Guntur (pronunciationⓘ) is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district. The city is part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is located on the Eastern Coastal Plains approximately 14 miles (23 km) south-west of the state capital Amaravati. According to data from the 2011 Census of India, Guntur had a population of 743,354 in that year, making it the third-most-populous city in the state,[2] and occupies 159.46 square kilometres (61.57 square miles) of land.The city is the heartland of the state, located in the center of Andhra Pradesh and making it a central part connecting different regions.
The city hosts many state offices and agencies, being part of the district capital and being in close proximity to the state capital Amaravati. The city is about 1100 miles south of the national capital New Delhi. It is classified as a Y-grade city as per the Seventh Central Pay Commission.[4] It is the 24th most densely populated city in the world and 11th in India.[5] Guntur is estimated to have current population of around 0.9 million.[6]
Guntur serves as a major hub for the export of chilli, cotton and tobacco, and has the largest chilli-market yard in Asia.[7] It is also a major hub for transport, education, medicine and commercial activities in the state.[8] Ancient temples and sites near the city include Kondaveedu Fort, Amareswaraswamy temple, and Undavalli Caves, and Sri Bramarambha Malleswara Swamy Temple at Pedakakani.
In Sanskrit documents, Guntur was referred to as Garthapuri; in Telugu, "Guntlapuri" means "a place surrounded by water ponds".[9] The settlement might have been near a pond (Telugu: "gunta"); hence "gunta uru" means "pond village". Another source refers to "kunta", a land-measuring unit, which may have transformed to "kunta uru" and later to "Guntur".[10]
The region was historically known for Buddhism; the first Kalachakra ceremony was performed by Gautama Buddha.[12] Agastyeshwara temple is one of the oldest temples in the city; according to a local legend, Agastya built it in the Treta Yuga around a swayambhulinga. Inscriptions on the side of Naga Muchalinda, a sculpture unearthed in 2018 in the compound of the temple, are in Naga Lipi, an ancient script from the third century CE. Based on this discovery, Emani Sivanagi Reddy, archaeologist and Buddhist scholar believes this region served as a Buddhist site contemporary to Nagarjunakonda.[13]
The earliest reference to Guntur is found in inscriptions by Ammaraja I (922–929 CE), the Vengi Chalukyan king.[9] According to an inscription in Sri Narasimha Swami temple at Ramachandra Agraharam, Tirumala Dasa Mahapatra—the local ruler of the Gajapathi king Kapileswara Gajapathi—gave donations to the temple of Mulastha Mallikarjuna Deva in 1485 CE.[14]
The city rapidly became a major market for agricultural produce from the surrounding countryside due to the opening of the railway link in 1890. The expansion continued post independence as well and was concentrated in what is now called New Guntur, with many urban areas such as Brodipet, Arundelpet and suburban areas like Pattabhipuram, Chandramoulinagar, Sitaramanagar, and Brindavan Gardens. In 2012, the city limits were expanded with the merger of surrounding ten villages, namely Nallapadu, Pedapalakaluru, Ankireddipalem, Adavitakkellapadu, Gorantla, Pothuru, Chowdavaram, Etukuru, Budampadu and Reddypalem.[16]
Guntur is the place of discovery of helium they discoverd this in 1869 from observations of the solar eclipse of 18 August 1868 by the French astronomer Pierre Janssen.[20][21] Allen Olliver Becker's family from Guntur was among the survivors of the Titanic ship disaster.[22]
Guntur is located at 16°17′N80°26′E / 16.29°N 80.43°E / 16.29; 80.43.[23] It has an average elevation of 33 metres (108 ft) and is situated on the plains. There are few hills in the surrounding suburban areas and Perecherla Reserve Forest is located in the city's north-west. Guntur lies approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Amaravati, the capital of Andhra Pradesh.
According to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, the climate in Guntur is tropical with dry winters (Aw). The average temperature is warm-to-hot year round. The summer season, especially May and June, has the highest temperatures, which are usually followed by monsoon rains. During the winter season, running from November to February, the weather is usually dry with little-to-no rainfall. The wettest month is July. The average annual temperature is 28.5 °C (83.3 °F) and annual rainfall is about 905 millimetres (36 in). Rain storms and cyclones are common in the region during the rainy season, which starts with the monsoons in early June. Cyclones may occur any time of the year but occur most commonly between May and November.[24]
Guntur has been ranked 10th best “National Clean Air City” under (Category 2 3-10L Population cities) in India.[25]
Based on the 2011 Census of India, after a merger of nearby villages in 2012, Guntur had a population of 743,354.[2] The 2023 estimate of the city population is 9,81,000.[27] It is classified as a Y-grade city under the Seventh Central Pay Commission.[28]
Based on the 2011 census data prior to the city's expansion in 2012, Telugu is the most-widely spoken language with 545,928 native speakers, followed by 109,574 Urdu speakers. A significant minority speak Hindi, Odia and Tamil.[29] The religious demographic consists of 522,030 Hindus (77.91%), 120,974 Muslims (18.05%), 21,787 Christians (3.25%), 2,312 Jains (0.35%) and 2,605 (0.82%) did not state any religion.[30] One of the supposedly lost tribes of Israel called Bene Ephraim has a presence in Guntur; there is a Jewishsynagogue at Kothareddypalem near Chebrolu.[31]
The city's local authority is Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC), which at over 150 years old, is one of India's oldest municipalities.[32] It was constituted in 1886, when the city had a population of 25,000; the city was upgraded to a third-grade municipality in 1891, a first-grade municipality in 1917, a special-grade municipality in 1952, and a selection-grade municipality in 1960. In 1994, Guntur was upgraded as a municipal corporation and its first local election was held in 1995.[33] The city is divided into 57 revenue wards.[26] During the financial year 2018–19, the corporation had a budget of ₹1,004 crore (equivalent to ₹13 billion or US$160 million in 2023).[34]
Guntur has several urban healthcare centres and about 200 private hospitals, including several specialty centres.[47] The Government General Hospital (GGH) is the city's main tertiary healthcare provider.[48]
Guntur forms a part of the East Coast Economic Corridor.[56]
Due to its status as the district capital and part of the state capital region, Guntur houses many state offices and agencies, including the headquarters of the Agricultural Marketing Department,[42] the Tobacco Board and the Spices Board.[57]
India is the world's biggest exporter of chillies and much of this is grown around Guntur.[58] The city's Agriculture Market Committee Market Yard in Guntur is the largest chilli yard in Asia; in 2023, its sales exceeded sales ₹10,000 crore (US$1.2 billion) during that year's trading season.[59][7] There are also several spinning mills on the outskirts of the city.[60]
The major commercial and residential areas in the city include Arundelpet, Lakshmipuram and Brodipet. Other major areas of the city are Koretapadu, Navabharath Nagar, Pattabhipuram, Syamalanagar and Vidyanagar, Autonagar, Gorantla, Pedapalakaluru, Nallapadu, Budampadu and Chowdavaram.[77][78]
Baudhasree Archaeological Museum, AC College Road, Kannavari Thota
Jinna Tower, MG Road
Chuttugunta center in Guntur
Jinnah Tower on Mahatma Gandhi Road is a rare monument related to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, in India.[79] Guntur has 17 parks, some of which are maintained by the municipal corporation.[80] Nagaravanam, a part of Perecherla Reserve Forest, was developed on the outskirts of the city as a park.[81]
Tourist attractions and landmarks in Guntur (Interactive map)
Tourist attractions in Guntur include the Sri Ganga Parvathi Sametha Agastheswara Temple. In the old city, notable sites include Gandhi Park, the Baudhasree architectural museum, Nagaravanam, and NTR Manasa Sarovaram. Nearby ancient temples and heritage sites include the Amareswaraswamy temple, Undavalli Caves, Sri Bramarambha Malleswara Swamy Temple at Pedakakani, and Kondaveedu Fort.[82][83] The Uppalapadu Bird Sanctuary is located 10 km (6.2 mi) from the city, while Suryalanka Beach is approximately 60 km (37 mi) away.
Agastheswara Sivalayam, situated in Guntur’s old city, is a temple devoted to Lord Shiva. It holds historical significance with inscriptions in the ancient "Naga Lipi" script, dating back to 1100 AD. The temple is among the most well-known in the region. According to local legends, the sage Rishi Agastya constructed the temple during the Treta Yuga, centered around a naturally occurring Swayambhu Linga, which led to the temple's name.[84] Constructed in the early 20th century, Jinnah Tower is a notable monument in Guntur dedicated to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.[85] This impressive heritage structure features six pillars and an open dome, showcasing typical architectural styles of Muslim design from that era. Strategically located on Mahatma Gandhi Road, one of the city's main arterial road, the tower serves as a symbol of peace and harmony, reflecting the secular values embraced by the local community.[86]
In 2019, pollution levels in Guntur city were at a moderate level when compared with other major cities.[87] There have been many efforts to increase awareness and keep the city clean,[88] including a 100-day cleanup drive in 2021.[89] A plastic-waste-to-fuel conversion plant was set up in the city; fuel from the plant was used for vehicles run by the GMC.[90][91]
The GMC started using electric vehicles for domestic garbage collection in 2021.[92] E-auto rickshaws were introduced in the city to reduce air and noise pollution; many electric charging stations have been set up across the city for this purpose.[93] Efforts to reduce plastic use in the city and replace it with environment-friendly materials like jute, paper and cloth have been made.[94]
In 2021, United Nations Human Settlement Program planners recommended implementation of larger parks, mass transit with metro trains and electric bus systems, and improvements to city expansion plans.[95]
Local transport in Guntur includes privately operated auto rickshaws, taxi cabs, minibuses and government-run APSRTC buses.[96][97][98] Auto rickshaws operating on a sharing basis are the cheapest form of transport for students and workers. NTR bus station and an adjacent minibus station accommodate more than 2,000 buses every day, about half of them from depots in the erstwhile united district.[99][100] Plans for e-Bus Bay centres in the city were proposed in 2021.[101]
The city has a total of 893.00 km (554.88 mi) of roads.[102]Mahatma Gandhi Inner Ring Road is a 6.34-kilometre (3.94 mi) arterial road that starts on National Highway 16.[103][104] The inner ring road, along with Guntur Bypass, and sections of national and state highways, encircles the city. The arterial city roads include Grand Trunk Road, JKC College Road, Lakshmipuram Road, Pattabhipuram Road and Palakaluru Road. The GMC identified Amaravati Road, Lalapuram Road, Medical Club Road, Chuttugunta Road and Palakaluru Road for double-laning, and many other roads for widening to accommodate traffic.[105]
Primary and secondary education is provided by government and private schools. Aided schools were either transferred to government or became private in 2020 as per a government mandate.[116] According to the school information report for the academic year 2015–2016, more than one lakh (100,000) students were enrolled in over 400 schools.[117][118] The medium of instruction in municipal corporation schools was switched to English from the year 2016-2017.[119][120]
The public library system in Guntur is supported by the government and the district central library is located at Arundalpet.[121] Annamayya library was set up with 1 lakh books that were donated by bibliophile Lanka Suryanarayana.[122]
Guntur has hosted sporting events such as the All India Senior Tennis Association,[137] the All India Sub Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament,[138] the All India Invitation Volleyball Tournament,[134] the Ganta Sanjeeva Reddy Memorial Trophy[139] and the Inter-district Master Aquatic Championship.[140] The city was also a host for the Khelo India programme for junior-level national sports in 2016.[141] The city hosts mini-marathons and 10 km (6.2 mi) walks.[142] International sports personalities from Guntur include cricketer Ambati Rayudu[143] and badminton player Srikanth Kidambi.[144][145]
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