still be
seen. The city is also part of the
Golden Quadrilateral system, a major
transportation project, under progress.
Railways
Guntur junction is one of the Divisional
headquarters(Guntur division) and a
major transit point of the Indian
Railways System. All four "super metro"
cities and most state capitals can be
accessed through this transit point.
Greater Guntur has the following
stations: the Main Station (near
Arundelpet and Railpet) and the others
at Nallapadu, University-Center(Namburu),
New Guntur(Reddipalem). Two other major
transit points close to Guntur are:
Tenali and Vijayawada with a future plan
of running suburban trains in the
suburban region. The Indian Railways is
one of the most convenient and efficient
systems of commute for the people
throughout India.
Air Travel
The closest major airport is located at
Hyderabad (4.5 hours travel) with
limited international connections. A
major international airport is at
Chennai (which is 8 hours by rail from
Guntur) operating various airlines
throughout the world. A local airport at
Gannavaram offers daily flights to
Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore City.
There is a proposal to build a more
practical airport to the south-west of
Guntur City
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