Guntur (), natively spelt as Gunturu, is a city in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

and the administrative headquarters of

Guntur district Guntur district is one of the twenty six districts in the Coastal Andhra region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative seat of the district is located at Guntur, the List of urban agglom ...

. The city is part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is located on the

Eastern Coastal Plains The Eastern Coastal Plains is a stretch of landmass lying between the eastern part of the Deccan plateau and the Bay of Bengal in India. The plains stretch from the Mahanadi delta to Kaniyakumari at the southern tip of the Indian peninsula with ...

approximately south-west of the state capital

Amaravati Amaravati ( , Telugu language, Telugu: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Guntur district on the right bank of the Krishna River, southwest of Vijayawada. The city derives its name from the nearby his ...

. According to data from the 2011 Census of India, Guntur had a population of 743,354 in that year, making it the third-most-populous city in the state, and occupies of land. The city is the heartland of the state, located in the center of Andhra Pradesh and making it a central part connecting different regions. The city is home to numerous state government offices and agencies. being part of the district capital and being in close proximity to the state capital

. The city is about 1100 miles south of the national capital

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. It is classified as a ''Y-grade'' city as per the Seventh Central Pay Commission. It is the 24th most densely populated city in the world and 11th in India. Guntur is estimated to have current population of around 0.9 million. Guntur serves as a major hub for the export of chilli,

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, and has the largest chilli-market yard in Asia. It is also a major hub for transport, education, medicine and commercial activities in the state. Ancient temples and sites near the city include Kondaveedu Fort, Amareswaraswamy temple, and Undavalli Caves, and Sri Bramarambha Malleswara Swamy Temple at Pedakakani.

Etymology

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

documents, Guntur was referred to as ''Garthapuri''; in Telugu, "Guntlapuri" means "a place surrounded by water ponds". The settlement might have been near a pond (Telugu: "gunta"); hence "gunta uru" means "pond village". Another source refers to "kunta", a land-measuring unit, which may have transformed to "kunta uru" and later to "Guntur".

History

The ancient Vedic puranas, going back to the

Treta Yuga ''Treta Yuga'' (IAST: ''Tretā-yuga'') (Devanagari: त्रेतायुग), in Hinduism, is the second and second-best of the four '' yugas'' (world ages) in a '' Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Krita (Satya) Yuga'' and followed by '' Dvapara ...

and

Dvapara Yuga ''Dvapara Yuga'' (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Dvāpara-yuga'') (Devanagari: द्वापर युग), in Hinduism, is the third and third-best of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded b ...

, mention Sitanagaram and the Guttikonda caves near Guntur. The region was historically known for

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

; the first

Kalachakra ''Kālacakra'' () is a Polysemy, polysemic term in Vajrayana, Vajrayana Buddhism and Hinduism that means "wheel of time" or "time cycles". "''Kālacakra''" is also the name of a series of Buddhist texts and a major practice lineage in History of ...

ceremony was performed by

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...

. Agastyeshwara temple is one of the oldest temples in the city; according to a local legend,

Agastya Agastya was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. He is regarded in some traditions to be a Chiranjivi. He and his wife ...

built it in the

around a '' swayambhu

linga A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

''. Inscriptions on the side of Naga Muchalinda, a sculpture unearthed in 2018 in the compound of the temple, are in Naga Lipi, an ancient script from the third century CE. Based on this discovery, Emani Sivanagi Reddy, archaeologist and Buddhist scholar believes this region served as a Buddhist site contemporary to Nagarjunakonda. The earliest reference to Guntur is found in inscriptions by Ammaraja I (922–929 CE), the Vengi Chalukyan king. According to an inscription in Sri Narasimha Swami temple at Ramachandra Agraharam, Tirumala Dasa Mahapatra—the local ruler of the Gajapathi king Kapileswara Gajapathi—gave donations to the temple of Mulastha Mallikarjuna Deva in 1485 CE. Prior to the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, Guntur has been ruled by the Satavahanas, Andhra Ikshvakus, Vishnukundinas, Pallavas, Vengi Chalukyas, Kakatiya kings, Reddy kings, Gajapathi kings, and Vijayanagar kings, Nizams of Hyderabad,

French India French India, formally the (), was a French colony comprising five geographically separated enclaves on the Indian subcontinent that had initially been factories of the French East India Company. They were ''de facto'' incorporated into the ...

, and the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

. The British East India Company took over the Kondaveedu Fort in 1788 and abandoned it in the early 19th century in favour of Guntur, which was made the headquarters of a district named after it. The district was abolished in 1859 and reconstituted in 1904. The city rapidly became a major market for agricultural produce from the surrounding countryside due to the opening of the railway link in 1890. The expansion continued post

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

as well and was concentrated in what is now called New Guntur, with many urban areas such as Brodipet, Arundelpet and suburban areas like Pattabhipuram, Chandramoulinagar, Sitaramanagar, and Brindavan Gardens. In 2012, the city limits were expanded with the merger of surrounding ten villages, namely Nallapadu, Pedapalakaluru, Ankireddipalem, Adavitakkellapadu, Gorantla, Pothuru, Chowdavaram, Etukuru, Budampadu and Reddypalem. The High Court was setup in Guntur when

Andhra State Andhra State (IAST: ; ), created in 1953, was the official name of the State of Andhra Pradesh until 1956. The state was formed from Telugu-speaking districts of the erstwhile Madras State, which form two distinct cultural regions – Rayalas ...

was formed. It was moved to

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

after the formation of

. After the bifurcation of the state a new High Court is set up in the capital region of the residual state near Guntur. Guntur is the place of discovery of

helium Helium (from ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, inert gas, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. Its boiling point is ...

they discovered this in 1869 from observations of the

solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately every six months, during the eclipse season i ...

of 18 August 1868 by the French astronomer

Pierre Janssen Pierre Jules César Janssen (22 February 1824 – 23 December 1907), usually known as Jules Janssen, was a French astronomer who, along with English scientist Joseph Norman Lockyer, is credited with discovering the gaseous nature of the solar ...

. Allen Olliver Becker's family from Guntur was among the survivors of the Titanic ship disaster.

Geography

Guntur is located at . It has an average

elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...

of and is situated on the plains. There are few hills in the surrounding suburban areas and Perecherla Reserve Forest is located in the city's north-west. Guntur lies approximately south of

, the capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Climate

According to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, the climate in Guntur is

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

with dry winters (Aw). The average temperature is warm-to-hot year round. The summer season, especially May and June, has the highest temperatures, which are usually followed by monsoon rains. During the winter season, running from November to February, the weather is usually dry with little-to-no rainfall. The wettest month is July. The average annual temperature is and annual rainfall is about . Rain storms and cyclones are common in the region during the rainy season, which starts with the monsoons in early June. Cyclones may occur any time of the year but occur most commonly between May and November. Guntur has been ranked 10th best “National Clean Air City” under (Category 2 3-10L Population cities) in India.

Demographics

Based on the 2011 Census of India, after a merger of nearby villages in 2012, Guntur had a population of . The 2023 estimate of the city population is 9,81,000. It is classified as a ''Y-grade'' city under the Seventh Central Pay Commission. Based on the 2011 census data prior to the city's expansion in 2012, Telugu is the most-widely spoken language with native speakers, followed by

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

speakers. A significant minority speak

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

, Odia and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

. ''Select "Andhra Pradesh" from the download menu. Data for "Guntur (M+OG)" is at row 12602 of the excel file.'' The religious demographic consists of

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

(77.91%),

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

(18.05%),

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

(3.25%), Jains (0.35%) and (0.82%) did not state any religion. ''Select "Andhra Pradesh" from the download menu. Data for "Guntur (M+OG)" is at row 2682 of the excel file.'' One of the supposedly lost tribes of Israel called Bene Ephraim has a presence in Guntur; there is a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

at Kothareddypalem near Chebrolu.

Governance

Civic administration and politics

The city's local authority is

Guntur Municipal Corporation Guntur Municipal Corporation is the civic body that governs the Guntur city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the oldest municipalities and the third largest municipal corporation in the state. History Guntur municipality w ...

(GMC), which at over 150 years old, is one of India's oldest municipalities. It was constituted in 1886, when the city had a population of 25,000; the city was upgraded to a third-grade municipality in 1891, a first-grade municipality in 1917, a special-grade municipality in 1952, and a selection-grade municipality in 1960. In 1994, Guntur was upgraded as a

municipal corporation Municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally o ...

and its first local election was held in 1995. The city is divided into 57 revenue wards. During the financial year 2018–19, the corporation had a budget of . Guntur is one of thirty-one cities in the state to be a part of water-supply-and-sewerage-services mission known as Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). The city was certified as open defecation free as part of Swachh Bharat Mission. In the 2023 Swachh Survekshan rankings, Guntur was ranked fourth in India, rising from its ranking of 129th in 2018. Guntur is the headquarters of Guntur East and Guntur West mandals in Guntur revenue division. The city is a major part of Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority. It is represented in the federal government by

Guntur Lok Sabha constituency Guntur Lok Sabha constituency is one of the twenty-five lok sabha constituencies of Andhra Pradesh in India. It comprises seven assembly segments and belongs to Guntur district. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani is currently serving as the MP since ...

, and at state level by Guntur East and Guntur West assembly constituencies.

Other offices

As part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region, Guntur houses many state offices and agencies such as Andhra Pradesh Forest Department and the Agricultural Marketing Department, and regional office of the Crime Investigation Department. The AP State Judicial Preview offices are located at Nagarampalem. Guntur group of the National Cadet Corps is located at Syamalanagar. The city also hosts an

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

recruitment and training centre. The city's passport office was opened in 2018.

Healthcare, utilities and policing

Guntur has several urban healthcare centres and about 200 private hospitals, including several specialty centres. The Government General Hospital (GGH) is the city's main tertiary healthcare provider. The city's main source of drinking water is Guntur Channel, which draws water from the

Krishna River The Krishna River in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau is the third-longest in India, after the Ganga, Ganga and Godavari. It is also the fourth-largest in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India, after the Ganga, Indus and Godav ...

. An extension of this channel is being planned to increase coverage of the city and the capital region. Summer storage tanks are located in Sangam Jagarlamudi, and Vengalayapalem reservoir is the other source of water to the city. The city's electricity is provided by Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL). Guntur police uses surveillance and central monitoring control systems with high-resolution cameras at important traffic junctions.

Economy

The GDP per capita of Guntur City is $ $8,786. Guntur forms a part of the East Coast Economic Corridor. Due to its status as the district capital and part of the state capital region, Guntur houses many state offices and agencies, including the headquarters of the Agricultural Marketing Department, the Tobacco Board and the Spices Board. India is the world's biggest exporter of chillies and much of this is grown around Guntur. The city's Agriculture Market Committee Market Yard in Guntur is the largest chilli yard in Asia; in 2023, its sales exceeded sales during that year's trading season. There are also several spinning mills on the outskirts of the city.

Culture

Residents of Guntur are referred as ''Gunturians''. Cultural events with focus on literature and poetry are regularly organised. Venkateswara Vignana Mandiram and Annamaiah Kalavedika are popular venues for cultural programs. In 2021, a new venue called Gurram Jashua Kala Pranganam was being constructed. The city observes many festivals such as

Rama Navami Rama Navami () is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Rama, one of the most popularly revered deities in Hinduism, also known as the seventh avatar of Vishnu. He is often held as an emblem within Hinduism for being an ideal king and h ...

, Hanuman Jayanthi,

Maha Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually to worship the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half (night start with darkness - ...

, Vinayaka Chavithi, Vijaya Dasami, Deepawali,

Holi Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World ...

Ugadi () or (), also known as Samvatsarādi (), is the first day of the year on the Hindu calendar that is traditionally celebrated by the Telugu people and the Kannadigas in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Na ...

, Eid, Krishnastami,

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

, Karthika Pournami.

Cityscape

The major commercial and residential areas in the city include Arundelpet, Lakshmipuram and Brodipet. Other major areas of the city are Koretapadu, Navabharath Nagar, Pattabhipuram, Syamalanagar and Vidyanagar, Autonagar, Gorantla, Pedapalakaluru, Nallapadu, Budampadu and Chowdavaram. Jinnah Tower on Mahatma Gandhi Road is a rare monument related to

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

, founder of Pakistan, in India. Guntur has 17 parks, some of which are maintained by the municipal corporation. Nagaravanam, a part of Perecherla Reserve Forest, was developed on the outskirts of the city as a park. Tourist attractions in Guntur include the Sri Ganga Parvathi Sametha Agastheswara Temple. In the old city, notable sites include Gandhi Park, the Baudhasree architectural museum, Nagaravanam, and NTR Manasa Sarovaram. Nearby ancient temples and heritage sites include the Amareswaraswamy temple, Undavalli Caves, Sri Bramarambha Malleswara Swamy Temple at Pedakakani, and Kondaveedu Fort. The Uppalapadu Bird Sanctuary is located from the city, while Suryalanka Beach is approximately away. Agastheswara Sivalayam, situated in Guntur’s old city, is a temple devoted to Lord Shiva. It holds historical significance with inscriptions in the ancient "Naga Lipi" script, dating back to 1100 AD. The temple is among the most well-known in the region. According to local legends, the sage Rishi Agastya constructed the temple during the

, centered around a naturally occurring Swayambhu Linga, which led to the temple's name. Constructed in the early 20th century, Jinnah Tower is a notable monument in Guntur dedicated to

, the founder of Pakistan. This impressive heritage structure features six pillars and an open dome, showcasing typical architectural styles of Muslim design from that era. Strategically located on Mahatma Gandhi Road, one of the city's main arterial road, the tower serves as a symbol of peace and harmony, reflecting the secular values embraced by the local community.

Environment

In 2019, pollution levels in Guntur city were at a moderate level when compared with other major cities. There have been many efforts to increase awareness and keep the city clean, including a 100-day cleanup drive in 2021. A plastic-waste-to-fuel conversion plant was set up in the city; fuel from the plant was used for vehicles run by the GMC. The GMC started using electric vehicles for domestic garbage collection in 2021. E-auto rickshaws were introduced in the city to reduce air and noise pollution; many electric charging stations have been set up across the city for this purpose. Efforts to reduce plastic use in the city and replace it with environment-friendly materials like jute, paper and cloth have been made. In 2021, United Nations Human Settlement Program planners recommended implementation of larger parks, mass transit with metro trains and electric bus systems, and improvements to city expansion plans.

Transport

Local transport in Guntur includes privately operated

auto rickshaw An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many other terms in various countries, including three-wheeler, Adaidaita Sahu, Keke-napep, Maruwa, auto, ...

s, taxi cabs, minibuses and government-run

APSRTC The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (abbreviated as APSRTC) is the state-owned road transport corporation in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Its headquarters is located at NTR Administ ...

buses. Auto rickshaws operating on a sharing basis are the cheapest form of transport for students and workers. NTR bus station and an adjacent minibus station accommodate more than 2,000 buses every day, about half of them from depots in the erstwhile united district. Plans for e-Bus Bay centres in the city were proposed in 2021.

Roads

The city has a total of of roads. Mahatma Gandhi Inner Ring Road is a

arterial road An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights o ...

that starts on National Highway 16. The inner ring road, along with Guntur Bypass, and sections of national and state highways, encircles the city. The arterial city roads include Grand Trunk Road, JKC College Road, Lakshmipuram Road, Pattabhipuram Road and Palakaluru Road. The GMC identified Amaravati Road, Lalapuram Road, Medical Club Road, Chuttugunta Road and Palakaluru Road for double-laning, and many other roads for widening to accommodate traffic.

National highways National Highways (NH), formerly Highways England and before that the Highways Agency, is a State-owned enterprise, government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving Roads in England, motorways and major A roads in Eng ...

(NH),

state highways A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

(SH) and major district roads pass through Guntur. NH16, part of Asian Highway 45 and

Golden Quadrilateral The Golden Quadrilateral (; abbreviated GQ) is a network of National Highway (India), national highways connecting major cities of India. It roughly forms a quadrilateral with major cities – Delhi (north), Kolkata (east), Mumbai (west) and ...

with Guntur Bypass connects to

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

and

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

on the east coast of India. NH167A and SH2 connect Guntur with Macherla and

. NH544D connects Guntur with

Anantapur Anantapur, officially Anantapuramu, is a city in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Anantapuru Tehsil, mandal and also the divisional headquarters of Anantapur revenue division. The city ...

and towards

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

on NH44. SH48 connects Guntur with the coast through

Bapatla Bapatla is a town and district headquarters of Bapatla district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the mandal headquarters of Bapatla mandal of Bapatla revenue division. The nearest towns and cities to Bapatla are ...

and Chirala. Major district roads link Guntur with

, Nandivelugu,

Tenali Tenali is a city in Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality, and the headquarters of Tenali mandal and Tenali revenue division. The city is renowned for art, culture, drama, and hence, it is called "Andhra ...

, Mangalagiri, and Parchur.

Rail

Guntur's main railway stations are , and . Stations at , Perecherla and serve as satellite stations.

MEMU In Indian Railways, a MEMU is an electric multiple unit (EMU) train that serves short and medium-distance routes in India, as compared to normal EMU trains that connect urban and suburban areas. The acronym stands for Mainline Electric Multiple ...

and local train services between Guntur and Vijayawada are used by thousands of university students and public. The Rail Vikas Bhavan at Pattabhipuram is the headquarters of Guntur railway division. Guntur railway station is well connected with

Vijayawada Vijayawada ( ), formerly known by its colonial name Bezawada, is the second largest city and a major commercial hub in the Andhra Pradesh state of India. The city forms an integral part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is situated on th ...

and Tenali railway stations.

Air

Vijayawada international airport, the nearest airport to Guntur, is away.

Gallery

Education and research

Primary and secondary education is provided by government and private schools. Aided schools were either transferred to government or became private in 2020 as per a government mandate. According to the school information report for the academic year 2021-22, more than one lakh, thirty thousand (130,000) students were enrolled in over 450 schools in the city and about 695,476 students are enrolled in the schools in the district. The medium of instruction in municipal corporation schools was switched to English from the year 2016-2017. The public library system in Guntur is supported by the government and the district central library is located at Arundalpet. Annamayya library was set up with 1 lakh books that were donated by bibliophile Lanka Suryanarayana. Hindu College and Andhra Christian College were established during the

for higher education. Jagarlamudi Kuppuswamy Chowdary College, RVR & JC College of Engineering, Tellakula Jalayya Polisetty Somasundaram College (TJPS College), Government College for Women and St. Joseph's College of Education for Women are autonomous colleges. Guntur Medical College is one of the oldest medical colleges in the state. Several higher education institutes such as Vignan's Foundation for Science, Technology & Research, Katuri Medical College, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalagiri, Acharya Nagarjuna University and Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University have campuses near the city. A regional Agmark laboratory, and a regional station of the Central Tobacco Research Institute of the

Indian Council of Agricultural Research The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous body responsible for co-ordinating agricultural education and research in India. It reports to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture. Th ...

are located in Guntur. The city hosts many national, and state-level conferences and expos on the economy, agriculture and technology.

Media

'' Eenadu'', '' Sakshi'' and '' Andhra Jyothi'' are the most-popular Telugu daily newspapers in terms of circulation in the united Andhra Pradesh and the top-three Telugu news sites. The newspapers ''Surya'' and '' Vaartha'' are published from Guntur. ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'', ''

The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu ...

'', ''

The Hans India ''The Hans India'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as well as in New Delhi. The newspaper was launched on 15 July 2011 and is owned to Hyderabad Media House Ltd., which also ...

'' and ''

Deccan Chronicle ''Deccan Chronicle'' is an English-language daily newspaper based in Hyderabad, India. Founded in 1938, it was initially launched as a Weekly newspaper, weekly and later converted into a daily. The newspaper's name reflects its origins in the ...

'' are a few of the English-language daily newspapers that are circulated in Guntur.

Sports

Sporting infrastructure in Guntur includes Brahmananda Reddy Stadium for

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

, athletics, and

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

; and NTR Municipal Indoor Stadium for

table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

and volleyball. A

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

pool is proposed to be added to Brahmananda Reddy Stadium and a

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

ring is being planned for NTR municipal stadium. Guntur has hosted sporting events such as the All India Senior Tennis Association, the All India Sub Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament, the All India Invitation Volleyball Tournament, the Ganta Sanjeeva Reddy Memorial Trophy and the Inter-district Master Aquatic Championship. The city was also a host for the Khelo India programme for junior-level national sports in 2016. The city hosts mini-marathons and walks. International sports personalities from Guntur include cricketer Ambati Rayudu and badminton player

Srikanth Kidambi Srikanth Kidambi (born 7 February 1993) is an Indian badminton player. Known for his powerful smashes and quick footwork, he became the first Indian male to reach the World No. 1 ranking in the BWF World Rankings in April 2018. He made history ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

OSM map overlaid with Guntur Municipal Corporation limits, Guntur bypass and Inner Ring Road
{{Authority control Towns in Guntur district Cities in Andhra Pradesh Mandal headquarters in Guntur district District headquarters of Andhra Pradesh Cities in Andhra Pradesh Capital Region