Vizianagaram district (Telugu: విజయనగరo జిల్లా), also known as Vijayanagaram district is one of the northern coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, India. Vizianagaram town is the district headquarters. The district is bounded on the east by Srikakulam district, on the southwest by Visakhapatnam district, on the southeast by the Bay of Bengal, and on the northwest by Orissa State.
Vizianagaram district was formed on June 1, 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. The district is named after the princely state of Vizianagaram (Vizia means victory and Nagaram means city in Telugu).
It is the least populous district in AndhraPradesh
Recorded evidence show that some local dynasties like the Rapatri Chiefs and the Gangas of Narayanapura (situated near Balijipeta), the Gangas of Jantarunadu (the track now known as Srungavarapukota), ruled over parts of the district from the 12th to 15th century.
The Kakatiya rulers under Ganapatideva defeated the Velanati Chola Chief, Prithvisvara who was ruling over the territory in 1210 AD. The territory was recovered by the Eastern Gangas during the reign of Ananga Bhima III. The Gajapatis of Orissa then came to rule the territory after overthrowing the Eastern Gangas in 1443 AD. The rule of the Gajapatis lasted for about 140 years till the Qutb Shahis conquered the territory around 1574 AD. Consequent on the occupation of Golconda by the Mughals in 1687 AD, the area came under the control of Mughals. When the Viceroy of the Mughals in Deccan, Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah declared independence in 1724 AD, the area came under the rule of the Asaf Jahis.
In the war of succession after Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah died, Salabat Jung who came to power with the backing of the French General Marquis de Bussy, rewarded the French by ceding four Circars including the Chicacole Circar in 1753. An important event in the history of the district which occurred by about this time is the war between the Rajas of Vizianagaram and Bobbili, popularly known as Bobbili Yuddam. The war was fought between the Rajah of Vizianagaram aided by the French General Bussy and the Rajah of Bobbili on the 24th January 1757.
Another important event in the history of the district is the war between the French and English fought at Chandurthi in 1758, in which the French were defeated and the Northern Circars were made over to the British under a firmana from the Mughal emperor Shah Alam in 1765 which were placed under the then existing Chief and Council at Vizagapatam. In 1794, the Chiefs and Councils were abolished and Vizagapatam was arranged into three divisions each under a collector. Almost the entire area of the present area of Vizianagaram district fell under the second division. However the three divisions were merged and a collectorate for the whole district was established in 1803 after the introduction of the permanent settlement in the area.
The history of the rebellions against the British rule goes back to 1830s when the people of the district particularly the tribals unable to bear the oppression, rose in frequent rebellions (fituris) leading to the establishment of separate administrative system known as "Agency Administration" under the India Act XXIV of 1839. The rebellion of Korra Mallaiah, a tribal chief of the Salur area against the British rule in 1900 is another important event. The district magistrate dispatched Reserve Police to suppress the revolt, which was seriously resisted by the people. In the skirmish that followed many were killed. Korra Mallaiah along with son was arrested and kept in Jail where he died subsequently. Subsequently in the Indian freedom movement, the people hailing from this area enthusiastically took part in various phases like non-cooperative movement, civil disobedience movement, Quit India Movement etc.,
Rock-cut buddhist cave ruins at Gurubhaktula Konda ramatheerrtham
About Sri Pydithalli Ammavaru Temple
The famous temple of Sri Pydithalli Ammavaru (also known as Pydimamba) is located in the heart of Vizianagaram city in the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh. The goddess here is considered to be the "Grama Devata" (deity who protects the city). This ancient temple is located close to the railway station and the temple is one of the major and prestigious religious attractions in the district.
Sri Pydithalli Ammavaru Temple History
The history of the temple dates back to 18th century. Legends say that the goddess Pydimamba belonged to the Gajapati Dynasty and that she was the sister of king Vijaya Rama Raju. During 1756 the king of Vizianagaram had a constant rivalry with the king of Bobbili. Taking the help of French army, led by General De Bussy, Vijaya Rama Raju set out an invasion on Bobbili which led to the "Bobbili Battle" on 23rd January 1757. Many Bobbili soldiers were killed and the Bobbili fort was almost destroyed. During that battle the wife of king Vijaya Rama Raju and his sister, who was suffering from Masuchi (a disease), tried to convince him to avoid war. His sister, Pydimamba, was performing a pooja while she came to know that his brother was in trouble.
Post-independenceHow to reach Sri Pydithalli Ammavaru Temple
After abolition of the Zamindaris in 1948, Visakhapatnam district was found to be unwieldy for administrative purposes. Consequently, Srikakulam district was carved out in 1950 bifurcating it from Visakhapatnam district.
Famous ganta stambham vizianagaramVizianagaram district was formed on 1 June 1979, as per G.O.Ms.No.700/Revenue (U) Department, dated 15 May 1979 with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. The Taluks of Vizianagaram, Gajapathinagaram, Srungavarapukota and a portion of Bheemunipatnam Taluk were transferred from the Visakhapatnam District. The Salur, Bobbili, Parvathipuram and Cheepurupalli Taluks from Srikakulam district were transferred to the new district.
This is the list of successive District collectors served the Vizianagaram district:
The district is currently a part of the Red Corridor.
The district can be divided into two distinct natural divisions i.e. plains and hilly regions. The hilly agency area covers Pachipenta and Gummalaxmipuram mandals fully and Salur, Makkuva, Ramabhadrapuram, Parvathipuram and Komarada mandals partly. Rest of the area is plain. The agency region mostly consists of hills covered by the Eastern Ghats which run parallel to the Coast from the North-East to South-West. The average height of these hills is over 914 meters, although there are several peaks of 1,219 meters high. In Parvathipuram division, the hills are lower than elsewhere and consists of steep and rugged lines devoid of plateaus.
The main towns of Vizianagaram district was Parvathipuram on the north, Cheepurupalli on the east, Vizianagaram on the south and S.Kota on the west. Remaining main towns Bobbili and Salur in the center of the district.
The principal rivers flowing in the district are River Nagavali, Suvarnamukhi, Vegavathi, River Champavathi, River Gosthani and Kandivalasa.
The main soils are red soils, sandy loams and sandy clay, which constitute 96 % of the total area. The predominant soils are loamy with medium fertility. There are red loamy soils in dry lands and clay loamy in wet lands. The soils at some places are as thick as 4 meters, probably represents alluvium along the valleys.
The total geographical area of the district is 6300.38 km². About 51.1 % of the land area is sown for agriculture and another 12.3 % land is put to non-agricultural uses. The forest covers about 17.8 % of the land. About 12.3 % of the land is Barren and uncultivable. About 4 % land is current and other Fallow lands.
The climate of Vizianagaram district is characterized by high humidity nearly all-round the year with oppressive summer and good seasonal rainfall. The summer season from March to May is followed by South West monsoon season, which continues up to September. October and November constitute the retreating monsoon season. The climate of the hilly regions of the district receives heavier rainfall and cooler than the plains. The maximum temperature recorded during 2004 is 39.6O C during May and the minimum temperature is 17.1O C during December.
The normal rainfall of the district for the year is 1,131.0 MM as against the actual rainfall of 740.6 MM received during 2002-03. The district gets the benefit of both the South ?West and North- East monsoon.
There is a coast line of 28 kilometers in the district on the east facing Bay of Bengal. There are 8 villages and 16 hamlets consisting of 6,993 fishermen. They are situated in Pusapatirega and Bhogapuram mandals.
There are no major irrigation projects in the district. The Denkada Anicut, Thatipudi Reservoir, Andra Reservoir Project, Vegavathi Anicut, Surapadu Anicut, Seethanagaram Anicut, Peda Ankalam Anicut, Vottigedda Reservoir Project, Paradi Anikut, Thotapalli Regulator and Vengala Raya Sagaram Project are the medium irrigation projects.[7] The total irrigated area under these projects and the other minor projects is about 285,077 acres (1,154 km2). Jhanjavati Project is constructed in 2005 in Komarada mandal on river Jhanjavati, a tributary of River Nagavali. It is a rubber dam and first of its kind in India and the biggest in Asia.
These 12 medium irrigation projects have an Ayacut of 439.84 km². Besides these irrigation projects, there are 1,065 Minor irrigation sources with an ayacut of 512.15 km² and 8,616 minor irrigation Tanks (Panchayat Raj) with an ayacut of 721.12 km².
FACOR main unit of Ferro-alloy production unit.The industrial development in the district generally agriculture based and consists of Jute mills, Sugar factories, Rice and Oil mills and Tiles manufacturing units. The mineral deposits are utilized by the FACOR and other industries. There are 520 factories registered under the Factories Act in 2005 in the district employing about 27,800 workers (males and females).
There are 2 revenue divisions, 34 Mandals, 935 Panchayats and 1,551 revenue villages in Vizianagaram district.[18] The revenue divisions are Parvathipuram and Vizianagaram.
Railway network in the entire district comes under Waltair Division of the East Coast Railway, Indian Railways.[19] Vizianagaram and Kothavalasa are the main railway junctions. There are 28 railway stations in the district. The route length is 169.656 kilometers in Broad Gauge Double Line and 68.860 kilometers in Broad Gauge Single line.
Total Road length in the district as on 2005 is 6,018 kilometers covering 561 villages. National Highways 5 and 43 passes through the district and covers a distance of 200 kilometers. National Highway 43 (India) runs almost entirely in Vizianagaram district for a distance of 83 kilometers and passes through Orissa to Raipur in Chattisgarh (total length of 551 kilometers). It passes through Vizianagaram, Gajapathinagaram, Ramabhadrapuram and Salur towns. National Highway 5 passes through coastal mandals of Bhogapuram and Pusapatirega. State Highways covers a distance of 122 kilometers, major district roads 852 kilometers and rural roads 781 kilometers.[20] The Panchayat Raj roads covers a distance of 4,080 kilometers.
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the major public transport system operated by fleet of buses. Vizianagaram is one of the 4 zones and one of the 23 administrative regions headed by General Manager of APSRTC. There are 4 bus depots at Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram, Srungavarapukota and Salur. There are many bus stations in the entire district. APSRTC operated 441 buses with an average of 371 buses covering a distance of 420 kilometers of route. They have carried about 46 lakhs of passengers per month in 2005.
Auto Rickshaw, Cycle rickshaw and Cycles are the major modes of local transport in the small towns and villages.
There are 3 Head Post Offices in Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram and Bobbili. There are 628 Branch and Sub Post Offices in Vizianagaram district covering all the mandals. There are 62 Telegraph Offices in the district.
There are 78 Telephone Exchanges in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh Circle of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited. The total customer base is 51,315 phone connections covering all the mandals. There are 6,223 public call offices. Idea Cellular, Airtel and Tata Indicom are the major private cellular services operates in Vizianagaram district as part of their services in Andhra Pradesh.
The district had a population of 9,58,778 in 1901. The total population of district increased to 22,49,254 as per 2001 census. They consists of 11,19,541 males and 11,29,713 females. There are 1009 females per 1000 males in the district. The total area is 6,539 square kilometres. The population density is 344 persons per km². The increase in population during the decennium from 1991 to 2001 is 6.55 percent for the district as against 14.6 percent for the Andhra Pradesh State.
The Scheduled Caste population is 2,38,023 and Scheduled Tribe population is 2,14,839 which comes to 10.58 % and 9.55 % respectively to the total population of the district.
The rural population of the district is 18.37 lakhs which comes to 82 % of the total population and the urban population is 4.12 lakhs which comes to 18 % of the total population. Vizianagaram Town with a population of 1,95,801 is the only Class-I town in the district. There are twelve towns in the district; Vizianagaram, Cheepurupalli, Gajularega, Kanapaka, Bobbili, Parvathipuram, Salur, Sriramnagar, Nellimarla, Kothavalasa, Chintalavalasa, Jarjapupeta and Gajapathinagaram. All the towns are in plain areas of the district.
The predominant religion is Hinduism. The major festivals are Sankranthi, Ugadi and Rama Navami, Maha Shivaratri, Deepavali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Dasara and Vijayadasami. The nine-day festival celebrations during Rama Navami and Ganesh Chaturthi are very popular in many towns and associated with many cultural events including Stage Dramas, Harikathas, Burra kathas etc. Festivals of Gramadevatha are held annually at Vizianagaram, Bobbili, Salur, Parvathipuram and Sambara with much fanfare. The most popular amongst them is Pydithalli Ammavari Jatra, celebrated at Vizianagaram on Vijayadasami day. And also Polamma Jatara, at Sambara in Sambara Village of Makkuva Mandal is a Very much state known famous festival being celebrated in every 3rd week of January. This is a very renown festival for north andhra people.
The cuisine is strikingly South Indian Style with Rice as the staple food accompanied by Dals, Rasam or Sambar, Vegetable Curries, Pickles and Curd.
The famous ancient temple of Ramachandra Swamy can be found over here. The beautiful idols of Lord Ramachandra Swamy, Sita Devi and Lakshmana in Silver kavachas can be seen at this temple. There is a beautiful lake in vicinity of the temple. One has to visit this temple for its serenity. The festivals of Sri Ramanavami and Vaikunta Ekadasi are celebrated with pomp and fervour here. You can see many tortoises with Vishnu Namams on their backs, roaming around in the temple. There is also a Rama Stambham installed by Pedda Jeeyar. Near to this temple, there is a black hill on which you can find the ruins of some Buddhist and Jain structures. These hills are called as Durga konda and Gurubhaktula konda.( sometimes called as Ramatheertham hills)
Fauna in the district is fairly high in the interior hill regions, but it is heavily threatened with extinction. The reasons for the depletion are mainly shrinkage of habitat and uncontrolled poaching. The principal animals are yellow bat, sloth bear, wild buffaloes, fox, hare, hyena, jackal, mongoose etc., The principal birds are blue rock pigeon, house crow, house sparrow, common myna pitta etc.,
There are 2379 Primary Schools, 462 Upper Primary Schools and 341 High Schools in 2004-2005. There are 81 Junior and 33 Degree Colleges. There are 14 Industrial Training Institutes and 2 Polytechnic Colleges. There are 9 B.Ed. Colleges and 1 M.Ed. College, one Sanskrit College and one Music and Dance College. There is a Postgraduate Center at Vizianagaram, 5 Engineering Colleges, 2 Law Colleges and a Medical College in this district.
There are 38 Branch Libraries in the district managed by Zilla Grandhalaya Samstha. They are located 1-2 in each mandal. There are about 41 book depot centres in the district.
Vizianagaram district was formed on June 1, 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. The district is named after the princely state of Vizianagaram (Vizia means victory and Nagaram means city in Telugu).
It is the least populous district in AndhraPradesh
History
The history of Vizianagaram district is with Kalinga dynasty. In modern times, the upper part of Kalinga was gradually merged into Orissa state and the lower part into Andhra Pradesh. The Kalinga empire extended from Cuttack in Orissa to Pithapuram in East Godavari district as far back as the 4th century BC. The Nandas ruled the area between 467 and 336 BC. They were followed by the Mauryas, the Chedis, the Satavahanas, the Pitribhaktas, the Matharas, the Vasishthas, the Vishnukundinas, the early Eastern Gangas, the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi, the late Eastern Gangas, the Reddis of Rajahmundry and the Velanati Cholas till the Kakatiyas appeared by 1210 AD.Recorded evidence show that some local dynasties like the Rapatri Chiefs and the Gangas of Narayanapura (situated near Balijipeta), the Gangas of Jantarunadu (the track now known as Srungavarapukota), ruled over parts of the district from the 12th to 15th century.
The Kakatiya rulers under Ganapatideva defeated the Velanati Chola Chief, Prithvisvara who was ruling over the territory in 1210 AD. The territory was recovered by the Eastern Gangas during the reign of Ananga Bhima III. The Gajapatis of Orissa then came to rule the territory after overthrowing the Eastern Gangas in 1443 AD. The rule of the Gajapatis lasted for about 140 years till the Qutb Shahis conquered the territory around 1574 AD. Consequent on the occupation of Golconda by the Mughals in 1687 AD, the area came under the control of Mughals. When the Viceroy of the Mughals in Deccan, Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah declared independence in 1724 AD, the area came under the rule of the Asaf Jahis.
Office of the District Collector
Another important event in the history of the district is the war between the French and English fought at Chandurthi in 1758, in which the French were defeated and the Northern Circars were made over to the British under a firmana from the Mughal emperor Shah Alam in 1765 which were placed under the then existing Chief and Council at Vizagapatam. In 1794, the Chiefs and Councils were abolished and Vizagapatam was arranged into three divisions each under a collector. Almost the entire area of the present area of Vizianagaram district fell under the second division. However the three divisions were merged and a collectorate for the whole district was established in 1803 after the introduction of the permanent settlement in the area.
The history of the rebellions against the British rule goes back to 1830s when the people of the district particularly the tribals unable to bear the oppression, rose in frequent rebellions (fituris) leading to the establishment of separate administrative system known as "Agency Administration" under the India Act XXIV of 1839. The rebellion of Korra Mallaiah, a tribal chief of the Salur area against the British rule in 1900 is another important event. The district magistrate dispatched Reserve Police to suppress the revolt, which was seriously resisted by the people. In the skirmish that followed many were killed. Korra Mallaiah along with son was arrested and kept in Jail where he died subsequently. Subsequently in the Indian freedom movement, the people hailing from this area enthusiastically took part in various phases like non-cooperative movement, civil disobedience movement, Quit India Movement etc.,
Sri pydithallamma ammavaru
Sri Pydithalli Ammavaru Temple,vizianagaram/Famous hindu temples in vizianagaram district
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| Sri Pydithalli Ammavaru Temple |
The famous temple of Sri Pydithalli Ammavaru (also known as Pydimamba) is located in the heart of Vizianagaram city in the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh. The goddess here is considered to be the "Grama Devata" (deity who protects the city). This ancient temple is located close to the railway station and the temple is one of the major and prestigious religious attractions in the district.
Sri Pydithalli Ammavaru Temple History
The history of the temple dates back to 18th century. Legends say that the goddess Pydimamba belonged to the Gajapati Dynasty and that she was the sister of king Vijaya Rama Raju. During 1756 the king of Vizianagaram had a constant rivalry with the king of Bobbili. Taking the help of French army, led by General De Bussy, Vijaya Rama Raju set out an invasion on Bobbili which led to the "Bobbili Battle" on 23rd January 1757. Many Bobbili soldiers were killed and the Bobbili fort was almost destroyed. During that battle the wife of king Vijaya Rama Raju and his sister, who was suffering from Masuchi (a disease), tried to convince him to avoid war. His sister, Pydimamba, was performing a pooja while she came to know that his brother was in trouble.
There are few festivals- Sirimanu Utsavam, etc celebrated in this temple by the local denizens.
Sirimanu Utsavam: This Utsavam (festival) is grandly celebrated every year on the first Tuesday after Vijaya Dasami (prominent festival of Goddess Durga). People say that goddess Pydimamba comes into the dream of the priest of the temple, before 15 days of the Utsavam, and tells him the place where the Utsavam is to be conducted. "Sirimanu" means a big tree, for which the priest finds a big tree that suits the purpose. The owner must agree to cut and give it to the Utsavam. Later, the cut tree is carved carefully and decorated to make it as a Sirimanu. Then some poojas and rituals are performed and Sirimanu is taken over the streets of the city as a procession. People gather in large numbers to watch this spectacle and the descendants of Vizianagaram Rajahs watch it from the top of the fort. Sirimanu is placed in front of a chariot in the shape of a White elephant.
White Elephant Chariot: In the earlier days, the Maharajahs used to sit on white elephants to watch the Sirimanu Utsavam. Gradually, it has become a tradition to include the white elephant (chariot) in the Sirimanu Utsavam.
Anjali Chariot: Apart from the white elephant, there is another chariot, included in the Sirimanu Utsavam, called Anjali chariot. Pydimamba died before getting married, so five married women are seated on the chariot as a part of tradition. Hence, it is known as Anjali chariot.
Sirimanu Phaladhara: Phaladhara is an umbrella used in the Sirimanu Utsavam which is made of fishing nets and decorated with flowers and fruits. A legend says that the idol of the goddess was brought out from Pedda Cheruvu (lake) by the local fishermen who appealed that they would be given a chance to participate in the Sirimanu Utsavam with an umbrella made of fishing nets. Hence, it became a tradition over time. Thousands of people from different parts of the country come to watch this spectacular festival.
Sirimanu Utsavam: This Utsavam (festival) is grandly celebrated every year on the first Tuesday after Vijaya Dasami (prominent festival of Goddess Durga). People say that goddess Pydimamba comes into the dream of the priest of the temple, before 15 days of the Utsavam, and tells him the place where the Utsavam is to be conducted. "Sirimanu" means a big tree, for which the priest finds a big tree that suits the purpose. The owner must agree to cut and give it to the Utsavam. Later, the cut tree is carved carefully and decorated to make it as a Sirimanu. Then some poojas and rituals are performed and Sirimanu is taken over the streets of the city as a procession. People gather in large numbers to watch this spectacle and the descendants of Vizianagaram Rajahs watch it from the top of the fort. Sirimanu is placed in front of a chariot in the shape of a White elephant.
White Elephant Chariot: In the earlier days, the Maharajahs used to sit on white elephants to watch the Sirimanu Utsavam. Gradually, it has become a tradition to include the white elephant (chariot) in the Sirimanu Utsavam.
Anjali Chariot: Apart from the white elephant, there is another chariot, included in the Sirimanu Utsavam, called Anjali chariot. Pydimamba died before getting married, so five married women are seated on the chariot as a part of tradition. Hence, it is known as Anjali chariot.
Sirimanu Phaladhara: Phaladhara is an umbrella used in the Sirimanu Utsavam which is made of fishing nets and decorated with flowers and fruits. A legend says that the idol of the goddess was brought out from Pedda Cheruvu (lake) by the local fishermen who appealed that they would be given a chance to participate in the Sirimanu Utsavam with an umbrella made of fishing nets. Hence, it became a tradition over time. Thousands of people from different parts of the country come to watch this spectacular festival.
Post-independenceHow to reach Sri Pydithalli Ammavaru Temple
The temple is located in the heart of the Vizianagaram city near the Pedda Cheruvu (lake). Vizianagaram city can be reached very easily as it is located across the NH43 (National Highway road). The city has a railway junction which is on the Chennai - Howrah line and numerous trains like Visakha Express, Konark Express, Howrah Express, East Coast Express, Hirakhand Express and Dhanbad Express halt here. The nearest domestic airport is at Visakhapatnam at a distance of 40 km and the nearest international airport is at Shamshabad, Hyderabad at a distance of nearly 640 km.
After abolition of the Zamindaris in 1948, Visakhapatnam district was found to be unwieldy for administrative purposes. Consequently, Srikakulam district was carved out in 1950 bifurcating it from Visakhapatnam district.
This is the list of successive District collectors served the Vizianagaram district:
| Name of the Collector | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| S. P. K. Naidu | 1 June 1979 | 15 June 1979 |
| M. C. Mahapatra | 16 June 1979 | 23 June 1979 |
| A. K. Jha | 27 July 1979 | 21 September 1979 |
| P. V. Bedi | 22 September 1979 | 19 April 1981 |
| Paul Bhuman | 20 April 1981 | 9 April 1983 |
| V. Sharma Rao | 10 April 1983 | 28 March 1987 |
| G. Sudhir | 11 May 1987 | 26 October 1987 |
| M. V. S. Prasad | 27 November 1987 | 31 January 1989 |
| M. S. Prasad | 27 February 1989 | 5 December 1989 |
| J. R. Anand | 18 January 1990 | 3 January 1991 |
| T. Radha | 4 January 1991 | 3 December 1992 |
| V. Nagi Reddy | 4 December 1992 | 11 January 1995 |
| T. Vijaya Kumar | 11 January 1995 | 31 July 1996 |
| K. R. W. Yesudas | 1 August 1996 | 23 May 1997 |
| Poonam Malakondaiah | 23 May 1997 | 12 November 1999 |
| K. Mangapathi Rao | 12 November 1999 | 12 July 2000 |
| Harpreet Singh | 12 July 2000 | 24 October 2002 |
| Rajith Kumar | 25 October 2002 | 17 November 2004 |
| B. Venkateswara Rao | 17 November 2004 | 12 May 2006 |
| Dr. M. Jagan Mohan Rao | 13 May 2006 | 18 May 2006 |
| Dr. B. Kishore | 19 May 2006 | 2008 |
| Ram Narayan Reddy | 30 June 2010 | |
| M. Veerabrahmaiah | 7 July 2010 | Present |
Geography
It is situated within the geographical co-ordinates of 17- 15’ and 19 – 15’ of the northern latitudes and 83 – 00’ and 83-45’’ of the eastern longitudes. Vizianagaram district occupies an area of 6,539 square kilometres (2,525 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to France's Desolation Island.The district can be divided into two distinct natural divisions i.e. plains and hilly regions. The hilly agency area covers Pachipenta and Gummalaxmipuram mandals fully and Salur, Makkuva, Ramabhadrapuram, Parvathipuram and Komarada mandals partly. Rest of the area is plain. The agency region mostly consists of hills covered by the Eastern Ghats which run parallel to the Coast from the North-East to South-West. The average height of these hills is over 914 meters, although there are several peaks of 1,219 meters high. In Parvathipuram division, the hills are lower than elsewhere and consists of steep and rugged lines devoid of plateaus.
The main towns of Vizianagaram district was Parvathipuram on the north, Cheepurupalli on the east, Vizianagaram on the south and S.Kota on the west. Remaining main towns Bobbili and Salur in the center of the district.
The principal rivers flowing in the district are River Nagavali, Suvarnamukhi, Vegavathi, River Champavathi, River Gosthani and Kandivalasa.
The main soils are red soils, sandy loams and sandy clay, which constitute 96 % of the total area. The predominant soils are loamy with medium fertility. There are red loamy soils in dry lands and clay loamy in wet lands. The soils at some places are as thick as 4 meters, probably represents alluvium along the valleys.
The total geographical area of the district is 6300.38 km². About 51.1 % of the land area is sown for agriculture and another 12.3 % land is put to non-agricultural uses. The forest covers about 17.8 % of the land. About 12.3 % of the land is Barren and uncultivable. About 4 % land is current and other Fallow lands.
The climate of Vizianagaram district is characterized by high humidity nearly all-round the year with oppressive summer and good seasonal rainfall. The summer season from March to May is followed by South West monsoon season, which continues up to September. October and November constitute the retreating monsoon season. The climate of the hilly regions of the district receives heavier rainfall and cooler than the plains. The maximum temperature recorded during 2004 is 39.6O C during May and the minimum temperature is 17.1O C during December.
The normal rainfall of the district for the year is 1,131.0 MM as against the actual rainfall of 740.6 MM received during 2002-03. The district gets the benefit of both the South ?West and North- East monsoon.
There is a coast line of 28 kilometers in the district on the east facing Bay of Bengal. There are 8 villages and 16 hamlets consisting of 6,993 fishermen. They are situated in Pusapatirega and Bhogapuram mandals.
Economy
In 2006 the Indian government named Vizianagaram one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the thirteen districts in Andhra Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).Agriculture
Vizianagaram district is predominantly an agricultural district as 68.4 % of the workers are engaged in Agriculture and about 82 % of the population is living in rural areas and depend on Agriculture for their livelihood. Rainfed farming is the characteristic of Agriculture, as about 80 % of the cultivation is purely under rain fed conditions. Even the irrigated area is mostly depend on the rainfall. Hence majority of crops grown are dry crops. Paddy crop is cultivated mainly during Kharif season with 80 % of the area is under Tanks which in turn depend on the rainfall. The major crops grown are paddy, mesta, groundnut, ragi, bajra, cotton, sugarcane and pulses. The average crop yields are low.There are no major irrigation projects in the district. The Denkada Anicut, Thatipudi Reservoir, Andra Reservoir Project, Vegavathi Anicut, Surapadu Anicut, Seethanagaram Anicut, Peda Ankalam Anicut, Vottigedda Reservoir Project, Paradi Anikut, Thotapalli Regulator and Vengala Raya Sagaram Project are the medium irrigation projects.[7] The total irrigated area under these projects and the other minor projects is about 285,077 acres (1,154 km2). Jhanjavati Project is constructed in 2005 in Komarada mandal on river Jhanjavati, a tributary of River Nagavali. It is a rubber dam and first of its kind in India and the biggest in Asia.
These 12 medium irrigation projects have an Ayacut of 439.84 km². Besides these irrigation projects, there are 1,065 Minor irrigation sources with an ayacut of 512.15 km² and 8,616 minor irrigation Tanks (Panchayat Raj) with an ayacut of 721.12 km².
Industry
- sQuareindia Advisory Private Limited [9] at Vizianagaram
- Sri Padma Infoway [10] at Vizianagaram
- The Ferro Alloys Corporation Limited (FACOR Group of Companies)[11] at Sriramnagar, Garividi.
- Jindal Stainless Limited (Ferro Alloys Division), Kothavalasa.[12]
- Andhra Ferro Alloys Limited, Kothavalasa and Garbham.[13]
- Goldstar Steel Alloy (India) Limited at Sreerampuram, Lakkavarapukota.
- Sri Vijayarama Gajapathi Cooperative Sugars, Bheemasingi, Jami mandal.
- The N.C.S. Sugars Limited, Latchayyapeta.
- Nellimarla Jute Mills Company Limited, Nellimarla.
- The Hoogly Mills Projects Limited, Vizianagaram, Bobbili and V.T.Agraharam.
- A.P.Fibres Limited, Jeegiram, Salur.
- Uma Jute Mills, Kothavalasa.
- Navya Jute Mills Limited, Bobbili.
- Srinivasa Jute Mills Limited, Bhyripuram.
- Jyothi Jute Mills Limited, Dibbaguddivalasa, Bobbili mandal.
- Andhra Tyre Works, Industrial Park, Vizianagaram
- Brick and tile making industries around Kothavalasa.
- Sagar cement factory at Karasavalasa village of Salur mandal.
- Matrix Laboratories Limited, G.Chodavaram, Pusapatirega.
- HBL Power systems Limited, Kandivalasa, Pusapatirega Mandal, Vizianagaram
- APSRTC Garage and Zonal Workshop, Vizianagaram.
- Andhra Pradesh Tanneries Limited, Nellimarla.
- Narayani Steels Private Limited,Industrial Estate, Vizianagaram
- Sarvagi Mining Co. Ltd, Cheepurupalli
- Laxmi Dall Mill Buchenna Koneru, Vizianagaram
Banking and finance
Nationalized Banks and private and cooperative banks operate in the district from 148 branches. State Bank of India with 29 branches and Andhra Bank 14 branches are the leading banks in the district. S.V. Grameena Bank with 56 branches and Vizianagaram district Cooperative Central Bank are the leading cooperative banks.Household indicators
In 2007–2008 the International Institute for Population Sciences interviewed 1232 households in 41 villages across the district. They found that 78.7% had access to electricity, 84.1% had drinking water, 18.5% toilet facilities, and 33.9% lived in a pucca (permanent) home. 28.6% of girls wed before the legal age of 18[16] and 87.3% of interviewees carried a BPL card.Divisions
There are 12 assembly and 2 parliamentary constituencies in Vizianagaram district. The parliamentary constituencies are Vizianagaram and Parvathipuram. The assembly constituencies[17] in Vizianagaram district are Bhogapuram, Bobbili, Cheepurupalli, Gajapathinagaram, Nagur, Parvathipuram, Salur, Nellimarla, Srungavarapukota, Uttarapalli and Vizianagaram.There are 2 revenue divisions, 34 Mandals, 935 Panchayats and 1,551 revenue villages in Vizianagaram district.[18] The revenue divisions are Parvathipuram and Vizianagaram.
[edit] Transport
Railway and Bus services are the major modes of transport for the people in Vizianagaram district. Visakhapatnam is the nearest airport.Railway network in the entire district comes under Waltair Division of the East Coast Railway, Indian Railways.[19] Vizianagaram and Kothavalasa are the main railway junctions. There are 28 railway stations in the district. The route length is 169.656 kilometers in Broad Gauge Double Line and 68.860 kilometers in Broad Gauge Single line.
Total Road length in the district as on 2005 is 6,018 kilometers covering 561 villages. National Highways 5 and 43 passes through the district and covers a distance of 200 kilometers. National Highway 43 (India) runs almost entirely in Vizianagaram district for a distance of 83 kilometers and passes through Orissa to Raipur in Chattisgarh (total length of 551 kilometers). It passes through Vizianagaram, Gajapathinagaram, Ramabhadrapuram and Salur towns. National Highway 5 passes through coastal mandals of Bhogapuram and Pusapatirega. State Highways covers a distance of 122 kilometers, major district roads 852 kilometers and rural roads 781 kilometers.[20] The Panchayat Raj roads covers a distance of 4,080 kilometers.
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the major public transport system operated by fleet of buses. Vizianagaram is one of the 4 zones and one of the 23 administrative regions headed by General Manager of APSRTC. There are 4 bus depots at Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram, Srungavarapukota and Salur. There are many bus stations in the entire district. APSRTC operated 441 buses with an average of 371 buses covering a distance of 420 kilometers of route. They have carried about 46 lakhs of passengers per month in 2005.
Auto Rickshaw, Cycle rickshaw and Cycles are the major modes of local transport in the small towns and villages.
There are 3 Head Post Offices in Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram and Bobbili. There are 628 Branch and Sub Post Offices in Vizianagaram district covering all the mandals. There are 62 Telegraph Offices in the district.
There are 78 Telephone Exchanges in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh Circle of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited. The total customer base is 51,315 phone connections covering all the mandals. There are 6,223 public call offices. Idea Cellular, Airtel and Tata Indicom are the major private cellular services operates in Vizianagaram district as part of their services in Andhra Pradesh.
[edit] Demographics
According to the 2011 census Vizianagaram district has a population of 2,342,868 , roughly equal to the nation of Latvia or the US state of New Mexico. This gives it a ranking of 193rd in India (out of a total of 640).The district has a population density of 358 inhabitants per square kilometre (930 /sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 4.16 %. Vizianagaram has a sex ratio of 1016 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 59.49 %.The district had a population of 9,58,778 in 1901. The total population of district increased to 22,49,254 as per 2001 census. They consists of 11,19,541 males and 11,29,713 females. There are 1009 females per 1000 males in the district. The total area is 6,539 square kilometres. The population density is 344 persons per km². The increase in population during the decennium from 1991 to 2001 is 6.55 percent for the district as against 14.6 percent for the Andhra Pradesh State.
The Scheduled Caste population is 2,38,023 and Scheduled Tribe population is 2,14,839 which comes to 10.58 % and 9.55 % respectively to the total population of the district.
The rural population of the district is 18.37 lakhs which comes to 82 % of the total population and the urban population is 4.12 lakhs which comes to 18 % of the total population. Vizianagaram Town with a population of 1,95,801 is the only Class-I town in the district. There are twelve towns in the district; Vizianagaram, Cheepurupalli, Gajularega, Kanapaka, Bobbili, Parvathipuram, Salur, Sriramnagar, Nellimarla, Kothavalasa, Chintalavalasa, Jarjapupeta and Gajapathinagaram. All the towns are in plain areas of the district.
Culture
The social customs in Vizianagaram district are South Indian Style with minor changes. The local people are soft spoken and kind at heart with strong family traditions. Gurajada Appa Rao (1862–1915) used all forms of literature like drama, novel, poetry, short story and essay with equal facility. He assimilated the culture and language of this region and became the forerunner of social reforms in India.The predominant religion is Hinduism. The major festivals are Sankranthi, Ugadi and Rama Navami, Maha Shivaratri, Deepavali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Dasara and Vijayadasami. The nine-day festival celebrations during Rama Navami and Ganesh Chaturthi are very popular in many towns and associated with many cultural events including Stage Dramas, Harikathas, Burra kathas etc. Festivals of Gramadevatha are held annually at Vizianagaram, Bobbili, Salur, Parvathipuram and Sambara with much fanfare. The most popular amongst them is Pydithalli Ammavari Jatra, celebrated at Vizianagaram on Vijayadasami day. And also Polamma Jatara, at Sambara in Sambara Village of Makkuva Mandal is a Very much state known famous festival being celebrated in every 3rd week of January. This is a very renown festival for north andhra people.
The cuisine is strikingly South Indian Style with Rice as the staple food accompanied by Dals, Rasam or Sambar, Vegetable Curries, Pickles and Curd.
Tourist attractions
Ramatheertham Sri Rama Temple
Ramatheertham is a village panchayat in Nellimarla mandal of Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh in South India. This place is about 12 kilometers from Vizianagaram city.The famous ancient temple of Ramachandra Swamy can be found over here. The beautiful idols of Lord Ramachandra Swamy, Sita Devi and Lakshmana in Silver kavachas can be seen at this temple. There is a beautiful lake in vicinity of the temple. One has to visit this temple for its serenity. The festivals of Sri Ramanavami and Vaikunta Ekadasi are celebrated with pomp and fervour here. You can see many tortoises with Vishnu Namams on their backs, roaming around in the temple. There is also a Rama Stambham installed by Pedda Jeeyar. Near to this temple, there is a black hill on which you can find the ruins of some Buddhist and Jain structures. These hills are called as Durga konda and Gurubhaktula konda.( sometimes called as Ramatheertham hills)
Flora and fauna
Forestry plays an important role in the economy of the district. The forest types found in the district are 1.Southern tropical mixed deciduous forests, 2.Northern tropical dry deciduous forests, 3.Southern tropical dry mixed deciduous forests, 4.Dry deciduous green forests and 5.Dry evergreen forests.Fauna in the district is fairly high in the interior hill regions, but it is heavily threatened with extinction. The reasons for the depletion are mainly shrinkage of habitat and uncontrolled poaching. The principal animals are yellow bat, sloth bear, wild buffaloes, fox, hare, hyena, jackal, mongoose etc., The principal birds are blue rock pigeon, house crow, house sparrow, common myna pitta etc.,
Education
Vizianagaram district has been comparatively backward in the field of education. The literacy rate is 51.82 % as against the average of 61.55 % for the entire Andhra Pradesh State.There are 2379 Primary Schools, 462 Upper Primary Schools and 341 High Schools in 2004-2005. There are 81 Junior and 33 Degree Colleges. There are 14 Industrial Training Institutes and 2 Polytechnic Colleges. There are 9 B.Ed. Colleges and 1 M.Ed. College, one Sanskrit College and one Music and Dance College. There is a Postgraduate Center at Vizianagaram, 5 Engineering Colleges, 2 Law Colleges and a Medical College in this district.
There are 38 Branch Libraries in the district managed by Zilla Grandhalaya Samstha. They are located 1-2 in each mandal. There are about 41 book depot centres in the district.
- Avanthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Cherukupalli, Bhogapuram.
- Gokul Institute of Science and Technology, Bobbili.
- Kodi Rama Murthy College of Physical Education, Bobbili.
- Maharajah's Government College of Music and Dance.
- Maharaja's Sanskrit College.
- Maharaja's Vijayaram Gajapathi Raju Law College, Vizianagaram.
- Maharaja's Post-graduate Centre, Vizianagaram.
- Maharaj Vijayaram Gajapath Raj College of Engineering, Vizianagaram.
- Maharaja's Institute of Medical Sciences, Nellimarla.
- St. Theressa Institute of Engineering and Technology, Garividi(Cheepurupalli).
- Thandra Paparaya Institute of Science and Technology, Bobbili.
- Srinivasa Junior & degree college, Vizianagaram
- Gayatri Junior & degree college, Vizianagaram
- Maharajah's College, Vizianagaram
- United Hotel Management Academy, Fort, Vizianagaram.
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