Nellore


Nellore is a city on the banks of Penna River, located in Nellore district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of the district, as well as Nellore mandal and Nellore revenue division. It is the fourth most populous city in the state. It is at a distance of 275 km from the capital city of Andhra Pradesh and about 170 km north of Chennai, Tamilnadu and also about 380km from Bangalore,Karnataka. Nellore City accounts for 65% of the urban population of Nellore District.

Etymology

A mythological story from Sthala Purana depicts, a lingam in the form of a stone under nelli tree. The place gradually became Nelli-ooru and then to present day Nellore. Actually' usiri' is the translation for nelli in Telugu.

History

Nellore had been under the rule of Cholas, Pallavas, pandyas, Maurya Dynasty, Kharavela of Chedi dynasty, Satavahanas, Kakatiyas, Eastern Gangas of Kalinga Empire, Vijayanagara Empire, Arcot Nawabs and other dynasties.
Nellore existed from the times of the Cholas ruled by Rajendra Chola I under Tanjavur Mauryan empire and was ruled by Ashoka in the 3rd century B.C. Nellore was conquered by the Rulers of the Pallava Dynasty and it was under their till the 6th century AD, subsequently the Chola rulers ruled Nellore for a long period of time. The Telugu Cholas met their decline in the 13th Century.Tamil inscriptions indicate that it formed part of Chola kingdom till their decline in the thirteenth century AD It later became a part of Kakatiyas, Vijayanagara Empire, Sultanate of Golconda, Mughal Empire and Arcot Nawabdom. In the 18th century, Nellore was taken over by the British from the Arcot Nawabs and was part of the Madras Presidency of British India.
The city had an important role in the emergence of the Telugu language and the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Potti Sriramulu, who fasted until death for the formation of Andhra Pradesh, hailed from Nellore.

Geography

Location

Nellore is located at. It has an average elevation of.

Climate

The climate of Nellore city is a typical tropical maritime climate, with hot, humid summers and mild winters. April and May are the hottest months and the hot conditions generally last until the end of the June. December, January and February are the coolest months. As the Bay of Bengal is at a distance of from the city, the sea breeze renders the climate of the city moderate both in winter and in summer. Humidity level in the city is high due to its proximity to the coast. Nellore does not receive the south-west monsoon. Rainfall in Nellore occurs between the months of October and December due to the north-east monsoon. This period gives about 60 percent of the city's annual rainfall. Cyclones are common in the city during this period, causing floods and havoc.
The maximum temperature is during summer and the minimum temperature is during winter. The rainfall ranges from through South West and North East Monsoons. Nellore is subject both to droughts and to floods based on the seasons.

Demographics

, Nellore city had a population of 499,576. The average literacy rate stands at 83.59% with 387,192 literates, significantly higher than the state average of 73.00%. The expanded city population post merger of 15 gram panchayats into Nellore Municipal
Corporation stands at 631,791
YearPopulationGrowth rate
1961106776---
197113359025.1
198123706577.5
199131660633.6
200140477527.8
201163179156.08

Governance

Civic administration
Nellore Municipal Corporation was constituted as a municipality on 1 November 1866 by the Madras District Municipality Act. It was upgraded to corporation on 18 October 2004 and has a jurisdictional area of with 54 wards. In 2013, fifteen gram panchayats namely, Allipuram, Ambhapuram, Buja Buja Nellore, Chinthareddypalem, Gudupallipadu, Gundlapalem, Kallurupalli, Kanaparthypadu, Kodurupadu, Narayanareddypeta, Navalakulathota, Nellore Bit-I, Peddacherukuru, Pottipalem, Vavilatepadhu were merged into the municipal corporation. Present mayor of the city is Abdul Aziz.
The city is one among the 31 cities in the state to be a part of water supply and sewerage services mission known as Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation .
Politics
Nellore is represented by Nellore City assembly constituency and Nellore Rural assembly constituency for Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Anil Kumar Poluboina is the present MLA of Nellore City assembly constituency representing YSRCP. Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy is the present MLA of Nellore Rural assembly constituency representing YSRCP. Nedurumalli janardhan reddy former chief minister of combined andhra pradesh hails from this place.

Economy

Certain industries like Nippo batteries factory, Apache leather shoes factory etc. have their presence. Proximity to the sea and fertile land towards the east have led to agriculture and aquaculture to prosper. The most productive is the Shrimp culturing.
A 12,000 acre Special Economic Zone is being set up in the vicinity of the port by the Krishnapatnam Infratech Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle set up by KPCL. The SEZ entails an investment of Rs 6,000 crores and is expected to create 30,000 direct employments. The SEZ is being designed by Mahindra Engineering and is to be a multi-product SEZ.

Culture

The residents of the city are generally referred as Nelloreans. The Rottela Panduga is an annual urs event celebrated at the Bara Shaheed Dargah on the banks of Swarnala Cheruvu. The event got its name after the practice of exchanging flat breads and attracts visitors from all religious backgrounds every year and from all over the country and also from foreign countries.
Venkata Giri poleramma Jathara is a very popular festival which attracts many people from across Indian and few from abroad. it is organised by Poleramma temple Committee in Venkata Giri town.

Cuisine

Chepala Pulusu is a non-vegetarian recipe of the Nellore district, prepared from Korramennu. Malai Kaja Nellore Famous Sweet is a local sweet made from maida, milk and sugar.Also famous for it's Bonda and Karam Dosa.

Transport

Local transport in the city include, two, three and four wheelers. Of these, privately operated auto rickshaws accounts to around 7,000, dominating most part of the city for local commuting. Nellore bus station of the city operates district and long distance services. is classified as an A grade and Adarsh station in the Vijayawada railway division of South Central Railway zone. The city also has three small railway stations namely,, Vedayapalem. and Padugupadu railway station The Southern Railway operates MEMUs regularly for commuting between Nellore and. There is also a proposal to build a no frills airport for the city.
The city has a total road length of. The proposed Outer Ring Road, existing arterial and internal roads helps reduce traffic congestion. The city is connected with major National highways such as, National Highway 16, a part of Asian Highway 45 and Golden Quadrilateral, bypasses the city.

Education

The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools of the School Education Department of the state. The medium of instruction followed by different schools are English, Telugu. Narayana medical college, venkata raja college are famous and prestigious institutions. Narayana educational institutions were founded here. It is home for many intermediate colleges which attracts students from kadapa and chittor districts. Nellore has Govt Medical college located in heart of city which has district headquarters hospital adjacent to it.

Media

Zaminryot newspaper,established in 1930, and Lawyer weekly newspaper are based out of Nellore. In addition, Eenadu,Vaartha AndhraJyothy and Sakshi newspapers are also printing local editions in Nellore.
Deccan Chronicle has also launched their Nellore edition in April 2003 and it is the first English paper to be published from Nellore.

Notable people