Krishna district

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Krishna district కృష్ణా
—  district  —
Srikakula Andhra Maha Vishnu Temple at Srikaakulam
Krishna district
Coordinates: 16.17, 81.13
Country	India
State	Andhra Pradesh
Region	Andhra
Headquarters	Machilipatnam
Area
• Total	8,727 km2 (3,370 sq mi)
Population
• Total	4,529,009 (2,011 Census)
• Density	519/km2 (1,340/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Telugu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Website	krishna.ap.nic.in

Krishna District (Telugu: కృష్ణా జిల్లా) is a district of India's Andhra Pradesh state. It is named after the Krishna River, the fourth longest river that flows within India, flows through the district and joins Bay of Bengal here in this district. It has a population of 4,529,009 of which 41.00% is urban as of 2011.

Machilipatnam is the administrative headquarters for the district. Vijayawada is the biggest city in the district and also the commercial center of the state. The district is bounded to the north-west by Khammam District, to the north-east by West Godavari District, to the south-east by the Bay of Bengal, to the southwest by Guntur District, and to the west by Nalgonda District.

Sunrise at Machilipatnam Beach

Kanaka Durga Temple at Vijayawada

History

This history of this region dates back to 2nd century BCE.

Satavahana period (230 BC -227 AD): The Satavahanas ruled this region with headquarters at Srikaakulam. 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.

Pallavas (340 AD - 500 AD): The Pallava kingdom spread over from Krishna river to Tungabhadra, including Amaravati in the East, Bellary in the West and Kancheepuram in the South with capital cities at venginagar near Ellore and Pithapuram, both in Vengidesa.

Bruhitpalayanas: The contemporaries of pallavas who ruled the district with Koduru as their capital.

Vishnukundinas (5th century AD): The 5th century rulers who excavated cave temples at Mogalrajapuram (now in Vijayawada) and Undavalli, etc.

Eastern chalukyas (615 AD - 1070 AD): 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 at Undavalli and rock cut shrines and Shiva temples.

Cholas: Cholas ruled this region with capital at Rajamahendri . It was during Rajarajanaredra's reign that Nannayya Bhattu translated the Mahabharata in to Telugu.

Kakatiyas: They ruled this region up to early 14th century with Orugallu as their capital.

Reddy dynasty : On the downfall of Pratapa Rudra of Kakatiya, the eldest son of Pulaya Vema Reddi found himself independent and established himself in the hill fort of Kondavedu. He also possessed himself of the fortress of Bellamkonda, Vinukonda and Nagarjuna konda in the Palanad. The Kondavidu Reddi’s were great patrons of Telugu literature. The poet Srinadha and his brother-in –law Bammera Pothana flourished at his court. The ruins of fortresses at Kondavidu, Ballamkonda and Kondapalli are still to be seen.

Gajapathis of Odisha: Kapileswara Gajapathi is preserved by the village Kapileswarapuram now in Pamidimukkala mandal. He was succeeded by Vidyadhara Gajapathi who built Vidyadharapuram (now in Vijayawada) and constructed a reservoir at Kondapalli.

Vijayanagara empire: Krishna devaraya of Vijayanagar conquered this region in early 16th century.

Qutb Shahis: In 1512, the Kingdom of Golconda or Hyderabad was founded by one Sultan Quli Qutub Shah. The Kingdom of Golconda included this district within its limits. Abu-l-Hussain Shah was the last of Qutab Shahi dynasty known as Tanisha. He had two ministers, both Brahmins, named Madanna and Akkanna. Popular tradition attributed this preference of Vijayawada to the devotion of the two ministers to the goddess Kanaka Durga.

Nizams: The Emperor Aurangazeb included this district in the province of Golconda, which remained under Asaf jah who was appointed as Subedar or Viceroy of the Deccan in 1713 with the title of Nizam-ul-Mulk. The province of Golconda comprised five Nawabs’ charges viz. Arcot, Cuddapah, Kurnool, Rajahmundry and Chicacole (Srikakulam). The Nawab of Rajahmundry ruled the country induced in the Krishna District.

The English: In the year 1611 the English founded their settlement at Masulipatnam which was their headquarters until they finally moved to Madras in 1641. The Dutch and French also had settlements at Masulipatnam. 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.

Krishna District with its District Headquarters at Machilipatnam was formerly called as Machlipatnam District. Later it was renamed as Krishna District after the holy river Krishna, by adding certain Taluks of the abolished Guntur District in 1859 with Machilipatnam with its head. Guntur district was separated from Krishna in 1904. Again in 1925 Krishna District was further divided into Krishna and West Godavari Districts. There were no significant further changes in its jurisdiction except some minor changes (in Divi Taluk and Munagala paragana).

Historic places in the district include:

• Chintalapadu (Chandarlapadu)
• Bandar Port
• Kondapalli Qila
• Gudivada
• Ghantasala
• Gandhi Hill

Religiously significant places include:

• Kanaka Durga Temple
• Lakshmi Tirupatamma Temple, Penuganchiprolu
• jaganadha swami temple, VADALI(chinnapuri),mudinepallimandal.
• Ramalingeswara swamy Temple,Yanamalakuduru
• Brahmam Gari Jenda in Edupugallu
• Penuganchiprolu Temple
• Mopidevi Temple
• Movva Gopala Swami Temple
• Kondalamma temple, Gudlavalleru
• Subrahmanyeswara Swamy Temple, Singarayapalem
• Gollapudi Ayyappaswami Temple
• Hanuman Temple in Hanuman Junction
• Gunadala Matha Shrine
• Maremma Temple, Putrela
• Sarswathi Devi Temple in Nuzvid
  • Ramalayam in Gadevarigudem
• Venu Gopala Swami Temple, Nemali
• Jaggayyapet (Buddhist Stupa)
• Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple, Bhalive
• Sobhanachalam Temple, Agiripally
• Sri Lakshmi Gayatri Devi Temple (105 years old), Telaprolu
• Panduranga Swamy Temple (machilipatnam)

Geography

The Krishna district occupies an area of 8,727 square kilometres (3,370 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to Corsica. The district is divided into upland and coastal area. Kolleru Lake, one of India's most ecologically significant wetlands, lies partly within the district.

Hills

The main hill range of the district known as Kondapalli runs between Nandigama and Vijayawada with a length of about 24 km. The other impart hills are Jammalavoidurgam, Mogalrajapuram and Indrakiladri hills. On the Indrakiladri hills at Vijayawada stands the famous temple of Kanakadurga. Sri Durganageswara Swami Temple, Pedakallepalli

Hydrology

Prakasam Barrage at Vijayawada across Krishna River

The chief rivers of the district are the Krishna (length 1,280 km), Muniyeru (Muneru), the Tammileru and Budameru. Krishna river debouches in to the Bay of Bengal at Hamsala Divi and Nachugunta in this district. The district contains small hillstreams viz., Jayanthi, Kattaleru, Ippalavagu, Upputeru, Telleru, Ballaleru, Nadimeyeru.

Kolleru (Telugu: కొల్లేరు సరస్సు) is a large freshwater lake in India. Kolleru spans into two districts - Krishna and West Godavari. The lake serves as a natural flood-balancing reservoir for these two rivers. The lake is fed directly by water from the seasonal Budameru and Tammileru streams, and is connected to the Krishna and Godavari systems by over 68 inflowing drains and channels. The lake was an important habitat for an estimated 20 million resident and migratory birds, including the Grey or Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis). The lake was notified as a wildlife sanctuary in November 1999 under India's Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, and designated a wetland of international importance in November 2002 under the international Ramsar Convention. The wildlife sanctuary covers an area of 308 km².

Climate

The climatic conditions of the district consist of extremely hot summers and mild 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 1028 mm and is contributed to by the Southwest monsoon.

Climate data for Vijayawada(1951-1980)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	30.0 (86.0)	32.7 (90.9)	35.4 (95.7)	37.4 (99.3)	39.8 (103.6)	37.2 (99.0)	33.2 (91.8)	32.4 (90.3)	32.6 (90.7)	31.8 (89.2)	30.7 (87.3)	29.6 (85.3)	33.6 (92.5)
Average low °C (°F)	18.7 (65.7)	20.1 (68.2)	22.4 (72.3)	25.5 (77.9)	27.5 (81.5)	27.0 (80.6)	25.4 (77.7)	25.1 (77.2)	25.1 (77.2)	24.0 (75.2)	21.3 (70.3)	19.1 (66.4)	23.4 (74.1)
Precipitation mm (inches)	0.9 (0.035)	5.3 (0.209)	9.6 (0.378)	14.3 (0.563)	51.3 (2.02)	131.9 (5.193)	218.4 (8.598)	185.6 (7.307)	163.5 (6.437)	142..6 (5.59)	51.3 (2.02)	6.7 (0.264)	998.2 (39.299)
Avg. precipitation days	0.1	0.4	0.5	1.0	3.1	7.6	12.6	11.5	8.8	7.1	2.8	0.6	56.1
Source: India Meteorological Department.

Geology

Three types of soils viz., Black Cotton (57.6%), Sand clay loams (22.3%) and Red loams (19.4%).

Natural Gas and Crude Oil is found extensively offshore and on the coastal belt of the district Small deposits of Diamonds are available. Limestone is a major mineral extracted in the district. Sand quarrying for construction is extracted from krishna and munneru rivers.

• Chromite: Kondapalli hills and adjoining areas
• Diamonds: Paritala, Ustepalls, Kondavatikallu, Ramannapet, Suryavaram, Kothapet, Nemalipuram, Mugaluru, Putrela(Famous in rajasthan)etc.
• Iron Ore: Jaggayyapet area
• Lime Stone: Jaggayyapet area
• Mica: Tiruvuru area

Economy

The Majority of the people in Urban areas of Krishna district are engaged in trade and commerce. Agriculture is the most important occupation of the people of the district.

The District hosts many industries. KCP Sugar Factory at Vuyyur is one of the largest sugar plants in India. Vijayawada Thermal Power Station (VTPS) near Ibrahimpatnam is ranked as the No.1 Power generation unit in India for its high performance. Apart from this, many medium Scale Cement factories are there throughout the district. There are many small scale industries like musical instruments at Jaggayyapeta, gold-plated ornaments at Machilipatnam and Kondapalli toys. SIRIS Pharmaceutical Company at Vijayawada is another giant company manufacturing Allopathic medicines. The oldest port in Andhra Pradesh is at Machilipatnam. Bharat Electrical Limited (BEL) located at Machilipatnam and it is owned by the Indian Government & primarily manufactures advanced electronic products for the Indian Armed Forces. BEL is one of the eight PSUs under Ministry of Defence, Government Of India. It has even earned the government's Navratna status.

Household indicators

In 2007–2008 the International Institute for Population Sciences interviewed 1229 households in 34 villages across the district. They found that 94.7% had access to electricity, 93.4% had drinking water, 60.3% toilet facilities, and 45.5% lived in a pucca (permanent) home. 20.6% of girls wed before the legal age of 18 and 76.9% of interviewees carried a BPL card.

Divisions

The District is divided into four revenue divisions namely Vijayawada, Nuzvid, Machilipatnam, and Gudivada revenue divisions each headed by a sub collector. There are fifty mandals in the district and six municipalities. The municipalities are: Gudivada (CT), Jaggaiahpeta (NP), Machilipatnam (M), Nuzivid (M), Pedana (NP), and Vijayawada (MC).

Mandals

There are a total of 50 mandals in Krishna District.

A.Konduru Agiripalli Avanigadda Bantumilli Bapulapadu Challapalli Chandarlapadu Chatrai G.Konduru Gampalagudem

Gannavaram Ghantasala Gudivada Gudlavalleru Guduru Ibrahimpatnam Jaggaiahpet Kaikaluru Kalidindi Kanchikacherla

Kankipadu Koduru Kruthivennu Machilipatnam Mandavalli Mopidevi Movva Mudinepalli Musunuru Mylavaram

Nagayalanka Nandigama Nandivada Nuzvid Pamarru Pamidimukkala Pedana Pedaparupudi Penamaluru Penuganchiprolu

Reddigudem Thotlavalluru Tiruvuru Unguturu Vatsavai Veerullapadu Vijayawada(Rural) Vijayawada(Urban) Vissannapeta Vuyyuru

Parliamentary divisions

Krishna district has two parliamentary constituencies Vijayawada and Machilipatnam. In Andhra pradesh assembly Krishna district has 16 constituencies namely Tiruvuru (SC), Nandigama (SC), Mylavaram, Jaggayyapeta, Vijayawada (West), Vijayawada (Central), Vijayawada (East), Penamaluru, Nuzvid, Gannavaram, Pedana, Gudivada, Kaikaluru, Machilipatnam, Avanigadda, Pamarru (SC).

Loksatta, Telugu Desam, Indian National Congress and YSR Congress Party are the main political parties in the district.

Transport

• The bus complex (PNBS-Pandit Nehru Bus Station) at Vijayawada is second biggest in Asia.
• The railway station at Vijayawada is the 2nd Busiest Junction in Asia. More than 190 trains pass by/originate/terminate at this railway station in a day on an average.
• Airport is located at Gannavaram which is 16 km north east of Vijayawada connecting the city to Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Rajahmundry,New Delhi.
• A new deep water port is under construction in Machilipatnam.

Four national highways pass through the district

• NH-5 Chennai to Kolkata (new no NH-16)
• NH-9 Pune to Machilipatnam (new no NH-65)
• NH-221 Vijayawada to Jagdalpur (new no NH-30 Sitarganj(Uttarakhand) to Kondapalli)
• NH-214 Kathipudi to Pamarru (new no NH-165 Narasapuram to Pamarru)
• NH-214A Digamarru to Ongole (new no NH-216 Kattipudi to Ongole)

One Asian highway AH-45 (Kolkata to Bangalore) pass through the district

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the Krishna district has a population of 4,529,009, roughly equal to the nation of Croatia or the US state of Louisiana. This gives it a ranking of 34th in India (out of a total of 640) and 4th in its state. The district has a population density of 519 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,340 /sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 8.15%. Krishna has a sex ratio of 997 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 74.37%.

Religion in Krishna
Religion			Percent
Hinduism			89%
Muslim			7%
Christian			5%
Distribution of religions

Culture

The culture of Krishna district is mostly traditional in rural places and moderatly modern in Vijayawada. The Telugu Dialect of Krishna district is considered to be standard dialect of Telugu. The Kuchipudi dance form originated from this district.

Notable people

Krishna District is reputed for its affiliation with many illuminati of various fields of work. Many well known personalities are associated with this place either directly (because they were born here) or indirectly (because they work here). Some of them are...

Fine arts and literature:

• Siddhendra Yogi (సిద్ధేంద్ర యోగి) (Architect of Kuchipudi)
• Mahakavi Kshethrayya (మహాకవి క్షేత్రయ్య)
• Viswanatha Satyanarayana (విశ్వనాథ సత్యనారాయణ)
• Gudipati Venkatachalam (గుడిపాటి వేంకటచలం)
• Nanduri Venkata Subbarao (నండూరి వేంకట సుబ్బారావు) (Yenki paatalu)
• Dr.Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna (డా. మంగళంపల్లి బాలమురళీకృష్ణ)
• Jalasoothram RukmiNinatHasasthry (జలసూత్రం రుక్మిణీనాథశాస్త్రి)
• Sankaramanchi Sathyam (శంకరమంచి సత్యం) (Amaraavathi Kathalu)
• Veturi Sundararama Murthy (వేటూరి సుందరరామమూర్తి)
• Vempati Chinasatyam (వెంపటి చినసత్యం) Promoter of Kuchipudi Dance
• Jaladi Rajarao (జాలాది రాజారావు)
• Dr.Yarlagadda Laxmi Prasad (డా. యార్లగడ్డ లక్ష్మీ ప్రసాద్)

Social reformers/activists:

• Pingali Venkayya (పింగళి వెంకయ్య) Designer of Indian National Flag
• Kasinadhuni Nageswara Rao(కాశీనాథుని నాగేశ్వరరావు) (Andhra Patrika)
• Mutnuri Krishna Rao (ముట్నూరి కృష్ణారావు పంతులు) (Krishna Patrika)
• Ayyadevara Kaleswararao (అయ్యదేవర కాళేశ్వరరావు)
• Puchalapalli Sundaraiah (పుచ్చలపల్లి సుందరయ్య)
• Vasireddy Balarama KrishNa Mahehswara Prasad (వాసిరెడ్డి బలరామకృష్ణ మహేశ్వర ప్రసాద్) (Activist, fought for Nagarjuna sagar Project)
• Dr. Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya (డా. భోగరాజు పట్టాభి శీతారామయ్య) (Founder of AndHra bank)
• Dr Jayaprakash narayan (డా. జయప్రకాశ్ నారాయణ) President of Loksatta Party
• Goparaju Ramachandhra Rao (GORA) (గోపరాజు రామచంద్రరావు)
• Duggirala Gopala Krishna (దుగ్గిరాల గోపాలకృష్ణ) Andhra Ratna
• Annapragada Lakshminarayana (అన్నాప్రగడ లక్ష్మీనారాయణ) (Educationalist of Coastal Andhra)
• Dr.Ghattamaneni Babu Rao, a renowned philanthropist (డా. ఘట్టమనేని బాబూరావు)

Science and technology:

• Prof. Suri BHagavantham (ఆచార్య సూరి భగవంతం) (Distinguished Physicist)
• Dr Kaanuri LakshmaNarao (డా. కానూరి లక్ష్మణరావు) (Distinguished Engineer)
• Veluri Venkata Krishna Sastry (వేలూరి వేంకట కృష్ణ శాస్త్రి) (Distinguished archaeologist and historian)
• Dr.Samaram (డా. సమరం)
• Dr.Nori Dhattatreyudu(నోరి దత్తాత్రేయుడు) (Reputed Cancer Surgeon)

Sports:

• C.K Naidu (సి. కె. నాయుడు) (cricketer )
• Dhandamuri Rajagopalarao (దండమూరి రాజగోపాలరావు) Wrestling (gold medal winner)
• Koneru Humpy (కోనేరు హంపి) (Grand Master, Chess)
• Chetan Anand (చేతన్ ఆనంద్)

Theater/cinema:

• Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu(రఘుపతి వెంకయ్య నాయుడు)
• S.V Ranga Rao (ఎస్. వి. రంగారావు) (SVR)
• Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (నందమూరి తారకరామారావు) (NTR)
• Akkineni Nageswara Rao (అక్కినేని నాగేశ్వరరావు) (ANR)
• Nirmalamma (నిర్మలమ్మ)
• Mahanati Saavithri (మహానటి సావిత్రి)
• Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao (ఘంటసాల వేంకటేశ్వరరావు)
• K Surya Prakasa rao (కె. సూర్యప్రకాశరావు)
• Kaashinadhuni Viswanath (కాశీనాథుని విశ్వనాధ్)
• Ramoji Rao Cherukuri (రామోజీరావు చెరుకూరి)
• Kaikala Satyanarayana (కైకాల సత్యనారాయణ)
• Kota Srinivasa rao (కోట శ్రీనివాసరావు)
• Jandhyala Subrahmanya Sasthry (జంధ్యాల సుబ్రహ్మణ్య శాస్త్రి)
• Rajendra Prasad (రాజేంద్రప్రసాద్)
• Sobhan Babu (శోభన్ బాబు)
• Suthivelu (సుత్తివేలు)
• Sutthi Veerabhadhra rao (సుత్తి వీరభద్రరావు)
• Nutan Prasad (నూతన్ ప్రసాద్)
• Chandra Mohan (చంద్రమోహన్)
• Mani Sharma (మణిశర్మ)

Flora and fauna

The district has no forests worth mentioning. The forest occupies only 9% of the total district area. However, it contains Reserved Forest areas in Nandigama, Vijayawada, Tiruvuru, Nuzvid, Gannavaram, Bandar and Divi Taluks. A type of lightwood known as ‘Ponuku’ (Gyrocapus Jacquini) is found in the Kondapalli hills. The wood is used for the manufacture of the well known Kondpalli toys. The most noticeable trees are pterocarpus, Terminalia, Anogeissus and Logustroeinai and Casuarina.

Panthers, hyenas, 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. A migrant gray billed pelican is a protected bird in the Kollair lake bordering the Krishna district. The district has a large number of Murrah buffaloes and cows.

Education

Vijayawada is one of the main education centers in Andhra Pradesh. NTR University of Health Sciences is located in Vijayawada. Krishna University is located in Machilipatnam. International Institute of Information Technology is present in Nuzvid. School of Planning and Architecture, South Indian Chapter is present in Vijayawada.
It boasts Headquarters of numerous residential colleges and schools like Sri Chaitanya, Nalanda, Gowtham, Sri Krishnaveni, American Medical Education for USMLE Coaching which are amongst the biggest/largest of the Corporate Educational Institutes in India.
District has numerous engineering colleges including Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College, Lakireddy Balireddy Engineering College, Gudlavalleru Engineering College, Govt Polytechnic Vijayawada (one of the oldest Polytechnic colleges in India), AANM & VVRSR (Gudlavalleru) Polytechnic College, Mary Stella college, Sidhartha Degree College are few of the many famous arts and science colleges in the district.

Sports

Kabbadi is the most popular sport followed by cricket, volleyball and tennis. Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium in Vijayawada hosts One Day Internationals Cricket matches of India. Famous Hockey player Balram belongs to this District.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Krishna district

• The official Web Portal of Krishna District
• Krishna district
• Krishna Zilla Parishad