Amaravati () is the capital of the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. It is located on the banks of the river Krishna in Guntur district. The Prime Minister of India,

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...

laid the

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

at a ceremonial event in Uddandarayunipalem village on 22 October 2015.

Dharanikota Dharanikota is a village in Palnadu district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Amaravathi mandal of Guntur revenue division. The village forms a part of Andhra Pradesh Capital Region, under the jurisdiction of APCRDA. H ...

, the ancient city site nearby, was founded more than 2,200 years ago, serving as an ancient capital. The

Amaravati Stupa The Amarāvati ''Stupa'', is a ruined Buddhist '' stūpa'' at the village of Amaravathi, Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh, India, probably built in phases between the third century BCE and about 250 CE. It was enlarged and new sculptures repla ...

was an important Buddhist site of pilgrimage and holy learning. Under the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

, many ancient Buddhist sculptures were taken to other museums in India and Britain. The office of the

Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh is the chief executive of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's '' de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...

has operated from Velagapudi since April 2016. The

Andhra Pradesh Legislature The Andhra Pradesh Legislature is the state legislature of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and is composed of an *Appointed Governor of Andhra *The indirectly-elected Saasana Mandal ...

remained in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

until March 2017, when it was relocated to newly constructed interim

legislative buildings A legislative building is a building in which a legislature sits and makes laws for its respective political entity. The term used for the building varies between the political entities, such as "building", "capitol", "hall", "house", or "palace ...

in Velagapudi.

Etymology

The name "Amaravati" only dates back to the 18th century; the Amaravathi village, is near

, the ancient capital of the

Satavahana dynasty The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the la ...

. The metropolitan areas of Guntur,

Vijayawada Vijayawada, formerly known as Bezawada, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is a part of the state's Capital Region. It is the administrative headquarters of the NTR district. Its metropolitan region comprises N ...

and

Tenali Tenali is a city in Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Tenali mandal and Tenali revenue division. The city is renowned for art, culture, drama and hence, it is called ''Andhra ...

are the major conurbations of Amaravati. ''Amaravati'' translates literally as 'the place for immortals'.

History

(Dhānyakatakam) near Amaravati was an important city in the cultural heritage and

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

. Its history dates back to 2nd Century BCE when it was the capital of the

Satavahana Dynasty The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the la ...

of the ( Andhras), one of the earliest Indian empires and the ancestral

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

of Andhra Pradesh. The

Satavahanas The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the lat ...

are prominent in the

history of Andhra Pradesh History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

. Their main language was

Prakrit The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...

written using

Brahmi Script Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' ...

, which served as the base for the

script Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...

Telugu Language Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken by Telugu people predominantly living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. It is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language fam ...

. They issued many

coins A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

with this

language which can be found in many inscriptions in this region today. The practice of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

was predominant during this period and the dynasty was partly responsible for the prevalence of Buddhism in the region. The city was also once a holy site of Mahayana Buddhism. The city used to have a large

Buddhist Stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

now known as

but then called a Mahachaitya, which was ruined over time. It was also the centre of Buddhist learning and

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

where many buddhist followers from many South East Asian countries used to visit. It can be seen from the

, many Buddhist inscriptions,

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

s and Gautam Buddha Statue in the city. Many other ancient Amaravati sculptures and Buddhist

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...

from the region were unfortunately destroyed over the time and the largest group was removed to the

Government Museum, Chennai The Government Museum, Chennai, or the Madras Museum, is a museum of human history and culture located in the Government Museum Complex in the neighbourhood of Egmore in Chennai, India. Started in 1851, it is the second oldest museum in India af ...

and others to the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

during British rule, which can be seen there today. The sculptures from Amaravati depict many scenes from

Buddhist art Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives, mandalas, an ...

, inscriptions and Buddhist stupas. The city along with Nagarjuna Konda is viewed as one of the richest holy sites of

in the whole of India. The present capital area has its historical significance of having recorded its first-ever legislation 2,200 years ago. The present-day capital region includes the Amaravati village. The area has been ruled by the

Mauryas The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...

, Ikshvakus,

Vishnukundina The Vishnukundina dynasty (IAST: Viṣṇukundina) was an Indian dynasty based in Deccan, which ruled modern Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and parts of South India during the 5th and 6th centuries, carving land out from the Vakataka Empire. ...

Pallavas The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as f ...

, Cholas, Kakatiyas, Delhi Sultanate,

Musunuri Nayaks The Musunuri Nayakas were warrior kings of 14th-century South India who were briefly significant in the region of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka is said to have taken a leadership role among the Andhra chieftains and driv ...

, Bahmani Sultanate,

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...

, Sultanate of Golconda and

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

successively before the founding of the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1724. It was ceded to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 1750 but was captured by the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

in 1759. Guntur returned to the Nizamate in 1768 but was ceded to Britain again in 1788. It was briefly occupied by

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the at ...

. It was then ruled by

Vasireddy Venkatadri Nayudu Vasireddy Venkatadri Nayudu () was a hereditary zamindar of Chintapalli, later Amaravathi, in the Guntur district of India, under the Nizam of Hyderabad and the British East India Company. He had under his control 552 villages and towns loc ...

, who founded the modern Amaravathi village, using building materials from the stupa, which he largely demolished. It was part of the Madras Presidency during the British colonial period. As per the

Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014, commonly known as the Telangana Act, is an Act of Indian Parliament that bifurcated the state of Andhra Pradesh into Telangana and the residuary Andhra Pradesh state, as an outcome of the Telanga ...

became the capital of the then newly formed state of

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...

, post bifurcation of

. However, Hyderabad would remain as the joint capital of both states for a period not exceeding ten years. Hence, Amaravati is being built to serve as the capital of Andhra Pradesh. The foundation for the city was laid at Uddandarayunipalem on 22 October 2015. The Prime Minister of India,

; the

, N. Chandrababu Naidu; the

Vice President of India The vice president of India (IAST: ) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in the ...

and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu; then Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan; the Japanese minister for economy trade and industry, Yosuke Takagi; and the Singaporean Minister for Trade and Industry, S. Iswaran, laid the foundation for the city. In August 2020,

Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly or Andhra Pradesh Śāsana Sabha is the lower house of the Andhra Pradesh Legislature. The Legislative Assembly consists of 175 members which are elected by adult universal suffrage under the first-p ...

passed

Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020 The Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020 is an act of Andhra Pradesh Legislature aimed at the decentralisation of governance in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The bill was proposed by the Gove ...

. According to its provisions,

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...

is the

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

capital while Amaravati and Kurnool serve as

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

and

judicial The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

capitals, respectively. The decision resulted in widespread protests by the farmers of Amaravati. The act has been challenged in

Andhra Pradesh High Court The High Court of Andhra Pradesh is the High Court of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The seat of the High Court is currently located at Nelapadu. History The High Court of Andhra Pradesh was established in the year 1954 when the sta ...

, which ordered to maintain status quo until the court completes its hearing. On 22 November 2021, the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

, led by

Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan Reddy (born 21 December 1972) also known as Y. S. Jagan or mononymously Jagan, is an Indian entrepreneur and politician serving as the 17th and current chief minister of Andhra Pradesh since 30 May 2019. He is the ...

, have withdrawn the act.

Geography

The city is being built in Guntur district and

Palnadu district Palnadu district is a district in coastal Andhra Region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. With Narasaraopet as its administrative headquarters, it was formed on 04 April 2022 to become one of the resultant List of districts of Andhra Pradesh ...

, on the banks of the Krishna River. The city will be south-west of

, north of Guntur, south-east of

surrounding the

Coromandel Coast The Coromandel Coast is the southeastern coastal region of the Indian subcontinent, bounded by the Utkal Plains to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Kaveri delta to the south, and the Eastern Ghats to the west, extending over an ...

of Coastal Andhra region in Andhra Pradesh.

Vision

The 13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu envisioned Amaravati to be the people-centric pioneer

Smart City A smart city is a technologically modern urban area that uses different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect specific data. Information gained from that data is used to manage assets, resources and services efficiently; in retur ...

of India, built around sustainability and livability principles, and to be the happiest city in the world. Among the innovative features on the drawing board are navigation canals around the city, and connecting to an island in the Krishna River. The Government has envisaged an investment needed of for the development of the city. The city is being designed to have 51% green space and 10% of water bodies, with a plan to house some of the most iconic buildings there. It is being modeled on Singapore, with the master plan being prepared by two Singapore government-appointed consultants. Other international consultants and architects will then be brought in to give the city an international flavor.

City Planning

3D Model of Amaravati in APCRDA office, Vijayawada (6)

3D Model of Amaravati in APCRDA office, Vijayawada (4)

The Andhra Pradesh State Cabinet meeting passed a resolution of 1 September 2014 to locate the Capital City in a central place of the state, around Vijayawada, and to go for decentralized development of the state with 3 Mega Cities and 14 Smart Cities. The State Government identified the Capital City area between Vijayawada and Guntur cities on the Southern bank of River Krishna upstream of Prakasam Barrage. The Amaravati Capital City has an area of 217.23 km² and is spread across 25 villages in 3 mandals (Thullur, Mangalagiri and Tadepalli) of Guntur district. The 25 villages in the Capital City area have about 1 lakh population in about 27,000 households. The nearest cities are Vijayawada at a distance of 30 km and Guntur at a distance of 18 km. The nearest railway station is KC Canal railway station near Tadepalli and the nearest airport is Gannavaram which is at a distance of 22 km. The city is planned to spread over 217 km² area with a total cost of ₹ 553.43 billions to the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) out of which state government contribution is only ₹ 126 billion (equity ₹ 66.29 billion and supporting grant ₹ 59.71 billion) spread over a period of 8 years from April 2018 to March 2026 (₹ 5 billion in 2018–19, ₹ 18 billion per year for later six years and ₹ 13 billion in 2025–26). The contribution from the government is to be repaid by the CRDA after 2037. Ultimately state or union governments are not incurring any expenditure to construct the city but wholly financed by the income accrued from the sale of land for various development schemes (₹ 171.51 billion), loans and the local taxes (₹ 146.41 billion by 2037) to the CRDA. The state and union governments are expected to earn ₹ 120 billion per annum out of which state goods and services tax (State GST) alone is ₹ 60 billion per annum. The entire city construction is planned by self-financing from loans and land selling with the state government's moral support. CRDA is expecting a net surplus income of ₹ 333 billion by 2037 after meeting the total expenditure on the city. Amaravati government complex which is intended to provide world-class facilities needed for the state government and its employees' accommodation is also part of the CRDA project. The bus rapid transit system (BRTS) in Amaravati to connect with the adjacent Vijayawada and Guntur cities by world-class road network is also part of the CRDA project. Both Amaravati government complex and BRTS are planned with an expenditure of ₹ 140 billion.

Timeline

NGO housing under construction in Amaravati (March 2019) 12

Status

In 2019, the new state government allocated a budget of only ₹500 crore and immediately stopped all running projects in the middle of construction that was started by the previous Naidu government. The Amaravati project has substantially slowed with no deadline in sight. As of 2020, the fate of Amaravati as the sole capital of Andhra Pradesh hangs in balance as the incumbent

YSRCP The Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP or YCP; ) is an Indian regional political party based in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Its president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy serves as the state's chief minister. It is currently the fifth la ...

Government has proposed to move the Executive and Judicial components of the capital to

and Kurnool respectively. There has been a continuing backlash from the farmers of the region against this decision of the Government for the past 644 days. The agitators are still awaiting the Chief Minister's appointment for a plausible solution.

Government and politics

Administration

Amaravati is an Urban Notified Area and its urban development and planning activities are undertaken by the Amaravati Development Corporation Limited and Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA). The Andhra Pradesh Secretariat at Velagapudi is the administrative block for the employees of the state government.

The APCRDA has its jurisdiction over the city and is the conurbation covering Andhra Pradesh Capital Region. The capital city is spread over an area of , and will comprise villages (including some

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

) from three mandals viz.,

Mangalagiri Mangalagiri is a South Suburb of Vijayawada in Guntur district of Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The town is a part of Mangalagiri Tadepalle Municipal Corporation and part of Tenali revenue division. It is a major sub urban of Vijayawada and ...

, Thullur and Tadepalle. The seed capital is spread over an area of . The table below lists the identified villages and hamlets under their respective mandals, which became a part of the capital city. ''Notes:'' * M –

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

* The names in brackets are the hamlet villages of the respective settlement.

Language and religion

The residents of Amaravati are mainly Telugu-speaking people along with some

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Telugu is the official language of the city. Hindus form a very large majority, but there are also Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist communities. Religious sites include the Amaralingeswara Swamy Temple, and the

Amaravati stupa The Amarāvati ''Stupa'', is a ruined Buddhist '' stūpa'' at the village of Amaravathi, Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh, India, probably built in phases between the third century BCE and about 250 CE. It was enlarged and new sculptures repla ...

in the Amaravati heritage complex.

Economy and infrastructure

The state government originally initiated the Singapore-based Ascendas-Singbridge and

Sembcorp Sembcorp Industries (Sembcorp) is an energy and urban development company. Sembcorp's marine division provided a variety of services, including the engineering and construction of offshore platforms for oil extraction, until it was demerg ...

Development consortium for the city's construction. The city's infrastructure was to be developed in 7–8 years in phases, at an estimated cost of ₹33,000 crore. ₹7,500 crore from the

Housing and Urban Development Corporation The Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) is a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India in India. History This institution came into existence on 25, ...

(HUDCO), $500 million from the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

and ₹2,500 crore from the Indian Government, of which ₹1,500 crore has been granted. As of July 2019, the World Bank dropped funding for Amaravati. As of September 2019, the Ascendas-Singbridge and Sembcorp Development consortium have also withdrawn from the project. With only state government allocated budget of ₹500 crore in 2019, the Amravati project has substantially slowed, with no deadline in sight. Nine themed cities consisting of Finance, Justice, Health, Sports, Media, and Electronics; including Government buildings designed by

Norman Foster Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Nor ...

Hafeez Contractor Hafeez Sorab Contractor (born 1950) is an Indian architect. He has designed many skyscrapers in India, primarily in the city of Mumbai. As of 2019, he is the architect of the three tallest buildings in India - The 42 in Kolkata, and the twin ...

Reliance Group Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group or popularly known as Reliance ADA Group or simply Reliance Group is an Indian conglomerate, headquartered in Mumbai, India. The company, which was formed after Dhirubhai Ambani's business was divided up, ...

, and NRDC-India will be built within the city. Pi Data Centre, the fourth largest of its kind in Asia with an investment of , and Pi Care Services, a healthcare BPO, were inaugurated at Mangalagiri IT park. HCL Technologies, an Information technology, IT firm would set up one of its centres in Amaravati. BRS Medicity with an investment of $1.8 billion is to come to Amaravati. Mangalagiri Sarees and Fabrics produced in Mangalagiri mandal, a part of the state capital, were registered as one of the geographical indications from Andhra Pradesh.

Education

Colleges and universities There are public funded universities within the city limits: * Acharya Nagarjuna University * Guntur Medical College * Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University * Krishna University * Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences * National Institute of Design, Vijayawada, National Institute of Design * Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies, Nuzvid * All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalagiri Private and autonomous colleges in the city include: * KL University * Vignan's Foundation for Science, Technology & Research * Andhra Loyola College * SRM University, Andhra Pradesh * VIT-AP University, Vellore Institute of Technology * Siddhartha Medical College * Gudlavalleru Engineering College * NRI Academy of Medical Sciences * Andhra Christian College * Vasireddy Venkatadri Institute of Technology * Katuri Medical College Private institutes like Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amrita University, Amity University and the Indo-UK Institute of Health (IUIH) in collaboration with the King's College London, are among others to set up campus in Amaravati. In 2018 the city's first management institute, Xavier School of Management, was under construction near Ainavolu.

Tourism

Located on the banks of the Krishna River and between natural getaways and places of heritage, the city has several tourist attractions: * Dhyana Buddha statue *

* Archaeological Museum, Amaravati * Amaralingeswara Temple * Undavalli Caves * Bhavani Island * Kondapalli Fort * Kanaka Durga Temple * Prakasam Barrage * Kondaveedu Fort

Transport

Kadapa-Banglore AMARAVATI Bus at KR Puram

The buses operated by Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) from Pandit Nehru Bus Station and NTR bus station, Tenali bus station connects the city with

and

, Guntur respectively. The government, however, is to explore other means of mass transport like ‘monorail’, Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) and tramways. Two new depots, North and South of the APSRTC are proposed to be constructed. Auto rickshaws also operate for shorter distances in the capital city area.

Air

Vijayawada Airport, Vijayawada International Airport serves the whole Andhra Pradesh Capital Region.

Roadways

The Amaravati–Anantapur Expressway, supported by Kurnool Feeder Road, Kurnool and Kadapa Feeder Roads is an ongoing greenfield expressways of India, expressway project, which would provide faster road access from the districts of Anantapur district, Anantapur, Guntur district, Guntur, Kadapa district, Kadapa, Kurnool district, Kurnool and Prakasam district, Prakasam to Amaravati, Rajamahendravaram, Kakinada, and

. The Amaravati seed capital road is an arterial road under construction to access the core capital area from National Highway 16 (India), National Highway 16. The Vijayawada-Amaravati road connects the city with Vijayawada.

Railways

A proposed Amaravati high-speed circular railway line would connect the city with the nearby cities of

, Guntur and

, extending up to a length of with an estimated cost of .And a metro rail project is proposed between the cities of Tenali, Guntur, and Vijayawada of 100 km circular corridor.

Sports

ACA International Cricket Stadium

ACA cricket stadium at Mangalagiri (April 2019) 5

ACA International Cricket Stadium (also known as the Andhra Cricket Association International Cricket Stadium) is a stadium under construction at Mangalagiri in Amaravati. It is situated in Guntur district and will be spread over 24 acres. The stadium will be owned by Andhra Cricket Association and has a seating capacity of 40,000.

Amaravati International Sports Complex

The complex has been under construction at Vidyadharapuram on of land. It consists of two swimming pools of 50×20 metres and 20×20 metres, an outdoor synthetic track, a multipurpose indoor hall, and a Ground+2 clubhouse. This complex will be the new headquarters for the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP).

Events

F1H2O Grand Prix of India

From 16 to 18 November in 2018, Amaravati hosted the second (after Mumbai in 2004) F1H2O, F1H2O World championship Grand Prix ever held in India. The event brought wide media attention especially after one of the teams took the color and the name of the state, making it the first Indian branded team in the history of F1H2O. Team Amaravati led by drivers Jonas Andrson and Eric Edin.

First National Women's Parliament in Amaravati

Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama participated in the First National Women's Parliament in Amaravati on 10 February 2017. He said, "Making Amaravati, the capital of new Andhra Pradesh is a welcome move and I wish it develops well on all fronts. This heritage city has undergone a lot of change over the years... The economy would flourish where there is peace".

Happy Cities Summit

The Happy Cities Summit Amaravati 2019 backed by APCRDA aims to build on the success and momentum of the inaugural summit to establish Amaravati at the forefront of the discourse on urban innovation with a focus on citizen happiness. Discussion of the Happy Homes project was underway after

was elected Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has also successfully hosted the inaugural Happy Cities Summit in Amaravati in April 2018. The summit saw the participation of 1,500+ delegates from 15+ countries, including eminent city leaders and urban experts.

Notes

References

External links

Current affairs in Telugu

The master plan of the proposed capital region
including a map {{Navboxes, title=Articles related to Andhra Pradesh Capital Region, list={{Amaravati topics, Articles related to Andhra Pradesh Capital Region topics {{State and Union Territory capitals of India {{Andhra Pradesh Amaravati, Indian capital cities Planned cities in India 2015 establishments in Andhra Pradesh Palnadu district Cities in Andhra Pradesh Cities in Andhra Pradesh Capital Region