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About Vizianagaram Salient Features 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 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
Bobbili is another
historical town where the famous Bobbili battle was fought on 24th
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 1st
June 1979, with headquarters at Vizianagaram as per G.O. Ms. No
700/revenue (U) Department dated 15th 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, Octoberand 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 populationis 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
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
The medium irrigation projects in the district,
irrigating about 43, 984 Hectares in the district are
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. |
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