Vizianagaram District

Introduction

One becomes nostalgic when one looks at the proud and undestroyed forts of antiquity. The land, inhabited by high spirited rajahs, passionate poets and writers is not a stone, which is everywhere. Ipso facto it is a diamond, which is rare.

If India is a land of precious stones, one such jewel embedded on the Indian soils is the district Vizianagaram. It is one among the north circars in Coastal Andhra with 34 Revenue Mandals, 12 Towns, 1524 Villages and 22,45,103 population.

Many eminent personalities have added new dimensions of glory to Vizianagaram. The “Pusapatis” of Vizianagaram, the “Ravus” of Bobbili, “Varicharlas” of Kurupam, the “Satrucharlas” of Merangi and the aristocrats of salur were all the exalted Luminaries and multi-facial personalities. Their patronage of Art and Literature is highly laudable. They had loved and invited the democratic spirit much before the abolition of princely state by the Government Act 1948. The battle of Bobbili and the battle of Padmanabham are unforgettable and make the area the land of pride and valour.

500 Years of glorious past and rich cultural heritage made Vizianagaram the cultural capital of Andhra Pradesh. It acquired a separate statehood in 1979. The Raja Saheb Dr. P.V.G. Raju who inherits the socialistic fervor and the spirit of religious tolerance from his ancestors, renounced his Zamindari with out taking any compensation and their fort is now entirely became the citadel of education which houses on of the oldest colleges (Maharaja College 1879) in India.

The social reformer , Sri Gurajada, the Poet singer Sri Adibhatla Narayana Das, the great wrestler Kodi Rma Murthy, the imaginative poet Sri Devulapalli Krishna Sastry were associated , with the college in some form . The talented musicians Dwaram Vekata Swami Naidu, Saluri Rajeswara Rao and of late R.P. Pattanayak hail from this place. The divine singers Gantasala and Suseela who were the proud students of Maharaja College of Music added indescribabale grace to the art of singing.

Besides its rich cultural heritage the Vizianagaram district has the potential to attract the eyes of the tourists. Nestling between the Bay of Bengal and the eastern Ghats, the landscape of Vizianagaram with its captivating intensity would undoubtedly attract the overwhelming response of tourists. The Eastern Ghats, which is the source of the scenic Thatipudi reservoir, is an eternal inspiration to the admirers of nature. Still some where in Vizianagaram something is awaiting to be known by the naturalists and the ornithologists and spiritualists.

Bobbili is another historical town where the famous Bobbili battle was fought on 24^th January 1757. A war memorial was erected on the battleside in 1891. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has recognized it as a protected monument. Bobbili Fort is situated in this ancient town. It stands as a silent testimony to his hard fought battle. The Venugopal Swamy temple located in Bobbili is renowned through out the North coastal districts. There are many more potential for tourists who visit Bobbili.

The archeological explorations and excavations conducted at places such as Ramatheertam 12 KMs from Vizianagaram are unique and the representative of all three faiths Jain, Buddhist and Hindu. The three hills of Bodikonda, Gurubhakta Konda and Durga Konda at Ramtheertam contain Jain and Buddhist relics. It was the abode of both Hinayana and Mahayana, Schools of Buddhism. Commemorative types of inscriptions, seals, remains of chayas, stuphas and monastic cells have been discovered at the site. In the modern period Ramatheertam became famous as the abode of Vanavasa Rama.

Salient Features of the District

Location and Composition

Vizianagaram district was formed on 1^st June 1979, with headquarters at Vizianagaram as per G.O. Ms. No 700/revenue (U) Department dated 15^th May 1979 with portions carved from Srikakulam and Visakahapatnam Districts.

Vizianagaram District is situated with in the geographical co-ordinates of 17- 15’ and 19 – 15’ of the northern latitude and 83 –00’ and 83-45’’ of the eastern longitude.

The district is bounded on the east by Srikakulam District on the west and south by Visakhapatnam district, on the south – east by the Bay of Bengal and North West by Orissa State.

Physiography

The areas transferred from Visakhapatnam district are mostly picturesque especially in the north. The agency track mostly consists of the hilly regions covered by the Eastern Ghats which run parallel to the coast from the North - East to the South – West. The average height of these hills is over 914 metres, although there are several peaks of even 1,219 metres high.

Soils

The main soils in the district are Red soils, Sandy loams and Sandy clay and they constitute 96 % of the total area. The soils in the district are predominantly loamy with medium fertility. There are mostly red loamy soils, as far as dry lands are concerned and clay loamy in case of wet lands.

Climate

The climate of Vizianagaram district is characterized by high humidities nearly all the year round with oppressive summer and good seasonal rainfall. The summer season is from march to may. This is followed by South West monsoon season, which continues up to September, October and November constitute the post monsoon or retreating monsoon season. December to February is the season of generally fine weather. The climate of the hill parts of the district is different from that of the plain.

Rainfall

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.

Demographic Particulars

Vizianagaram district extends over an area of 6,539 Sq.Kms with a density of 343 per Sq. KM covering 1,551 villages, out of which 66 are uninhabited. The total population of the district is 22,45, 103 as per 2001 census consisting of 11,20,124 Males and 11,24,979 females. According to 2001 census rural population of the district is 18.33 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.

Flora

The floristic composition of the forests of the district is of much interest. The forest types found in the district are

Ø Southern tropical moist mixed deciduous forests.

Ø Northern tropical dry deciduous forests.

Ø Southern tropical dry mixed deciduous forests.

Ø Dry deciduous green forests.

Ø Dry evergreen forests.

Forestry plays an important role in the economy of the district.

Fauna

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 habitant and uncontrolled poaching. The principal animals and birds found from the seacoast to high plateau are yellow bat, Sloth bear, Wild buffaloes, Fox, Hare, Hyena, Jackal, Mongoose and birds of the Blue rock pigeon., House crow, House sparrow, Common myna pitta etc. Consequent on the enactment of the wild life protection act of 1972, it is hoped that wild life would improve and attain the past glory.

Natural Resources

The principal rivers flowing in the district are

Ø Nagavali

Ø Vegavathi

Ø Gomukhi

Ø Suvarnamukhi

Ø Champavathi

Ø Gostani.

The medium irrigation projects in the district, irrigating about 43, 984 Hectares in the district are

Ø Thatipudi reservoir

Ø Vegavathi Project

Ø Vattigedda Project

Ø Nagavali right and left side channels

Ø Pedankalam Anicut

Ø Seethanagaram Anicut

Ø Denkada Anicut

Ø Paradhi Anicut

Ø Surapadu Anicut

Ø Vengalarayasagar Project

Ø Andra project

The Nagavali is the main river, which flows in about 112 K.M in Vizianagaram district covering an ayacut of 2,832 Hectares. The river Gosthani has its origin in Anantagiri forest area and flows through S.Kota and Jami mandals. The suvarnamukhi river takes its birth in the hills of Saluru mandal and takes an eastern direction and finally join the Nagavali at Sangam village in Palakonda mandal of Srikakulam District . Vegavathi originates in pachipenta hills of Pachipenta Mandal and flows almost parallel to Suvarnamukhi covering an ayacut of 2,428 Hectares.