Dharanikota

Dharanikota ధరణికోట
Village
Dharanikota Location in Andhra Pradesh, India
Coordinates: 16°34′46″N 80°18′40″E / 16.579444°N 80.311111°ECoordinates: 16°34′46″N 80°18′40″E / 16.579444°N 80.311111°E
Country	India
State	Andhra Pradesh
District	Guntur
Elevation	8 m (26 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	7,534
Languages
• Official	Telugu
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)

Dharanikota is a village in Amaravati mandal, Andhra Pradesh, India, in the Guntur district. It is located 36 km north of the district headquarters in Guntur and 2 km from Amaravathi. The name Dharanikota in the local language means Castle of the Earth.^[2]

History

In 500 BCE, Dharanikota was known as Dhanyakatakam.This is the capital of a great kingdom ruled by Raja Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu. Archaeological excavations at Dharanikota revealed viharas in Dharanikota and nearby areas.^[3] It is the site of ancient Dhanyakataka, which was the capital of the Satavahana dynasty that ruled in the Deccan around the 1st to 3rd centuries CE. It was also the capital of the Kota Vamsa, which ruled during the medieval period until the mid 12th century. The Krishna River Valley is an important rice producing area. It was also an important centre of trade with other parts of India and foreign countries. The place is also famous for the great stupa; a very large Kalachakra ceremony was conducted there in January, 2006.^[4][5] Xuanzang visited Amaravathi village, Guntur district and wrote a glorious account of the place and the viharas that existed then.

Geography

It located in the Krishna valley in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh in India.

Demographics

As of 2011 Census of India, Dharanikota had a population of 7,534. The total population constitute, 3,734 males and 3,800 females —a sex ratio of 1018 females per 1000 males. 725 children are in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 368 are boys and 357 are girls —a ratio of 970 per 1000. The average literacy rate stands at 66.06% with 4,498 literates, slightly lower than the state average of 67.41%.^[1][6]

Transport

APSRTC runs buses from Sattenapalle, Guntur, Krosuru, Vijayawada and Mangalagiri. Bus stations to Dharanikota via Amaravathi. The nearby railway stations are {Guntur,Pedakurapadu,Sattenapally}^[7]

See also

• Amaravati mandal

Notes

1. "Census 2011". The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
2. "Dharanikota". onefivenine. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
3. "The Buddha preached at Dharanikota". The hindu (Guntur). 25 August 2005. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
4. The Hindu : Magazine / Events : On a mission for enlightenment
5. The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Amaravathi gearing for Buddhist festival
6. "Literacy of AP (Census 2011)" (PDF). Official Portal of Andhra Pradesh Government. p. 43. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
7. "Dharanikota transport". onefivenine. Retrieved 7 September 2014.