Machilipatnam

Machilipatnam
మచిలీపట్నం
Masulipatnam, Masula, Bandar
City

Koneru center, the business center of Machilipatnam
Machilipatnam

Location in Andhra Pradesh, India

Coordinates: 16°10′N 81°08′E / 16.17°N 81.13°E / 16.17; 81.13Coordinates: 16°10′N 81°08′E / 16.17°N 81.13°E / 16.17; 81.13
Country India
State Andhra Pradesh
District Krishna
Mandal Machilipatnam
Founded 14th century
Government
 • Type Mayor council
 • Body Machilipatnam Municipal Corporation
 • MLA Kollu Ravindra (Telugu Desam Party)
 • Municipal commissioner A.S.N.V.Maruthi Diwakar
Area[1]
 • Total 26.67 km2 (10.30 sq mi)
Elevation 14 m (46 ft)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 169,892
 • Density 6,875/km2 (17,810/sq mi)
Languages
 • Official Telugu
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 521 xxx
Telephone code 91-8672
Vehicle registration AP-16
Website mmc.ind.in

Machilipatnam ( pronunciation ) is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of the Krishna district.[3] It is also the mandal headquarters of Machilipatnam mandal in Machilipatnam revenue division of the district.[4][5] The settlement was founded in the 14th century and it was a major trading port for the British, Dutch and French in the seventeenth century.[6]

Etymology

During seventeenth century, it was known with the name Masulipatnam or Masula. The gateway of the settlement was decorated with the eyes of a fish. Machili translates to Fish and Patnam means Settlement. Hence, the name Machilipatnam.[6] The city is also known with the name Bandar.[7]

History

Masulipatam port in 1759
View of Masulipatnam in 1676

The town has existed since the 3rd century BCE (Satavahana period) when, according to Ptolemy, it was known as Maisolos. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea calls it Masalia in the 1st century BCE.[8] The port is located on the southeastern, or Coromandel Coast, of India. Situated in the mouth of the River Krishna on the Bay of Bengal, the Masula port saw flourishing sea trade. Muslin clothes were traded by ancient Greeks from the town and the word muslin originated from the name Maisolos.[9] Muslin was an important source of income for the town, being a favourite of Roman traders for domestic consumption. Several Roman coins were found during excavations of Buddhist towns located near Machilipatnam.[10]

When Marco Polo visited India, probably some time around 1289–1293, Machilipatnam was a major port of the Kakatiya dynasty. He referred to the place as Mutfiliffn, and it was also known as Masulipatam.[11][12]

The naming of the eastern gate of Charminar as Machili-Kaman (literally meaning "gate of fish", in this case specifically meaning a gate to the fishing town of Machilipatnam) testifies the symbiotic relationship between port and the capital. There were Arab merchants in the area at least since the 13th century. The Portuguese controlled what they called Masulipatão between 1598 and 1610, when they vacated the place. The East India Company built its first factory in India in Masulipatnam, which became a 17th-century trading port for French, British and Dutch ships. The port has a medium-size fishing harbour which can accommodate 350 fishing vessels and an active carpet-weaving industry. The other products from the town include rice, oilseeds and scientific instruments. This town is a railway terminus and an important educational centre. Andhra Bank was established in 1923 at Machilipatnam.

The area is vulnerable to storm surges caused by the frequent cyclones in the Bay of Bengal. The 2004 Tsunami affected many fishing villages around Machilipatnam. The Government and NGOs are involved in rebuilding and reconstructing devastated villages.

Geography

Machilipatnam city is located at 16°10′N 81°08′E / 16.17°N 81.13°E / 16.17; 81.13 on the southeast coast of India and in the east coast of Andhra Pradesh.[13] The city has an average elevation of 14 meters (45 feet).[14]

Climate

Machilipatnam city gets most of its annual rainfall due to the southwest monsoon. It has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw) with hot summers and moderate winters. The hottest months are between April and June. The average normal rainfall in the district is 959 millimetres (37.8 in).

Machilipatnam city is frequently hit by cyclones originating in the Bay of Bengal. The Andhra Pradesh coast between Ongole and Machilipatnam is vulnerable to high surges of the sea due to cyclones. The 1977 Andhra Pradesh cyclone crossed the coast near Nizampatnam and took approximately 10,000 lives. As the storm approached the coast, gale winds reaching 200 km/h lashed Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna, East Godavari and West Godavari districts. A storm surge, 5 metres high, inundated the Krishna estuary and the coast south of Machilipatnam city (Bandar)

On 8 December 2004, a high capacity S-Band Doppler cyclone warning radar was installed, commissioned and made operational at the city.[15] It was purchased from a German manufacturer, Gematronik. With the installation of the radar, the state will be better equipped to track cyclones by the onset of monsoon, according to an official from the State Met Office talking to the newspaper The Hindu. This facility will monitor the 960 km long coastline of the state.[16]

Climate data for Machilipatnam
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32.4
(90.3)		 34.6
(94.3)		 38.1
(100.6)		 41.8
(107.2)		 46.5
(115.7)		 45.4
(113.7)		 40.8
(105.4)		 38.6
(101.5)		 36.8
(98.2)		 37.2
(99)		 33.3
(91.9)		 33.0
(91.4)		 46.5
(115.7)
Average high °C (°F) 28.5
(83.3)		 30.2
(86.4)		 32.5
(90.5)		 34.6
(94.3)		 37.3
(99.1)		 36.7
(98.1)		 33.7
(92.7)		 32.6
(90.7)		 32.5
(90.5)		 31.6
(88.9)		 30.1
(86.2)		 28.8
(83.8)		 32.43
(90.38)
Daily mean °C (°F) 23.8
(74.8)		 25.5
(77.9)		 27.5
(81.5)		 30.2
(86.4)		 32.4
(90.3)		 32.4
(90.3)		 29.7
(85.5)		 29.0
(84.2)		 28.9
(84)		 27.8
(82)		 25.8
(78.4)		 24.3
(75.7)		 28.11
(82.58)
Average low °C (°F) 19.0
(66.2)		 20.8
(69.4)		 22.6
(72.7)		 25.7
(78.3)		 27.5
(81.5)		 27.0
(80.6)		 25.6
(78.1)		 25.4
(77.7)		 25.3
(77.5)		 24.0
(75.2)		 21.6
(70.9)		 19.9
(67.8)		 23.7
(74.66)
Record low °C (°F) 14.0
(57.2)		 15.6
(60.1)		 17.3
(63.1)		 17.8
(64)		 17.6
(63.7)		 21.0
(69.8)		 18.8
(65.8)		 18.8
(65.8)		 18.1
(64.6)		 17.8
(64)		 15.3
(59.5)		 14.6
(58.3)		 14
(57.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 2
(0.08)		 7
(0.28)		 6
(0.24)		 10
(0.39)		 35
(1.38)		 117
(4.61)		 195
(7.68)		 184
(7.24)		 167
(6.57)		 242
(9.53)		 86
(3.39)		 19
(0.75)		 1,070
(42.14)
Average rainy days 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.8 2.2 7.7 13.8 12.6 10.4 9.2 5.6 1.2 65.1
Average relative humidity (%) 76 75 73 73 66 62 72 74 78 79 75 75 73.2
Source #1: NOAA (1971–1990)[17]
Source #2: Climate-Data.org[18]

Demographics

As of 2011 census, Machilipatnam had a population of 170,008. The total population constitute, 83,561 males and 86,447 females —a sex ratio of 1035 females per 1000 males. 13,778 children are in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 7,076 are boys and 6,702 are girls. The average literacy rate stands at 83.32% with 130,173 literates, significantly higher than the state average of 67.41%.[2][19]

Governance

Civic administration

Machilipatnam Municipal Corporation is the civic body of the city. It was constituted as a municipality in the year 1866 and was upgraded to corporation from special grade municipality on 9 December 2015.[20][21] It covers an area of 26.67 km2 (10.30 sq mi) under its jurisdiction. The present commissioner of the corporation is A.S.N.V.Maruthi Diwakar and the municipal chair person is Motamarri Venkata Baba Prasad.[22]

Machilipatnam Area Development Authority is the urban planning authority, headquartered at Machilipatnam.[23]

Politics

Machilipatnam is a part of Machilipatnam (Assembly constituency) for Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Kollu Ravindra is the present MLA of the constituency from Telugu Desam Party.[24][25] The assembly segment is also a part of Machilipatnam (Lok Sabha constituency), which was won by Konakalla Narayana Rao of Telugu Desam Party.[26]

Economy

Machilipatnam is known for its handloom industry, which produces Kalamkari textiles and are exported to United States and other Asian countries. The other notable occupations are the boat building and fishing industry.[27] Machilipatnam was a trading base for the Europeans in the 17th century and known for minting copper coins, exporting diamonds, textiles etc., through the port.[28] The state government is taking certain measures to bring back the glory of the former port city. It has planned to set up Machilipatnam deep sea port and its associated industrial corridor under Machilipatnam Area Development Authority. This move is expected to generate employment to over 25,000 people.[29][27]

Culture

Bandar laddu hand moulded

Art and handicrafts

Machilipatnam Kalamkari is a handcrafted dyed block-painting of a fabric.[30] It is performed at the nearby town of Pedana and was registered as one of the geographical indication from Andhra Pradesh.[31] Machilipatnam and Srikalahasti style are the only two existing Kalamkari style of works present in India.[32]

Dance

Kuchipudi, a popular Indian Classical Dance form originated at Kuchipudi, 25 kilometres from Machilipatnam.

Cuisine

The city is well known for a sweet known as Bandar Laddu.[33]

Religious worships

The city has many religions with their worship centers in and around the city such as, Panduranga Temple at Chilakalapudi, Agastheeswara Temple etc. Dattashram is a pilgrimage site on the coast and home to ancient Shiva and Datta temples. Manginapudi is popularly known as "Datta Rameswaram" due to the consecration of 12 wells for bathing (recalling those at Rameswaram).[34]

Tourism

Sai Baba Temple at Machilipatnam

The Manginapudi Beach is located at the coast of the city.[35]

Transport

The city is well connected to most of the cities and towns by road. The National Highway 9 connects Machilipatnam to Pune, via Hyderabad and Vijayawada. National Highway 214A from Kattipudi to Ongole, passes through the city. APSRTC operates buses from Machilipatnam bus station.[36] Machilipatnam railway station is a B–Category and Adarsh stations under the jurisdiction of Vijayawada railway division.[37] It is the terminal station of Vijayawada-Machilipatnam branch line, that connects Howrah-Chennai main line at Vijayawada.[38]

Machilipatnam port was damaged by a giant ocean wave on 1 November 1864.[28] Since, then there were many efforts to build a new port. Navayuga Engineering Company Limited is in the process of building a deep water port at Gilakaladinne of the city.[39] The nearest domestic airport is Vijayawada Airport.

Education

Machilipatnam is an ancient and famous educational center. The Noble College Machilipatnam is one of the first four colleges in India and the first college in Andhra Pradesh. There are two other colleges with histories related to India's fight for independence, namely The Hindu College and The National College (Andhra Jateeya Kalasala). Kendriya Vidyalaya is the only school maintained by Government of India in Machilipatnam which was established in 1994. Krishna University has been established in Machilipatnam as the Headquarters of Krishna District in 2008 for Higher education.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Machilipatnam at Glance". Machilipatnam Municipality. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Andhra Pradesh (India): Districts, Cities, Towns and Outgrowth Wards – Population Statistics in Maps and Charts". citypopulation.de.
  3. ↑ "Mandals in Krishna district". aponline.gov.in. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "Krishna District Mandals" (PDF). Census of India. p. 517. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "District Census Handbook – Krishna" (PDF). Census of India. p. 15,16. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  6. 1 2 Reddy, Consulting Editor-KV Nandini. Social Sci. (History) 7 (Rev.). Ratna Sagar. p. 72. ISBN 9788183322966. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  7. ↑ Guru Srikanth, S (2 April 2015). "Machilipatnam Growth May Trigger Off Reverse Migration". The New Indian Express (Machilipatnam). Archived from the original on 28 November 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  8. ↑ The Great Stupa at Nagarjunakonda in Southern India
  9. ↑ Periplus, Point 62; http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/periplus.asp
  10. ↑ Buddhist Monks and Monasteries of India: Their History and Their Contribution to Indian Culture by Sukumar Butt, Motilal Banarsidas Publishers, 1988, p. 132
  11. ↑ Rubiés, Joan-Pau (2000). Travel and Ethnology in the Renaissance: South India through European Eyes, 1250–1625. Cambridge University Press. pp. 50, 73 – via Questia. (subscription required (help)).
  12. ↑ Chakravarti, Ranabir (1991). "Horse Trade and Piracy at Tana (Thana, Maharashtra, India): Gleanings from Marco Polo". Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 34 (3): 159–182. JSTOR 3632243. (subscription required (help)).
  13. ↑ "redirect to /world/IN/02/Machilipatnam.html". fallingrain.com.
  14. ↑ http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00maplinks/mughal/bellinmasulipatam/overview1758.jpg
  15. ↑ "Weather Radar Network of India Meteorological Department". India Meteorological Department. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  16. ↑ "The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Modern cyclone warning system for Machilipatnam". hindu.com.
  17. ↑ "Musulipatnam Climate Normals 1971–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  18. ↑ "CLIMATE: MACHILIPATNAM". Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  19. ↑ "Literacy of AP (Census 2011)" (PDF). Official Portal of Andhra Pradesh Government. p. 43. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  20. ↑ "Masula, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram upgraded into corporations". The Hindu (Vijayawada). 10 December 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015. |archive-url= is malformed: save command (help)
  21. ↑ "Population Glitch for Masula to Turn into Corporation". Machilipatnam. 20 February 2015. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  22. ↑ "Machilipatnam info". Machilipatnam Municipality. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  23. ↑ "State constitutes Machilipatnam Area Development Authority". Machilipatnam. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  24. ↑ "MLA". Government of AP. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  25. ↑ "Machilipatnam Assembly 2014 Election Results". Elections.in. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  26. ↑ "MP (Lok Sabha)". Government of AP. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  27. 1 2 Naga Sridhar, G. "A port all at sea". Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  28. 1 2 T. Appala Naidu (8 August 2015). "The rise and fall of Maesolia port". Machilipatnam. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  29. ↑ Appala Naidu, T (6 February 2016). "MADA to expedite work on deep-sea port project". The Hindu (Machilipatnam). Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  30. ↑ "Kalamkari back in demand". The Hindu (Tirupati). 25 October 2010. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011.
  31. ↑ "State Wise Registration Details of G.I Applications" (PDF). Geographical Indication Registry. p. 3. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  32. ↑ "Kalamkari: Craft of the matter". mid-day. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  33. ↑ Varma, Sujatha (13 April 2013). "In search of Bandar Laddu". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  34. ↑ "History". dattapeetham.com.
  35. ↑ "Manginapudi Beach". Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  36. ↑ "Bus Stations in Districts". Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  37. ↑ "Vijayawada Division – a profile" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
  38. ↑ "Machilipatnam Railway Station". India Rail Info. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  39. ↑ "G.O. on development of Machilipatnam deep water port" (PDF). Department of Ports. Government of Andhra Pradesh. Retrieved 17 June 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Machilipatnam.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Machilipatnam.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, May 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.