Amaravathi (village), Guntur district

Not to be confused with Amaravati (state capital).
Amaravathi
అమరావతి
Amravati, Amareswaram
Village

Amareswara temple, Buddha statue, An overview of Krishna river, Mahachaitya
Amaravathi

Location in Andhra Pradesh, India

Coordinates: 16°34′23″N 80°21′29″E / 16.573°N 80.358°E / 16.573; 80.358Coordinates: 16°34′23″N 80°21′29″E / 16.573°N 80.358°E / 16.573; 80.358
Country India
State Andhra Pradesh
District Guntur
Mandal Amaravati
Area[1]
 • Total 11.70 km2 (4.52 sq mi)
Elevation[2] 38 m (125 ft)
Population (2011)[3]
 • Total 13,400
 • Density 1,100/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Languages
 • Official Telugu
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 522 020
Telephone code +91–8645
Vehicle registration AP–7

Amaravathi is a village in Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Located on the banks of Krishna River, it is a part of the Amaravati mandal of Guntur revenue division.[4][1]

Although now it is officially designated as a village administered by a gram panchayat,[5] it is an important historic town, and served as the capital of the Satavahana kingdom in ancient days.[6] Sri Amaralingeswara Swamy temple is located at the Amararama Pancharama Kshetra site in this village, which makes it a holy town for the Hindus. It is also a historic Buddhist site, and the Amaravati Mahachaitya stupa was built here between the 2nd century BCE and the 3rd century CE.[7][8] Designated as a historic site by the Government of India, Amaravati has been chosen as one of the sites for Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme of Government of India.[9]

Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, is named after this historic site.[10] The Amaravathi village is one of the several villages covered under the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region. The foundation stone of the new capital city was laid at Uddandarayunipalem, which is located around 23 km from the Amaravathi village.

Etymology

Sri Amaralingeswara Temple
Anjaneya Statue at Malladi, Amaravathi

Amaravathi translates to The town which lives on forever in the local language.[11] It is also referred as Amareswaram, for its famous Amareswara temple dedicated to Lord Siva, one of the famous Pancharamas.[12] It was formerly known as Andhra Nagari.[13]

History

The recorded history of Amaravati and nearby Dharanikota dates to 5th century BCE. It was the capital of Satavahanas who ruled from 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE. After the decline of Satavahanas, Andhra Ikshvakus and later Pallava kings ruled Krishna river valley. Subsequently, Eastern Chalukyas and Telugu Cholas held sway over the region. Kota Kings were in control of Amaravati during the medieval times. Kota kings were subdued by Kakatiyas in 11th century CE and Amaravati became part of the unified Telugu empire. The Skanda Purana gives a picture of the place and the Siva temple located here.[14]

Amaravati was part of Delhi Sultanate, Musunuri Nayaks, Bahmani Sultanate, Vijayanagara Empire, Sultanate of Golconda and Mughal Empire successively before the founding of the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1724. It was ceded to France in 1750 but was captured by England in 1759. Guntur returned to the Nizamate in 1768 but was ceded to England again in 1788. It was briefly occupied by Hyder Ali. It was part of Madras Presidency during the British colonial period.

The stūpa or mahācaitya

The most important historic monument in Amaravathi village is the Mahachaitya. It is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India which maintains a site museum beside the ruins.

Geography

The city is located at 16°34′N 80°22′E / 16.567°N 80.367°E / 16.567; 80.367[15] on the south bank of Krishna river.

Demographics

As of 2011 Census of India, the town had a population of 13,400 with 3,316 households. The total population constitute, 6,432 males and 6,958 females —a sex ratio of 1,082 females per 1,000 males. 1,321 children are in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 647 are boys and 674 are girls —a ratio of 1,042 per 1,000. The average literacy rate stands at 71.34% with 8,617 literates, higher than the state average of 67.41%.[3][16]

Culture

Dhyana Buddha statue of Amaravathi

The town is a center of pilgrimage to both Hindus and Buddhists. The inscriptions on the walls of the Amareswara temple depicts the reign of Vasireddy Venkatadri Nayudu who ruled before the advent of the British rule. He was well known for his benevolence, munificence and for the construction of a large number of temples and education centers in the Krishna river delta.[17] It also hosts 125 ft tallest Buddhist statue in India.[18]

The people speak Telugu. The common traditional clothing for women is a Saree and for men a Panche or a Lungi and Uttariyam. The town was given a hagiographic portrayal in the famous short story series Amaravati Kathalu by Satyam Sankaramanchi. The stories describe the contemporary culture of local people during the reign of Vasireddy Venkatadri Nayudu and also post-independent times.

The main Hindu festivals celebrated are Mahasivaratri and the Navaratri. The 30th Kalachakra festival, a popular Buddhist ritual was held at Amaravati in the first week of January 2006. It is the home for the oldest tourist places for Buddhists[19]

Transport

APSRTC operates buses from the district headquarters, Guntur to Amaravathi.[20][21] Pedakurapadu is the nearest railway station.[22]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "District Census Handbook – Guntur" (PDF). Census of India. p. 14,252. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "Elevation for Amaravati". Veloroutes. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Census 2011". The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "List of Villages in Guntur District" (PDF). VGTM Urban Development Authority. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  5. ↑ CFMIS Data Entry Status of Gram Panchayats in Amaravathi Mandal of Guntur District
  6. ↑ ":::- WELCOME TO GUNTUR DISTRICT OFFICIAL WEBSITE -:::".
  7. ↑ "Buddha – Amaravati".
  8. ↑ "Forget the Kohinoor, could we have the Amaravati Stupa sculptures back please?".
  9. ↑ "Introduction". HRIDAY official website.
  10. ↑ "After 18 centuries, Amaravati set to become a 'capital' again". The Times of India. 22 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Andhra Pradesh’s capital city Amaravathi". Deccan Chronicle (Hyderabad). 6 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "Other name of Amaravati". Guntur district website. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  13. ↑ "Amaravati Museum". AP Tourism Department. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  14. ↑ Skanda Purana In: Puranic Encyclopedia, 1975, Vettam Mani, Motilal Banarsidas, New Delhi
  15. ↑ "redirect to /world/IN/02/Amaravati.html". fallingrain.com.
  16. ↑ "Literacy of AP (Census 2011)" (PDF). Official Portal of Andhra Pradesh Government. p. 43. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  17. ↑ Sri Raja Vasireddy Venkatadri Nayudu, 1973, K. Lakshminarayana, Ponnuru <http://www.openlibrary.org/details/rajavasireddyven022548mbp>
  18. ↑ "Tallest Dhyana Buddha to be ready in Amaravati".
  19. ↑ "India forgot Buddha for 1,000 years: Sircar". The Times of India.
  20. ↑ Srinivas, Rajulapudi (25 October 2013). "25 passengers rescued from stranded APSRTC bus in Narsaraopet". The Hindu (Guntur). Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  21. ↑ "Bus services to Amaravathi from Guntur".
  22. ↑ "Map of Peddakurapadu". India RaiI Info. Retrieved 19 September 2015.

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