Guntur Tourism | Tourism Places and Travel Guide of Guntur
Tourism of Guntur and Guntur Tourism Places to Visit:
Guntur is a city and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Guntur city is the 24th most densely populated city in the world and 11th in India.It is situated 40 miles (64 km) to the north of the Bay of Bengal, on the Eastern Coastal Plains. The city forms a part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region, administered by APCRDA.It is a municipal corporation and also the headquarters of Guntur East and Guntur West mandals in Guntur revenue division.
As of 2011 census of India the city is the third most populous in the state with a population of 743,354.Guntur is classified as a Y-grade city as per the Seventh Central Pay Commission.[10] It forms a part of Visakhapatnam-Guntur Industrial Region, a major industrial corridor in the country. The city is known for its chilli, cotton and tobacco exports and has the largest chilli market yard in Asia.
Guntur is located at 16.29°N 80.43°E. It has an average elevation of 33 m (108 ft) and is situated on the plains. There are few hills in the surrounding suburban areas and Perecherla Reserve Forest on the north west. The city is around 40 miles (64 km) to the west of the Bay of Bengal on the east coast of India. The Krishna delta lies partly in the Guntur district. There are other smaller rivers and channels in the region such as Guntur Channel, Chandravanka, Naagileru, Guntur Branch Canal etc.
The city has many parks, museums, temples, nature conservation sites, forts, resorts and caves. The Jinnah Tower is one of the iconic structure on Mahatma Gandhi Road, one of the important center of the city. There are seventeen parks in the city with some of them maintained by the municipal corporation.Larger city parks like Nagara-Vanam are being developed on the outskirts of the city.There are many places to visit near by the city such as Uppalapadu Bird Sanctuary, Kondaveedu Fort etc. There are many festivals and events in the region such as beach festivals, hill festivals attract the city residents during various festival seasons. The closest beach to the city region is Surya Lanka
Jinnah Tower:
Jinnah Tower is a landmark monument in the city of Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. It is named after the father of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and is located on Mahatma Gandhi Road of the city as a symbol of peace and harmony. The tower was erected on six pillars which open to a dome, typical of the then Muslim architecture in early twentieth century. The tower is currently in a state of neglect and crumbling. According to the State Archaeology Department, the tower could be brought under the list of protected monuments if it has history of more than 60 years.
Uppalapadu Bird Sanctuary:
The Uppalapadu Bird Sanctuary is located in Uppalapadu, near Guntur City, India. Painted storks, spot-billed pelicans and other birds that migrate from various countries such as Siberia and Australia use the village water tanks for nesting.
The bird population in these tanks used to be around 12,000 previously, however lately only about 7000 birds roost in this dwindling habitat through the year. But some initiatives have taken place such as adding artificial trees, local awareness, proper water supply to the ponds etc. The number of Pelicans, may be more than 1500.
Besides this 6 pintail ducks a few cormorant 5 red crested pochard(rhodonesa rufina), common coot, common teal, black-headed ibises, 2 stilts were also sighted. Instead of erecting wire mesh artificial-trees the forest department should plant more Prosopis velutina tree in and around this swamp.
The ibises and painted stork were found scavenging on the left over rotten fish droppings of pelican along with jungle crow. The main diet being fed to the chicks was both fresh and sea water fish. Some of the fish, particularly LabeoRohita (Carp) and other sea fish, which had dropped from the nests, were fresh and about 0.8 kg in weight. They must have been brought from nearest river and sea which is about 20–30 km away from the site since the pelicans were not found fishing from nearby ponds.
In 2009 the large wire mesh trees which were provided by the Forest department are being used for nest making by the pelicans, although they did not do so in the initial years. This pelicanary has completed ten years operation in 2009. Some pelicans have now opted to use another pond at Ramchandrapalem which is about 4 km from this site towards Guntur.
Kondaveedu Fort:
Kondaveedu Fort is a historically significant ancient hill fortress located in Kondaveedu, a village in the Chilakaluripet constituency of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The site is located 16 miles west of the city of Guntur. Apart from this main fort, there are two other forts nearby. Efforts are in progress to classify Kondaveedu Fort as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Kondaveedu Fort was constructed by Prolaya Vema Reddi. It was used as the capital by the Reddi dynasty between 1328 and 1482, shifting from their former capital at Addanki. It was taken by the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya in 1516. The Golconda Sultans fought for the fort in 1531, 1536 and 1579, and Sultan Quli Qutb Shah finally captured it in 1579, renaming it Murtazanagar.
The fort came under the control of the French colonists in 1752 when it was extensively fortified. It passed on to the British East India Company who got control of the fort in 1788 but abandoned it in the early 19th century in favour of Guntur. Now, the massive fortifications and battlements are seen in ruins only. The interior has extensive ruins of magazines and storehouses.
The fortresses were once the capital of the Kondavidu Reddi Kingdom that was delimited between the south of the Krishna River and the Gundlakamma River and located 8 miles (13 km) to the west of Guntur city. They were erected on a high ridge of a small range of hills with average elevation of 1,500 feet (460 m) (highest point on the ridge is 1,700 feet (520 m)). There are two hill (ghat) sections, which form the hill ranges, one is to the north, which provides a very steep but short access to the forts. The preferred access is more circuitous and less tiring and involves 2 miles (3.2 km) of trekking. Kondaveedu and the surrounding forest areas have a large number of Custard apple trees.
The village of Kondavidu is said to have been established in 1115 CE as a fortified township by Gopanna, a commander of Buddhavarma of the Telugu Choda dynasty. Later it came under the Kakatiyas and occupied by Prolaya Vema Reddi (r. 1325–1353) who shifted his capital from Addanki to Kondaveedu. Later, the fort was under the control of Vijayanagar Kings, Gajapatis, Golkonda sultans and lastly under French and British.
In 1323, Warangal and the whole of Andhra Pradesh came under the reign of Tughlaqs, rulers of Delhi. Their depredations and despotic reign resulted in the formation of a confederation movement by the Hindu Musunuri Nayaks who ousted the Muslims from Warangal, and the Reddys were part of this movement.
The Reddys of Kondaveedu were initially feudatories of the kings of Warangal. From inscriptions, it is inferred that their rule overlapped with that of the Korukonda Reddis and that they shifted from their earlier capital at Addanki in Guntur to Kondaveedu. The founder of the dynasty was Prolaya Vema Reddy, the son of Prola. They ruled in the region around present-day Vijayawada and Guntur towns for nearly a hundred years (1328–1428). Their first ruler Prolaya Vema Reddy (followed by five other rulers till 1428) who ruled till 1353, strengthened the defenses of his kingdom by building a number of forts, which included the Kondaveedu Fort. He shifted his capital from Addanki in Guntur to Kondaveedu fort. Subsequently, the region was ruled by the Bahmanis (1458), the Vijayanagara Kings (1516), the Qutb Shahis, (1531,1537 & 1579), the Mughal army of Aurangzeb in 1687, the French (1752), the Asafjahi Kings, and finally the British (1766 and 1788).
Early in 2019, remains of a Buddhist stupa were found under a dilapidated Hindu temple at Kondaveedu fort. The remains date back to the later Satavahana period — 1st to 2nd century CE. This discovery pushes back of the history of Kondaveedu to the Satavahana period.
Kondaveedu Fort is situated in Kondaveedu village west of Guntur City. It is about 25 kilometres (16 mi) from Guntur city and about 13 km from the side of Chilakaluripet. Guntur is easily accessible by road and rail from all parts of India. The nearest airport is Gannavaram Airport, which is 58 kilometres (36 mi) away from Guntur city. After reaching Guntur one should board a Guntur-Chilakaluripet ordinary bus and alight at Bhoyapalem-Pirangipuram Road and can hire an auto rickshaw to the fort.
The simplest way to reach the fort by one’s own vehicle. Reach Guntur or Chilakaluripet by road. Drive 25 km from Guntur towards Chilakaluripet via NH5 vice verse 13 km from Chilakaluripet and turn towards Bhoyapalem-Pirangipuram Road. In this road we need to travel around 10 km to our destination.
Suryalanka Beach:
Suryalanka Beach is a beach in Guntur District of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located 50 miles south of Guntur City near Bapatla. The place has many resorts close to the beach
Pedakakani Dargah:
Pedakakani is a village in the Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Pedakakani mandal of Guntur revenue division. Hindu shrine of Shiva, Sri Bhramaramba Malleswara Swamy Temple is located in the village. Peddakakni is united with all major cultures. Ancient Sri Malleswara Swami vari Devastanam, Baji Baba Darga, Kakani Thota is located here. Also Parantallamma temple is located here.
Mangalagiri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple:
Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is a vaishnavite temple and one of the eight sacred places of Lord Vishnu in India. It is situated at the foot of the Auspicious Hill in Mangalagiri of Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the temple in the series of three temples located on and at the bottom of the hill, the other two being Panakala Narasimha Temple on the hill and Gandala Narasimha Temple at the top of the hill. It has one of the highest gopurams in South India and only one of its type in this part of India. It is 153 feet (47 m) in height and 49 feet (15 m) wide and has eleven storeys
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