Srikakulam district is a district 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 ...

, located in the Uttarandhra region of the state, with its headquarters located at Srikakulam. It is one of the six districts, located in the extreme northeastern direction of the state. It was formerly known as Chicacole, and was under

Ganjam district Ganjam is a district in the Indian state of Odisha. Ganjam's total area is 8,206 km² (3,168 mi²). The district headquarters is Chhatrapur. Ganjam is divided into three sub-divisions: Chhatrapur, Berhampur, and Bhanjanagar. As of ...

till 1 April 1936, then merged under Vizagapatam district. Srikakulam district forms the core area of Kalinga where most of its historical capitals like Kalinganagari, pithunda, Dantapuram are located.

History

Prehistory

Evidence of early historic man and his activities during the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

and

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

have been discovered at Sangamayya Konda and Dannanapeta. The speciality of Dannanapeta

megalithic A megalith is a large Rock (geology), stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging ...

site is a large single capstone as a dolmen with 36 ft in length and 14 ft in width and 2 ft thickness. Sailada Hills consists of 36 upright rocks and natural caves used for habitation by Iron Age man in Amudalavalasa mandal of the district.

Jainism and Buddhism

Salihundam Historic Buddhist Remains 3 by GPuvvada 2010

Evidences of Jain monuments and Buddhist remnants were discovered near Sangamayya Konda. Jain rock beds were discovered at Dannanapeta near Amudalavalasa in the district. Salihundam is a famous Buddhist remnants site on the south bank of River Vamsadhara 5 kilometres west of Kalingapatnam and 18 kilometres from Srikakulam town.

Post Independence

Srikakulam District was carved out in 1950 by bifurcating it from Visakhapatnam District. It remained unaffected in its territorial jurisdiction for some time. But in November 1969 the district lost 63 villages from Saluru Taluk and 44 villages from Bobbili Taluk on account of their transfer to the then newly constituted Gajapathinagaram Taluk of Visakhapatnam District. In May 1979, the district underwent major territorial changes with the formation of a new district with headquarters at Vizianagaram which involved transfer of Salur, Bobbili, Parvathipuram and Cheepurupalli Taluks to the new district. Srikakulam's culture is a blend of traditional festivals, food, music and theatres.

Geography

Srikakulam district occupies an area of , comparatively equivalent to

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

. It is within the geographic coordinates of 18°-20’ and 19°-10’ N and 83°-50’ and 84°-50’ E. The district is skirted to a distance by Kandivalasagedda, Vamsadhara and Bahuda at certain stretches of their courses while a line of heights of the great

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats is a mountain range that stretches along the East Coast of India, eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of , it traverses the states and union territories of India, states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Prade ...

run from the northeast. Vizianagaram district and Parvathipuram Manyam district flanks in the south and west while

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

bounds it on the north and Bay of Bengal on the East. Srikakulam district can be divided into two main distinct natural divisions. A portion of Srikakulam district is plain terrain with intense agriculture and the other is rocky and hilly terrain covered with forests. Some of the Mahendragiri Hills covers Srikakulam district. Most of the forest area of the plain terrain has been damaged by intense agriculture. Kotthuru, Hiramandalam, Pathapatnam, Kalingadal reservoir and some other areas are still covered with dense forests. Srikakulam is north of Visakhapatnam. It has a population of 2,703,114 of which 10.98% is urban as of 2001. Srikakulam district has the longest coastline (about ) in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Major rivers flowing through the district are River Nagavali, River Vamsadhara, Mahendratanaya, Champavati, Bahuda, Kumbhikota Gedda, Suvarnamukhi, Vegavati, Gomukhi. The Nagavali and Vamsadhara are the major rivers in Srikakulam district. These two river basins together constitute about 5% of the area. The Mahendratanaya and

Bahuda Cheyyeru in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is a tributary of the Penneru River, Penneru river. Course The Cheyyeru is formed by the confluence of the rivers Bahuda and Puncha that originate in Andhra Pradesh. The two streams joi ...

rivers are two minor river basins in the district. Others are Benjigedda, Peddagedda, Kandivalasa gedda. Major irrigation projects on these rivers — Vamsadhara Project, Narayanapuram Anicut,

Thotapalli Thotapalle is a village in Nagaram mandal, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by ...

Regulator — and some medium projects at Pydigam Project, Onigadda provide a total ayacut of .

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Srikakulam district has a

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 2,703,114, roughly equal to the nation of

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

or the US state of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. This gives it a ranking of 147th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 6.38%. Srikakulam has a

sex ratio A sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...

of 1014 females for every 1000 males, and a

literacy rate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

of 62.3%. After reorganization the district had a population of 21,91,437, with a sex ratio of 1014 females to every 1000 males. 373,746 (17.05%) lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 1,85,890 (8.48%) and 94,371 (4.31%) of the population respectively. At the time of the 2011 census, 92.34% of the population spoke Telugu, 6.18% Odia and 0.92% Sora as their first language.

Household indicators

According to 2007–08, International Institute for Population Sciences, 86.9% had access to

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

, 70.4% had

drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...

, 18.5% toilet facilities, and 47.2% lived in a pucca (permanent)

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

. 31.5% of girls wed before the

legal age Legal age or codified age refers to age at which a person may legally engage in a certain activity, or purchase or possess a certain product or substance. Most frequently, this is the age of majority (also known as the "age of maturity"), the thresh ...

of 18 and 90.1% of interviewees carried a BPL

card Card or The Card may refer to: Common uses * Plastic cards of various types: **Bank card **Credit card **Debit card **Payment card * Playing card, used in games * Printed circuit board, or card * Greeting card, given on special occasions Arts an ...

Politics

Srikakulam (Lok Sabha constituency), Vizianagaram (Lok Sabha constituency) The seven Assembly segments of Srikakulam Lok Sabha and One Assembly segment of Vijayanagaram Lok Sabha constituency are:

Cities and towns

There are one

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 ...

, three

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

, two nagar panchayats and seven

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

s. The municipal corporation in the district is Srikakulam and three municipalities in the district are Amadalavalasa, Ichchapuram, Palasa-Kasibugga. The six census towns are Balaga, Hiramandalam, Narasannapeta, Ponduru, Sompeta, Tekkali.

Administrative divisions

The district is divided into 3 revenue divisions:

Palasa Palasa is one of the twin towns located in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The town is situated between Srikakulam and Berhampur. It is categorized as the second grade municipality. Also the town serves as the headquarters ...

, Srikakulam and Tekkali, which are further subdivided into a total of 30

mandal A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative c ...

s, each headed by a sub-collector.

Mandals

The list of 30 mandals in Srikakulam district, divided into 3 revenue divisions, is given below. # Palasa revenue division ## Ichchapuram ## Kaviti ## Sompeta ## Kanchili ##

Mandasa Mandasa is a village in Srikakulam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Mandasa is also known by the name ''Manjusha'' in Odia. It was ruled by erstwhile odia zamindar Rajamani royal family during British Raj. Srinivasa Rajamani was ...

## Vajrapukotturu ## Nandigama # Srikakulam revenue division ## Srikakulam ## Gara ## Amadalavalasa ## Ponduru ## Sarubujjili ## Burja ## Narasannapeta ## Polaki ## Etcherla ## Laveru mandalLaveru ## Ranastalam ## Ganguvarisigadam ## Jalumuru # Tekkali revenue division ## Tekkali ## Santha Bommali ## Kotabommali ## Pathapatnam ## Meliaputti ## Saravakota ## Kothuru ## Hiramandalam ## Lakshminarasupeta

Erstwhile Talukas

Before Formation of Mandals, Administration was done through Taluka system. Erstwhile Talukas in district is given below. In 1978, the number of talukas in Srikakulam district was increased from 14 to 19. Later in 1985, 19 Talukas were divided into 60 mandals, out of which 14 talukas were in Srikakulam further bifurcated into 38 Mandals.

Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies

There are three Parliamentary Constituencies and 10 assembly constituencies in Srikakulam district. Parliamentary constituencies include Srikakulam, Araku, and

Vizianagaram Vizianagaram, also known as Vijayanagaram, is a city and the headquarters of the Vizianagaram district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in the Eastern Ghats, about west of the Bay of Bengal and north-northeast of Visakhapa ...

. The 10 Assembly Constituencies are Amadalavalasa, Rajam, Tekkali, Ichchapuram,

, Narasannapeta, Palakonda, Pathapatnam, Srikakulam and Etcherla.

Municipalities in district

Villages

* Devudala * Edulavalasa * Ganguvada * Gorlepeta * Honjaram * Kantragada * Komarthi * O.V.Peta * Pesarapadu * Talada

Economy

The gross district domestic product (GDDP) of the district is and it contributes 3.8% to the gross state domestic product (GSDP). While the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

at current prices was . The primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of the district contribute , and respectively. Tribal communities such as the Saora and Jatapus still practise the traditional podu system of cultivation. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, a major pharmaceutical company, is at Pydibhimavaram.

Transport

The total road length of

state highway 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 ...

s in the district is . Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation runs bus services to all the major cities and towns of the state from the district. Major railway stations in the district include Amudalavalasa, Srikakulam Road railway station, Palasa railway station ( major station) Naupada, Ichchapuram and Sompeta etc.

Culture

The district is renowned for the brassware products namely, Budithi Bell and Brass Craft, which are made at Budithi village. These are registered as geographic indication from

. The district has many people from fields like

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production company, production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre- ...

, music, art and architecture etc. Among the notable people are Vaddadi Papaiah, J. V. Somayajulu,

Gidugu Venkata Ramamoorty Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy (1863-1940) was a Telugu language, Telugu writer and one of the earliest modern Telugu linguists and social visionaries during the British rule. He championed the cause of using a language comprehensible to the common ...

, Sarat babu, LV Revanth(Indian idol),

Rao Ramesh Rao Ramesh (born 25 May 1968) is an Indian actor who works primarily in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre, theatre, and television apart from some Tamil films. He is the son of veteran actor Rao Gopal Rao. Rao Ramesh initially appeared in ''Seema ...

, Rao gopala Rao, Sai kumar, Pingali Nagendrarao, and Kalipatnam Ramarao.

Sports

Kodi Rammurthy Naidu (body builder), Karnam Malleswari (Olympic medalist), Pujari Sailaja in weight lifting are famous people from the district.

Education

The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools, under the School Education Department of the state. As per the school information report for the academic year 2015–16, there are 3,875 schools. They include, 55 government, 2,833 mandal and zilla parishads, 1 residential, 573 private, 14 model, 32 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), 85 municipal and 282 other types of schools. The number of students enrolled in primary, upper primary and high schools of the district is 371,472. The only university in the district is Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Srikakulam and medical colleges are Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Srikakulam town, GEMS—Great Eastern Medical Speciality and Hospital in Ragolu village.

Temples

There are seven temples under the management of Endowments Department.

Important commodities produced / manufactured in the district

Following are the towns & villages with respective commodities produced across the district.

Notable people

* Sarath Babu, actor * Gouthu Latchanna, freedom fighter and politician * Karnam Malleswari, Indian weightlifter * Kinjarapu Yerran Naidu, Member of Parliament and Central Minister * Kodi Rammurthy Naidu, Indian bodybuilder * Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao, industrialist * T. Trivikrama Rao, producer

References

External links

Website of Srikakulam District Collectorate

Official website
{{Authority control Districts of Andhra Pradesh Uttarandhra 1950 establishments in India Mandal headquarters in Srikakulam district