Vizianagaram is a city and the headquarters of

Vizianagaram district Vizianagaram district is one of the six districts in the Uttarandhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with its headquarters located at Vizianagaram. The district was once the part of ancient Kalinga.Saripilli Dibbilingeswara temple ...

in 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 central Eastern Ghats, about west of the Bay of Bengal and north-northeast of

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, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura (S20), INS ...

. The city has a population of 228,025 and was established as the capital of

Vizianagaram estate Vizianagaram Estate was a zamindari of the Madras Presidency in India. The name is derived from its founder Raja Viziaram Raz (Vijayaram Raj) who established a sovereign kingdom by claiming independence from the Kingdom of Jeypore in 1711. It fo ...

by Raja Vijayaram Raj of

Pusapati Poosapati / Pusapati was the ruling clan of the Northern Andhra region, Vizianagaram. History The Pericchedi kings were ancestors of the Pusapati royal family who built Bezawada (Modern Vijayawada) off the river Krishna by 626 AD and an ...

dynasty. The rulers had a notable role in the history of the region in 18th century and were patrons of education and arts. West Entrance of the Vizianagaram fort in Andhra Pradesh

West Entrance of the Vizianagaram fort in Andhra Pradesh

History

Vizianagaram was ruled by different

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

emperors of

Kalinga Kalinga may refer to: Geography, linguistics and/or ethnology * Kalinga (historical region), a historical region of India ** Kalinga (Mahabharata), an apocryphal kingdom mentioned in classical Indian literature ** Kalinga script, an ancient writ ...

and it was an integral part of Kalinga. The area including Srikakulam in the north was under the domain of Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi during the rule of Kubja Vishnuvardhana (624–641) for short period of time. During this rule the Vengi kingdom had expanded from

Srikakulam Srikakulam is a city and the headquarters of Srikakulam district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. census,. it has a population of 165,735. There are many other places of Buddhist Tourism such as Salihundam, Kalinga Patnam, Dabbaka Vaa ...

in the north to

Nellore Nellore is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of the district, as well as Nellore mandal and Nellore revenue division. It is the List of cities in ...

in the south. They patronised Telugu. The area was under the rule of Krishna Deva Raya of

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () was the capital city of the historic Vijayanagara Empire. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, it spread over a large area and included the modern era Group of Monuments at Hampi site in Vijayanagara district, Bellary ...

Empire too. After a brief rule from

Golconda Fort (Telugu: గోల్కొండ, romanized: ''Gōlkōnḍa'') is a historic fortress and ruined city located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was originally called Mankal. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparu ...

, the rule of

Nizam The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

state of Hyderabad followed. Nizams ruled for the period 1707 to 1753.

to the immediate north was the headquarters for revenue collection of

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajah ...

Eluru Eluru is a city and the district headquarters of Eluru district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the 14 municipal corporations in the state and the mandal headquarters of Eluru mandal in the Eluru revenue division. The city ...

Kondapalli Kondapalli is a industrial and residential hub located in western part of Vijayawada in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality in Ibrahimpatnam mandal in Vijayawada revenue division of NTR district. It is closest to Ibrahimp ...

as well as

district. The French defeated and ended the rule of

in 1753, all these districts were thereafter part of

French India French India, formally the ( en, French Settlements in India), was a French colony comprising five geographically separated enclaves on the Indian Subcontinent that had initially been factories of the French East India Company. They were ''de ...

in 1753. However French imperialists too could not hold their sway over here for a long time, and were soon driven out from here by British imperialists, during 1756 in

Anglo-French wars The Anglo-French Wars were a series of conflicts between England (and after 1707, Britain) and France, including: Middle Ages High Middle Ages * Anglo-French War (1109–1113) – first conflict between the Capetian Dynasty and the House of Norma ...

. Thereafter the area was soon a part of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

–

Northern Circars The Northern Circars (also spelt Sarkars) was a division of British India's Madras Presidency. It consisted of a narrow slip of territory lying along the western side of the Bay of Bengal from 15° 40′ to 20° 17′ north latitude, in the pr ...

An important event in the history of the district which occurred at about this time is the war between the Rajas of Vizianagaram and

Bobbili Bobbili is a town in Vizianagaram district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Geography Bobbili is located at . It has an average elevation of 103 metres (337 feet). History The town of Bobbili was founded during the 17th ce ...

, popularly known as Bobbili Yuddam. The

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

was fought between the MahaRaja of Vizianagaram and the Rajah of Bobbili on 24 January 1757. After 1757 war, From Bobbili Raja's family relative and who is from Ganganapally, Shri Ravu Venkata Rayanym Dora Garu formed a separate small Jameen in early 18th century by including villages of Pinpenki, Badangi, Anavaram and kusumur ruled. Now his family is residing in Pinapenki Gadhaba valasa. as they are very well known in the area, Now their Family Members Started "RVR Foundation" on the name of Shri Ravu Vittal Rao Dora Garu to help poor children Founder & President "Shri Ravu Venkata Aditya Mohan", He is conducting child development activities and giving financial / moral support. Rulers of this princely state belong to the

family. The village Pooshpadu in Nandigama Taluq was built by Amala Raju. The village later came to be known as Pusapadu, and the

Raju The Raju are a Telugu caste found mostly in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Varna Status The Raju caste, which A. Satyanarayana calls the "locally dominant landed gentry", claims Kshatriya status in the varna system despite there being ...

s living there came to be known as Pusapatis. Excavations at this town revealed copper coins belonging to the remains of 900 B.C. (Kalinga period).

Geography

Vizianagaram is located at . It has an average elevation of 74 metres (242 feet). The district is bounded on the east by

Srikakulam District Srikakulam district is one of the twenty-six districts of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located in the Uttarandhra region of the state, with its headquarters located at Srikakulam. It is one of the si ...

, on the west and south by Visakhapatnam district, on the southeast by the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...

, and on the northwest by

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

state. The principal rivers flowing in the district are Nagavali, Vegavathi, Gomukhi, Suvarnamukhi,

Champavathi River Champavathi ( te, చంపావతి) is a small river which originates in the Eastern Ghats at an altitude of 1,200 metres above mean sea level near Andra village and flows eastwards and joins the Bay of Bengal near the village ...

and Gostani. The Nagavali is the main river, which flows in about 112 km in Vizianagaram district. The

River Gosthani The Gosthani rises in the Ananthagiri Hills of the Eastern Ghats and flows through the Borra Caves which lie near its source. It is the largest river flowing through Visakhapatnam city. It flows for 120 km before joining the Bay of Bengal ...

has its origin in Ananthagiri forest area and flows through

Srungavarapukota Srungavarapukota popularly known by its abbreviated form S.Kota is a neighbourhood in the district of Vizianagaram, India. S.Kota is located on Visakhapatnam – Araku road. The town was upgraded from gram panchayat to Nagar Panchayat in the ye ...

(S.Kota) and Jami mandals. The Suvarnamukhi River originates in the hills of

Salur Salur or Saluru is a municipal town and mandal headquarters in Parvathipuram Manyam district, of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Geography Salur is on the banks of River Vegavathi at . It has an average elevation of 118 metres (387&nb ...

u mandal, travels in an eastern direction and finally joins the Nagavali at Sangam village in

Palakonda Palakonda is a town in Parvathipuram Manyam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a nagar panchayat and the mandal headquarters of Palakonda mandal in Palakonda revenue division Geography Palakonda is located at . It has an a ...

mandal of Srikakulam District. Vegavathi originates in pachipenta hills of

Pachipenta Pachipenta is a village in Vizianagaram district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Pachipenta mandal. History Pachipenta gained sudden significance in the later medieval history of Kalinga under its rulers - the Jeypore S ...

mandal and flows almost parallel to Suvarnamukhi. Rivers and irrigation projects Major Rivers flowing through the city are Nagavali, Vegavathi, Gomukhi, Suvarnamukhi,

and

Gosthani River The Gosthani rises in the Ananthagiri Hills of the Eastern Ghats and flows through the Borra Caves which lie near its source. It is the largest river flowing through Visakhapatnam city. It flows for 120 km before joining the Bay of Bengal ...

. Irrigation projects across these rivers include Tatapudi Reservoir across the

, Vegavathi project across the river Vegavathi, Vottigedda project across the river Vottigedda, Peda Ankalam Anicut and Vengala Raya Sagaram project across Suvarnamukhi,

Seeta Nagaram Seethanagaram is a mandal in Parvathipuram Manyam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Geography Seethanagaram is a Mandal in Parvathipuram Manyam District of Andhra Pradesh, India. Seethanagaram Mandal Headquarters is Seethanagaram t ...

Anicut, Denkada Anicut,

Paradhi Paradi or Paradhi is a village and Gram panchayat in Bobbili mandal of Vizianagaram district in 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 ...

, across Suvarnamukhi, a tributary of

Nagavali River The River Nagavali also known as Langulya is one of the main rivers of Southern Odisha and North Andhra States in India, between Rushikulya and Godavari basins. Origin and course Nagavali River originates from a hill near Lakhbahal village ...

and Andra Reservoir project across

Champavathi River River Champavathi ( te, చంపావతి) is a small river which originates in the Eastern Ghats at an altitude of 1,200 metres above mean sea level near Andra village and flows eastwards and joins the Bay of Bengal near the village K ...

Climate

Vizianagaram has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Aw'') characterised by high

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

nearly all the year round, with oppressive summers and good seasonal rainfall. The summer season extends from March to May, followed by southwest

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

season, which continues to September. October and November constitute the post-monsoon or retreating monsoon season. The normal rainfall of the district for the year is 1,131.0 mm, as compared to the actual rainfall of 740.6 mm received during 2002–2003. The district gets the benefit of both the southwest and northeast monsoon. The season extending from December to February is of generally fine weather. The climate of the hill parts of the district is different from that of the

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

Demographics

Census of India The decennial Census of India has been conducted 16 times, as of 2021. While it has been undertaken every 10 years, beginning in 1872 under British Viceroy Lord Mayo, the first complete census was taken in 1881. Post 1949, it has been conducted by ...

, the town had a population of 227,533. The total population constitute, 111,596 males and 115,937 females —a sex ratio of 1039 females per 1,000 males, higher than the national average of 940 per 1,000. 20,487 children are in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 10,495 are boys and 9,992 are girls. The average literacy rate stands at 81.85% with 169,461 literates, significantly higher than the national average of 73.00%. Telugu is the official language.

Governance

Civic administration

Vizianagaram municipal corporation is the civic body of the city, constituted as a

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 ...

in the year 1888. It was upgraded to corporation on 9 December 2015. The jurisdictional area of the corporation is spread over with 38 election wards. During 2010–11, the total expenditure spent by the municipality was and total income generated was .

Utility services

The utility services include supply of water, sewer connections, drainage systems, parks, grounds, community centres, healthcare etc. The municipality maintains 458 public taps, 749 bore–wells, of roads, of drains, 32 parks, 2 playgrounds, 49 elementary and 3 secondary schools and 1 maternity and child health centre.

Economy

Vizianagaram is one of the principal towns in

Uttarandhra Uttarandhra or North coastal Andhra, also known as Kalinga Andhra is a region consisting of six northern districts of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises the districts of Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapat ...

(North of

State). There are a number of industries in and around the city. The country's largest

ferromanganese Ferromanganese is a ferroalloy with high manganese content (high-carbon ferromanganese can contain as much as 80% Mn by weight). It is made by heating a mixture of the oxides MnO2 and Fe2O3, with carbon (usually as coal and coke) in either a bla ...

plant is situated on the outskirts of Garividi. There are various

jute Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...

mills in Garividi, including the Hooghly Jute Mills. Vizianagaram is a popular destination for the

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

wholesale market. Maritime resources Vizianagaram district had a coastal belt of 28 km.

Pusapatirega Poosapatirega is a village in Vizianagaram district of the Indian state of 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 a ...

and

Bhogapuram Bhogapuram is a village in Vizianagaram district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Bhogapuram mandal of Vizianagaram revenue division. Geography Bhogapuram is located at and at an altitude of . The village is spread ov ...

are coastal mandals with eight main villages and 16 hamlets. The land of in the coastal villages of these mandals is being used for

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

cultivation.

Industries

There are 22 large- and medium-scale industries established with an investment of 669.09 crores, providing employment to 20,759 people. These industries are primarily engaged in the manufacture of jute

twine Twine is a strong Thread (yarn), thread, light String (cord), string or cord composed of two or more thinner strands twisted, and then twisted together (Plying, plied). The strands are plied in the opposite direction to that of their twist, whic ...

ferroalloy Ferroalloy refers to various alloys of iron with a high proportion of one or more other elements such as manganese (Mn), aluminium (Al), or silicon (Si). They are used in the production of steels and alloys. The alloys impart distinctive qualitie ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

pharmaceuticals A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and rel ...

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...

and

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

. There are 4,653 small-scale units with an investment of 114.20 crores and providing employment to 32,615 people. These SSI units are mainly engaged in general engineering, motor workshops, groundnut oil mills, rolling mills, RCC spun pipes,

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

utensils, and bus, lorry and cycle rickshow body buildings.

Transport

Roadways

The city has a total road length of 317.80 km. The

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the state-owned road transport corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Its headquarters is located at NTR Administrative Block of RTC House in Pandit Nehru bus station of ...

operates bus services from Vizianagaram bus station.

Railways

Vizianagaram railway station Vizianagaram railway station (station code:VZM) is an Indian railway station located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh; it serves Vizianagaram city in Vizianagaram district. It is one of the important railway stations on Howrah–Chennai mai ...

is on the

Khurda Road-Visakhapatnam section Khordha is a town and a municipality area in Khordha district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Odisha. Bhubaneswar, is the capital of Odisha located within the Khordha district and is only 25 km from Khordha town. Od ...

of Howrah-Chennai main line and is the terminus for the Jharsuguda-Vizianagaram line. It is an important station in East Coast Railway and many superfast trains have stoppage here.

Airport

The nearest

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

is in

located at 62 km.

Educational

The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools of the ''School Education Department'' of the state. The medium of instruction followed by different schools are English, Telugu. Vizianagaram city has many educational institutions and some of the notable are listed below:

Maharajah's College Maharajah's College, or M. R. College, established in 1879, it is an autonomous institution located in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh. History The institution was founded by Sri Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapathi Raju, the Maharajah of Vizianagram. I ...

(1879) *

Maharajah's Government College of Music and Dance Maharajah's Government College of Music and Dance () is an educational institution in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the first music college in South India. Profile It was established in 1919 by Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapathi Raju, Ma ...

(1919) * Maharaja's Post Graduate College (1987) * MVGR College of Engineering (1997) *

Andhra University Andhra University (IAST: ''Āndhra Vișvakalāpariṣhat'') is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926. History King Vikram Deo Verma, the Maharaja of Jeypore was one of the biggest do ...

– Vizianagaram Campus (2006) * JNTUK-UCEV Vizianagaram (2007) * Govt. Maharaja Sanskrit High School

Sports

Dr PVG Raju ACA Sports Complex is a cricket ground in Vizianagram that hosts domestic matches. Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex DSA Indoor Stadium

References

External links

Vizianagaram official website
{{Authority control Cities in Andhra Pradesh District headquarters of Andhra Pradesh Mandal headquarters in Vizianagaram district Quasi-princely estates of India Towns in Vizianagaram district Zamindari estates