Bheemunipatnam

Bheemunipatnam Bheemili
Hill-top view of Bheemunipatnam town
Nickname:  భీమునిపట్నం
Bheemunipatnam Location in Visakhapatnam
Coordinates: 17°53′04″N83°26′22″E / 17.884560°N 83.439342°E / 17.884560; 83.439342 Coordinates: 17°53′04″N83°26′22″E / 17.884560°N 83.439342°E / 17.884560; 83.439342
Country	India
State	Andhra Pradesh
District	Visakhapatnam
Named for	Bhima
Government
• Type	Municipal corporation
• Body	Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation
•  MLA	Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao
Area
• Total	18.90 km2 (7.30 sq mi)
Population  (2011) [1]
• Total	55,082
• Density	2,900/km2 (7,500/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Telugu
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	531163/62
Vehicle Registration	AP31 (Former) AP39 (from 30 January 2019) [2]
Vidhan Sabha	Bheemili
Lok Sabha constituency	Visakhapatnam

Bheemunipatnam (also known as Bheemili ^[3] ), is a suburb of Visakhapatnam, India. The town was named after Bhima, a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. It formerly administered under the Bheemunipatnam municipality, but merged into GVMC in 2017. It is currently under the administration of Bheemunipatnam revenue division and the headquarters is located at Bheemunipatnam.

Geography

Bheemunipatnam is located about 40 km from Visakhapatnam Airport, about 31 km from Visakhapatnam railway station and 29 km from Visakhapatnam city central bus station. It lies to the north of Visakhapatnam City and is loosely bordered by Rushikonda to the south and Bay of Bengal to the east, Madhurawada to the west, Bhogapuram to the north.

History

Buddhism

Buddha Statue at Bheemunipatnam Beach Road

Historical evidences of Buddhist Culture have been noticed at Bheemunipatnam dating back to 3rd century BCE on the hillock Pavurallakonda ^[4] (also known as Narsimhaswami Konda locally) in the town. Buddhist remains were found during the excavations here along with Relic caskets. Both the schools of Buddhism Hinayana and Mahayana were propagated in this land and also to the far east lands from the port of River Gosthani. See pavurallakonda page for more details.

Narasimha temple

There is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Narasimha on the eastern side of Pavurallakonda facing the sea. As per the historical evidences the temple is constructed around 14th century by Mindi ^[5] Kings. There are two more temples in the town of Bhimili, which date back to the times of Chola's as Bheemeswaralayam and Choleswaralayam.

Dutch settlements

A Dutch map of Bheemunipatnam by Coenraad Pieter Keller with the projected new fort from 1756.

Known to the Dutch as Bimilipatnam, Bheemunipatnam was one among the major Dutch settlements ^[6] of the Dutch Coromandel coast in the 17th century. There are remnants of the Dutch East India Company trading post when the town was a port. The town contains one of the oldest Christian cemeteries on the coast. ^[7] Bhimili also had a currency mint ^[8] during the times of Dutch. Portuguese also visited bhimili in the same time as the dutch. St.Peter's church is a historical monument which signifies the ancient architecture. ^[9]

After Bheemunipatnam was plundered by Maratha troops in 1754, the local regent permitted the Dutch East India Company to construct a fort in the village, for which military engineer Coenraad Pieter Keller drew up plans. The fort that was constructed subsequently collapsed twice, for which Keller had to defend himself in front of his superiors in Batavia. ^[10]

East India Company

The British East India Company made Bheemunipatnam their main trading base of the east coast. The Bhimili port used to operate passenger vessels to Madras and Calcutta during the British Raj. The big clock tower in the town was built by the British.

Bheemunipatnam Port Trust

Bheemunipatnam (Bheemili ) was one of ancient Dutch harbour Town. European merchants disembarked from the ships and made it their port. It was a Major port and Europeans resided here during East India Company regime. Until 1958, huge ships from Malaysia and Singapore arrived at this port. Perfumes, textiles etc were exported to other countries from here. There was a huge coco plantation spread across the local beaches that were also exported. Bheemunipatnam Port Trust was closed during British rule in India to Develop Visakhapatnam Port Trust and avoid other invaders entering the country. However, the lighthouse constructed by the British at Bheemunipatnam port stands as a witness to the European regime. Now a days Andhra Pradesh Government Wants to open the port again.

Demographics

According to Imperial Gazetteer of India, ^[11] It was entirely Zamindari land belonging to the Vizianagram estate. As of 2001 ^[update] India census, ^[12] it had a population of 44,156. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Bheemunipatnam has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 67% and female literacy of 54%. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Landmarks

Panoramic view of River Gosthani confluence into Bay of Bengal at Bhimili

The lighthouse dated to 1868 was built during Dutch settlement on the shores of Bheemili Beach. ^[13] Some of the Buddhist sites are Bojjannakonda, Bavikonda, Lingalakonda, Pavurallakonda, Salihundam and Thotlakonda.

Politics

Year	Candidate	Party
1951	Kaligotla Suryanarayana
1955	Gottumukkala Jagannadha Raju
1972	Raja Sagi Soma Sundara Suryanarayana Raju	INC
1978	Datla Jagannadha Raju	INC(I)
1983	Pusapati Ananda Gajapati Raju	TDP
1985	Raja Sagi Devi Prasanna Appala Narasimha Raju	TDP
1989	Raja Sagi Devi Prasanna Appala Narasimha Raju	TDP
1994	Raja Sagi Devi Prasanna Appala Narasimha Raju	TDP
1999	Raja Sagi Devi Prasanna Appala Narasimha Raju	TDP
2004	Karri Seetharamu	INC
2009	Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao	PRP
2014	Ganta Srinivasa Rao	TDP
2019	Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao	YSRCP

Bheemili Municipality (GVMC)

Year	Candidate	Ward	Party
2021	Akramani Padmavati Naidu	1 Tagarapuvalasa BML Urban	YSRCP
2021	Gadu Chinni Kumari Laxmi Appalanaidu (Ex Chairman BMC)	2 Sangivalasa BML Urban	TDP
2021	Ganta Appalakonda Nookaraju	3 Bheemili Town	TDP
2021	D Konda Babu	4 Bheemili Rural	YSRCP

Transport

Bheemili is well connected by road. NH16 or AH45 passes through the Mandal. It also has major District roads and State Highways connecting it to nearby Mandals and Visakhapatnam. APSRTC runs bus services from Visakhapatnam bus station to Bheemili.

APSRTC

Routes:

Route	Starts	Ends	Time	Via
999	Bhimili	R.T.C Complex	Every 15 mins	NTR circle bus stop,Dorathota, Bhimili x road,Boyapalem,Madhurawada,Yandad,Zoo park,Hanumanthawaka,Venkojipalem,Maddilapalem,Central Bus Station(CBST)
900k	Bhimili Beach	Visakhapatnam Railway Station	Every 15 mins	Bml Beach,INS Kalinga,Uppada,Mangamaripeta,Thotlakonda Beach,Ramanaidu Studios,Rushikonda Beach,Geetham University,Sagaranagar Beach,Kailasagiri Roapway,MVP,Waltair,Siripuram,Andhra University,VMRDA CITY CENTRAL PARK,RTC COMPLEX,Allipuram
900T	Bhimili	Tagarapuvalasa	7.15,8.00,8.45,9.30 and 3.00,3.45,4.30,5.15,6.00	NTR circle Bus Stop,sun school,ketenpeta,rayapalem,chillapeta,chittivalsa, Andhra Bank tgp
55k	Bhimili	Gajuwaka	7.00am,7.00pm	NTR circle bus stop, Tagarapuvalasa,sangivalasa,Anandhapuram,Nillakundilu,Pendurti,vepagunta,NAD, Airport,Old Gajuwaka,New Gajuwaka

Notes

1. "Statistical Abstract of Andhra Pradesh, 2015" (PDF). Directorate of Economics & Statistics. Government of Andhra Pradesh. p. 40. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
2. "New 'AP 39' code to register vehicles in Andhra Pradesh launched". The New Indian Express. Vijayawada. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
3. "103 objections received against ward delimitation". The New Indian Express. Visakhapatnam. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
4. "Dept. of Archaeology & Museums". Museums.ap.nic.in. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
5. Sudhakar (25 June 2008). "Incredible India: Bhimili". Vishakapatnamonline.blogspot.in. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
6. "It is a ruin of colonial legacy | BayNews | The New Voice of Vizag". Baynews.in. 24 September 2010. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
7. "Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Bhimili: lost in time and tide". The Hindu . 12 April 2007. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
8. Ramani M. "The History of Vizag: copper coins". Heavydutytravel.blogspot.in. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
9. Ganguly, Nivedita (3 October 2018). "Bheemunipatnam: This Dutch township is full of history". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 11 April 2020.
10. Bos 2019.
11. Bimlipatnam tahsil in Imperial Gazetteer of India, Vol. 8; pp: 238.
12. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
13. "Bhimili lighthouse to be demolished". The Hindu. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2016.

References

• Bos, J. (2019). "A Disastrous Project: C. P. Keller and the Fortification (Plans) of Bimilipatnam". In Storms, M.; Cams, M.; Demhardt, I.; Ormeling, F. (eds.). Mapping Asia: Cartographic Encounters Between East and West. Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography. Springer. pp. 219–228. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-90406-1_15.