Coastal Andhra

Evening scenic view in peddipalem village of Visakhapatnam District

Lush green farms in East godavari

Coastal Andhra Regions marked in white.

Coastal Andhra or Kosta, is a region of India's Andhra Pradesh State. This region was part of Madras State before 1953 and Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. According to the 2011 census, it has an area of 92,906 square kilometres (35,871 sq mi) and a population of 3,41,93,868. This area includes the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal, from the northern border with Orissa to south of the delta of the Krishna River. It includes the districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore.

Bhadrachalam Revenue Division was part of East Godavari District up to 1959, after which it was merged into Khammam district. Ashwaraopet was also part of West Godavari District up to 1959. Once Telangana State is formed Bhadrachalam Revenue Division (Wazedu, Charla, Venkatapuram, Dummugudam, Kunavaram, Bhadrachalam, Vara Ramachandara Puram and Chinturu Mandals) will be transferred to parent district East Godavari and Aswaraopet Mandal will also be merged with West Godavari. Munagara Taluka, now in Nalgonda District, before 1956 historically part of Krishna District, was also part of Andhra and some revenue villages in Huzurnagar area were in part of Andhra Region.

Coastal Andhra has rich agricultural land, owing to the delta of the Godavari and Krishna rivers. The prosperity of Coastal Andhra can be attributed to its rich agricultural land and abundant water supply from these two rivers. Rice grown in paddy fields is the main crop, with pulses and coconuts also being important. The Fishing industry is also important to the region.

Geography

A view of eastern ghats at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

Coastal Andhra is located to the east of Telangana and Rayalaseema regions boardered by Orissa to the North and Tamil Nadu to the West.The coastal line of this region is the second largest in India, extending 960KM.

Demographics

• Area|92,906 km²
• Population| 3,41,93,868 as per the 2011 census
• Literacy|63%
• Language|96% people speaks Telugu

Composition

Coastal Andhra comprises Circar districts viz., Chicacole,Vizianagaram,Visakapatnam,Rajahmundry, Ellore, Kondapalli&Guntur and Nellore.Northern Circars correspond in the main to the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, including the districts of Krishna, East Godavari, West Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizayanagaram, Srikakulam, Prakasam and Guntur, as well as Gajapati and Ganjam districts of Orissa was granted to French East India Company around in 1752 AD.Later on they were transferred by French to British.Nellore which is extended up to Ongole Taluk is later on received from Nawab of Arcot under an establishment.Some parts of present day Nellore and Chitoor were in the hands of Venkatagiri Rajas.Britishers made an arrangement with the Raja of Venkatagiri in 1802 AD for claiming power on those territories also.In present scenario coastal andhra comprises from Srikakulam to Nellore district which was formed mainly due to geographical linkage between above mentioned districts.

Diversity

Currently, Coastal Andhra's andhra pradesh comprises nine districts.Unlike Rayalaseema and Telangana,coastal andhra does not have unique cultural and linguistic identities throughout the region. Coastal Andhra hosts six dialects of Telugu, viz. Srikakulam, Visakapatnam, Godavari, Krishna, Ongole, and Nellore. Food varies from district to district.Parts of this region are ruled by different rulers, leading to diversity within the region.

Cultural Elements

A view of Ruined Buddhist temple on hilltop at Ramatheertham Vizianagaram AP India

Great Personalities contributed to Telugu Literature from Coastal Andhra

• Nannayya
• Yerranna
• Tikkana
• Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu
• Sri Sri (Srirangam Srinivaasa Rao)
• Tenali Raama Krishna
• Viswanaatha Satyanarayana
• Acharya Nagarjuna
• Gurajaada Appaa Rao
• Devulapalli Venkata Krishna Sastri
• Sreenaadhudu
• Tripuraneni Ramaswamy Chowdary
• Gurram Jashuva
• Chalam

Dance

Classical dance in Andhra may be performed by both men and women; though women tend to learn it more frequently. Kuchipudi is the state's best-known classical dance form.It was born in Kuchipudi village of Krishna district which is in the center of coastal Andhra.

Piligrimages

Antarvedi temple on the banks of Godavari in Andhra pradesh

Lord narasimha rock statue backyard simhachalam temple

1000 year old Sri Rama temple on top of Gurubhaktula konda

• Simhachalam
• Indrakeeladri (Vijayawada)
• Amaravathi
• Dwaraka Tirumala
• Penchala Kona
• Draksharamam
• Annavaram
• Arasavalli
• Sri Kurmam
• Markapuram
• Antarvedi
• Ramatheertham
• Bheemavaram
• Palakollu
• Mangalagiri
• Kotappa Konda
• Samalkot
• Nellore
• Panchadhaarla (Visakhapatnam District)
• Sri Mukhalingam

Cuisine

Rice is the staple food in the Kosta cuisine and is usually consumed with a variety of curries and lentil soups or broths.Cuisine of Coastal Andhra is influenced by Sea Food varieties.Godavari and Krishna districts have numerous varieties of foods which are famous through the state.Food varieties in some parts of Nellore and Prakasam are influenced by Rayalaseema.

Places of Historical Importance

• Bobbili
• Palnadu
• Vizianagaram
• Kondapalli
• Udayagiri
• Kodaveedu
• Venkatagiri

List of Cities in the region

• Visakhapatnam also termed as the "City of Destiny" is the most populated city and is the industrial centre of coastal Andhra. It boasts Eastern Naval Command headquarters, Hindustan shipyard, Dockyards, Vizag Steel Plant, and the Hindustan Petroleum refinery. It has a cosmopolitan culture and many educational institutes, including Andhra University. Vizag, as it is colloquially called, is also a tourist place of Andhra Pradesh. It is also the city with the highest GDP(as of 2008) of Rs.6698 crores compared to Rs.5726 crores of Vijayawada [1], the second richest city of this region. Visakhapatnam port is an important harbour for the region. The district is endowed with the most picturesque places hill stations like Aruku Valley, Borra Caves, Paderu and Sileru, Beaches like RK, Bhimili, Rishi Konda, Yarada and beauty packed Kailasagiri Hill

• Vijayawada, the second largest city, is situated on the banks of river Krishna. It is the cultural, historic, and commercial centre It is also one of the major educational hubs of India and a bustling business trading place. Vijayawada is a transportation hub for both Rail and Road network connecting south and north India.

• Kakinada is one of the largest cities in the region and a municipal corporation in East Godavari district.It is one of the major educational and industrial centre in the coastal andhra.This city is the most well planned city in Asia after Chandigarh. It is a serene city which also called as Pensioner's Paradise. It is well known for the recent investments made in the Petrol, chemical and Petrochemical sectors. It is also called as fertilizer city.

• Guntur is one of the largest cities in the region and a municipal corporation and a major centre of learning. It is the heart of tobacco and Chillis, cotton industries, major business district and is a textile hub. It is also known as the Agricultural Capital of Andhra Pradesh. It also features many ancient sites nearby.

• Rajahmundry is one of the largest cities in the region and a municipal corporation in the East Godavari district. Located on the banks of the River Godavari, it is a major business center. It is also known as the Cultural Capital of Andhra Pradesh, since it has a rich cultural past with a flourishing present and a promising future.

• Nellore is a younger and one of the major cities in the region and a municipal corporation and a major centre of trade . Nellore is famous for its production of mica (gudur), lemon (gudur) and agricultural products such as rice. It is also famous for Aqua culture, hence called as Aquaculture capital of India. This forms a proximity centre for Andhra and Tamil Nadu.

Other major towns in the region are; Kavali,Amalapuram, Bhimavaram, Chirala, Eluru, Gudivada, Machilipatnam, Narsapuram, Ongole, Palasa, Srikakulam, Tadepalligudem, Tanuku, Tenali, Vizianagaram and Tuni.

Lakes and Wetlands

Pampa reservoir at annavaram

Andhra Pradesh contains 259 coastal wetlands covering an area of 18,552 km².,^[1] out of which 88 are manmade.

Lakes Kolleru and Pulicat are the two major lakes in Coastal Andhra. Kolleru, a natural sweet-water lake, is situated in the West Godavari district and serves as a natural flood-balancing reservoir for the two rivers. The lake is also an important habitat for up to 50,000 resident and migratory birds. The lake was declared a wildlife sanctuary in November 1999 under India's Wildlife Protection Act, and designated a wetland of international importance in November 2002 under the international Ramsar Convention. Pulicat is the largest salt water lake in the country, located in Nellore and spreads between Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. This is one of the famous attractions in south India.

Some part of Godavari delta of the State is also known as Konaseema, a rich delta region in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh.Konaseema is known for its green Coconut orchards, lushgreen Paddy fields and numerous canals. In this region, the river Akhanda Godavari splits into several distributary branches, including the Gouthami, Vasishta, Vainatheya, and Vruddha Gouthami, before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

Transport

• The East Coast Railway serves Srikakulam, Vizianagaram District, and part of Visakhapatnam district including Visakhapatnam City. Vijayawada Railway Station is the one of the busiest railway junctions in India.5th largest Railway station in South.
• Airports in Kosta Area are Visakhapatnam Airport, Vijayawada Airport and Rajahmundry Airport.
• Kosta has two of the major ports of India at Visakhapatnam and Kakinada and three minor ports at Krishnapatnam (Nellore), Machilipatnam, and Nizampatnam (Guntur). A private port is being developed at Gangavaram, near Visakhapatnam. This deep seaport can accommodate ocean liners up to 200,000–250,000 DWT.

Politics

Chief Ministers of AP from the region are N.T.Rama Rao,Kasu Brahmhananda Reddy,Jalagam Vengala Rao,Bhavanam Venkatarami Reddy,Nadendla Bhaskar Rao and K.Rosaiah.Indian National Congress and Telugu Desam Party both are strong in the region having traditional vote bank.Politics of northern part of theregion are mainly influenced by Caste.Chiranjeevi,a film actor who established PRP is from West Godavari district.Politics in Krishna district is influenced by Caste based Rowdism which caused several violent incidents in the district.

See also

• Konaseema Floods
• Uttarandhra
• Coromandel Coast
• Telangana
• Rayalaseema

References

1. ^ Wetlands of India report, ISRO