Krishna district | |
|---|---|
 Ghantasala stupa | |
.svg) Location of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh | |
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| Coordinates (Machilipatnam):16°11′40″N81°8′58″E / 16.19444°N 81.14944°E /16.19444; 81.14944 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Andhra Pradesh |
| Region | Coastal Andhra |
| Headquarters | Machilipatnam |
| Administrative divisions | |
| Government | |
| • District collector and magistrate | D. K. BalajiIAS[1] |
| • Superintendent of Police | Adnan Nayoom AzmiIPS |
| • Lok Sabha constituencies | 01 constituency |
| • Assembly constituencies | 07 constituencies |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,773 km2 (1,457 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,735,079 |
| • Density | 459.9/km2 (1,191/sq mi) |
| Demographics | |
| • Literacy | 73.74% |
| • Sex ratio | 996 |
| Vehicle registration | AP-16 (former) AP–39, AP–40 (from 30 January 2019)[4] |
| Major highways | NH-65,NH-216 |
| Website | krishna |
Krishna district is a district in theCoastal Andhra region in Indian state ofAndhra Pradesh, withMachilipatnam as its administrative headquarters. It is surrounded on the East byBay of Bengal, West byGuntur,Bapatla and North byEluru andNTR districts and South again byBay of Bengal.[5]
Krishna District with its district headquarters atMachilipatnam is the coastal district ofAndhra 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 abolishedGuntur 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.[6] It was named after theKrishna River (also known as Krishnaveni in literature) the third longest river in India. The river flows through the district before it empties itself intoBay of Bengal, nearHamsaladevi village.[7]
The history of this region dates back to the 2nd century BCE. The area was ruled by theSatavahanas (230 BC – AD 227);Pallavas (AD 340 – AD 500),Chalukyas (AD 615 – 1070 AD) and later byCholas,Kakatiyas,Musunuri Nayaks,Reddy dynasty andGajapati kings ofOdisha.[8]
Satavahana period (230 BC – AD 227): The Satavahanas ruled this region with headquarters atSrikakulam, 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 340 – AD 500), spread over from Krishna river toTungabhadra, including Amaravati in the East, Bellary in the West and Kancheepuram in the South with capital cities at Venginagar nearEluru andPithapuram, both in Vengidesa.Bruhitpalayanas, the contemporaries ofPallavas ruled the district withKoduru as their capital.Vishnukundinas (AD 6th century) rulers created cave temples at Mogalrajapuram (now inVijayawada) andUndavalli.
Eastern chalukyas (AD 615 – AD 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 atUndavalli, rock cut shrines, and Shiva temples.[8]
Cholas ruled this region with their capital located atRajamahendri. It was during Rajaraja Narendra's reign that Nannayya Bhattu translated theMahabharata intoTelugu.Kakatiyas ruled this region up to the early 14th century withOrugallu as their capital. They are followed byMusunuri Nayaks who rebelled againstDelhi sultanate and won. Musunuri Nayaks constructed various forts in South India includingHampi and ruled many states of India independently.Reddy dynasty a subordinate ofMusunuri 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.[8]
Gajapathis ofOdisha: 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 inVijayawada) and constructed a reservoir atKondapalli.Krishnadevaraya ofVijayanagara empire conquered this region in the early 16th century. Then this region became part of theKingdom of Golconda in 1550 which was founded bySultan Quli Qutub Shah as part of theQutb Shahis in 1512. Abu-l-Hussain Shah known as Tanisha was the last ruler of Qutab Shahi dynasty.[8][9]
Aurangazeb ruled this region as part of the province ofGolconda. 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 ofRajahmundry.[8]
The British: In the year 1611 the English founded their settlement atMasulipatnam which remained their headquarters until they finally moved toMadras in 1641. The Dutch and French also had settlements atMasulipatnam. 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.[8]
The Krishna District was formed from the district of Rajahmundry in 1859, when it also includedGuntur andWest 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.[10][11]
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 andNTR districts.[12]
As of 2011[update]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 1,843,660 (40.81%).[13]: 20 There are 3,009,718 literates with a literacy rate of 73.74%.[13]: 21
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 861,068 | — |
| 1911 | 993,086 | +1.44% |
| 1921 | 1,059,731 | +0.65% |
| 1931 | 1,229,176 | +1.49% |
| 1941 | 1,413,516 | +1.41% |
| 1951 | 1,736,429 | +2.08% |
| 1961 | 2,076,956 | +1.81% |
| 1971 | 2,493,574 | +1.84% |
| 1981 | 3,048,463 | +2.03% |
| 1991 | 3,698,833 | +1.95% |
| 2001 | 4,187,841 | +1.25% |
| 2011 | 4,517,398 | +0.76% |
| source:[14] | ||
Krishna district is surrounded on the east byBay of Bengal, west byGuntur andBapatla districts and north byEluru andNTR districts and south byBay of Bengal. The Krishna district occupies an area of 3,775 square kilometres (1,458 sq mi).[2] It has a total coastline of 88 km (55 mi).[15]
The forest occupies only 9 percent of the total undivided district area. However, it contains Reserved Forest areas inNandigama,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 knownKondpalli toys. The most noticeable trees are pterocarpus, Terminalia, Anogeissus and Logustroeinai and Casuarina.[16]
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.[16]
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.[17]
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.[17]
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 89.72% | |||
| Islam | 6.49% | |||
| Christianity | 3.18% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.61% | |||
| Distribution of religions | ||||
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.[2]
Based on the 2011 census, 93.30% of the population spokeTelugu and 5.97%Urdu as their first language.[19]
The parliamentary constituency isMachilipatnam Lok Sabha constituency
It comprises the followinglegislative assembly segments:[20]
| Constituency number | Name | Reserved for (SC/ST/None) | Parliament |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | Gannavaram | None | Machilipatnam |
| 72 | Gudivada | None | |
| 74 | Pedana | None | |
| 75 | Machilipatnam | Nona | |
| 76 | Avanigadda | None | |
| 77 | Pamarru | SC | |
| 78 | Penamaluru | None |
The district is divided into 3 revenue divisions:Gudivada,Machilipatnam andVuyyuru, which are further subdivided into a total of 26mandals, each headed by a sub-collector.[21]
The list of 26 mandals in Krishna district, divided into 3 revenue divisions, is given below.[22]
There are one municipal corporation and four municipalities in the district.[23][24]
| 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[20]
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.[28] Other products produced includesugarcane,mango, tomato, milk, meat andfisheries.
NH 65 fromPune toMachilipatnam,NH 165 fromPamarru toPalakollu,NH 216 fromOngole toKathipudi pass through the district.
There exists 97 km (60 mi) of rail network in the district.Gudivada Junction railway station andMachilipatnam railway station are prominent railway stations in the district. Nearest major railway station isVijayawada Junction railway station at a distance of 80Km from Machilipatnam by train.[29]
TheMachilipatnam Port is currently under construction.[30]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.[31]
Krishna district is served byVijayawada International airport located inGannavaram at a distance of 67.9 km from Machilipatnam.[32][29]
Dr.Gururaju Government Homoeo Medical college and Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy are located inGudivada.Krishna University is located in Machilipatnam.
The culture of Krishna district is mostly traditional in rural places and moderately modern inGudivada andMachilipatnam. It is also famous as the birthplace forIndian classical dance namedKuchipudi. The dialect of Telugu spoken in Krishna is widely considered to be the standard form of Telugu.[33]
Kabbadi is the most popular sport, followed bycricket,volleyball,badminton,basketball andtennis.
NTR Stadium is the main sports venue inGudivada. It is used for several sports, likeathletics,volleyball,cricket practice,kho kho,kabaddi,badminton,tennis andbasketball.[34] It is also the stadium for Krishna District Cricket Association.
There are several places of tourist interest in the district. Some of them are given below.[35]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Circar".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 380.CPO (2022).District Hand Book of Statistics – 2020 Krishna district(PDF).
Places adjacent to Krishna district | ||||||||||||||||
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Capital:Amaravati | |
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