Timeline of Guntur

This gives a timeline of major and important events that took place in the Guntur Region of India.
* Introduction: In India the history has been kept for thousands of years mainly through the culture, traditions, the science of Vedas and Puranas. The traditional time scale is clearly defined in Yugas cycles. The two epic events listed below are based on the traditional time scale. On a Paleolithic aspect Guntur District is home to the oldest evidence of humans in India, in the form of old stone age implements.

Epic Events

* 2.0 To 0.8 Mill Years (Last Treta Yuga, Ref)
** Ramayana took place. Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana visited this part of India, now called Sitanagaram in the current Guntur District.

* 0.8 Mill years To 3102BC (Last Dwapara Yuga, Ref)
** Mahabharata took place in this yuga. During their Agnatha Vasam Pandavas visited the area near Guthikonda [ [http://www.all-indiatravel.com/guntur/guthikonda-guntur.html Guthikonda Of Guntur ] ] and Undavalli Caves of Guntur Region.

Till 1600AD

* 500 BCE - The Kingdom of Prati Palaputra (currently Bhattiprolu), appears to be the earliest known kingdom in Guntur District.
* 230BCE - Inscriptional evidence shows that king Kubera was ruling over Bhattiprolu, followed by the Sala Kings
* 200 BCE - The philosopher Acharya Nagarjuna lived in this area.
* Till & 900AD - Guntur region was successively ruled by dynasties such as the Satavahanas, Andhra-Ikshvakus, Pallavas, Ananda Gotrikas, Vishnukundina, Kota Vamsa ,Chalukyas.
* 900 AD - Ammaraja I (922-929), the Vengichalakyan King had ruled the region. It was referred as Garthapuri.
* 1180 AD - "Andhra Kurukshetra" took place, famous battle of Pallava Nadu which is enshrined in legend and literature.
* 1300 AD - Guntur was mentioned as the native place of his forefathers by the famous poet Sri Thikkana Somayaji who co-authored the Telugu Mahabharatham.
* 1509 AD - The famous Tenali Ramalinga joined the club of Astadiggajas (Elite Team for Administration, Literature, Poetry) in the Vijayanagara empire.

Last few hundred years

* 1687 - Guntur became part of the Mughal empire when the emperor Aurangzeb conquered the Qutb Shahi sultanate of Golconda.
* 1750 - French occupied and took control of the region.
* 1780 - Battle of Guntur (involved areas ranging from Mysore to Guntur) took place, where rockets were first used by Indian troops against the British Army [ [http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/rocketry/11.html Indian Troops Rout British ] ] .
* 1788 - Guntur was brought under control of the British East India Company, and became a district of Madras Presidency.
* 1868 - Helium was discovered in Guntur City by a famous French astronomer.
* 1885 - A higher education institution was established at Guntur, called Andhra-Christian College (AC College).
* 1899 - On April 6, Gandhiji held a public meeting at Guntur City on the India's independence movement, with local freedom fighers such as Pattabhi Sitaramayya and Konda Venkatappayya. They marched up to Bapatla.
* 1912 - A family from Guntur travelled in the Titanic on the way to United States and survived from the sinking accident [ [http://encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/341/ Mrs Nellie E. Becker - Titanic Biographies - Encyclopedia Titanica ] ] [ [http://www.hinduonnet.com/2004/04/15/stories/2004041502012400.htm The Hindu : National : The Titanic survivors from Guntur ] ] .
* 1922 - Civil disobedience movement (part of regaining India's independence) took place in Guntur City organised by Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu with 30,000 volunteers.
* 1936 - India's first Central Tobacco Reasearch Institute started in Guntur.
* 1946 - The city's first Medical College campus (Guntur Medical College) was established [http://www.gunturmedicalcollege.in/] .
* 1947 - India regained independence from Britain.
* 1952 - Guntur residents elected their first MP, Sistla Narasimharao [ [http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/28/stories/2006092815850400.htm The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Guntur News : First Guntur MP dead ] ] .
* 1953 - Guntur region played a major role in the formation of new Andhra Pradesh; T.Prakasam became the Head of the State.
* 1954 - The State High Court was established in Guntur on 05 July 1954 [ [http://www.hindu.com/2004/07/06/stories/2004070601210900.htm High Court Established] ] .
* 1967 - Andhra University Guntur Campus was established in Nallapadu.
* 1976 - Acharya Nagarjuna University was created, with the main campus on the east side of the city.
* 1985 - The city's first Engineering/Technology college campus (RVR Engineering College) opened.
* 1992 - Conjoined twins were successfully separated at Guntur General Hospital.
* 2003 - Guntur division became the region's Railway Divisional headquarters under Indian Railways.
* 2004 - To ease the traffic at Guntur station, New Guntur transit point started renaming old Reddipalem station as an alternate route and a by-pass to northern India.
* 2006 - The 30th Kalachakra International Festival took place at Amaravathi near Guntur.
* 2006 - On 4 October, a rare natural phenomenon occurred in Guntur when the sky over the city's skyline illuminated a pink-orange hue [ [http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/05/stories/2006100518290300.htm The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Guntur News : Rare natural phenomenon ] ] .

References