Srikakulam district

This article is about the district. For its eponymous headquarters, see Srikakulam.

Srikakulam district
District of Andhra Pradesh
Category: Srimukhalingam Temple at Mukhalingam, Ruined Stupa near Salihundam, Kurmanathaswamy temple, Srikurmam, Dolmens near Dannanapeta, Buddhist site at Kalingapatnam
Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh
Interactive map outlining district
Country	India
State	Andhra Pradesh
Region	Uttarandhra
Headquarters	Srikakulam
Administrative Divisions	3 Revenue divisions 30 Mandalas 1802 Villages (1701 inhabited, 101 uninhabited) 12 Towns (5 statutory, 7 census)
Government
•  Lok Sabha constituencies	Srikakulam, Vizianagaram
•  Assembly constituencies	08
Area [1]
• Total	4,591 km2 (1,773 sq mi)
Population  (2011) [2]
• Total	2,191,437
• Density	463/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
• Rank	6th
•  Urban [3] : 14	373,746
• Households	681,330
•  Sex ratio	1,015 (females per 1,000 males)
Languages
• Official	Telugu
Literacy
• Literates	1495381
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Postal Index Number	532xxx
Area codes	+91–8942
ISO 3166 code	IN-AP
Vehicle registration	AP–39 (from 30 January 2019) [4]
Website	srikakulam.ap.gov.in

Srikakulam district is one of the twenty-six districts of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located in the Uttarandhra region of the state, with its headquarters located at Srikakulam. ^{[5] [6]} 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 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

Iron Age megalithic Dolmen at Dannanapeta near Amudalavalasa

Prehistory

Evidence of early historic man and his activities during the Stone Age and Iron Age have been discovered at Sangamayya Konda and Dannanapeta. The speciality of Dannanapeta Iron Age megalithic 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. ^[7]

Jainism and Buddhism

Salihundam Historic Buddhist Remains Site

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. ^[8]

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. ^[9]

Geography

Srikakulam district occupies an area of 4,591 square kilometres (1,773 sq mi), ^[10] comparatively equivalent to Trinidad and Tobago. ^[11] 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 run from the northeast. Vizianagaram district and Parvathipuram Manyam district flanks in the south and west while Odisha 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 100 km (62 mi) 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 193 km (120 mi)) 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 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 Regulator — and some medium projects at Pydigam Project, Onigadda provide a total ayacut of 69,373 acres (280.74 km²).

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1901	1,060,467	—
1911	1,101,199	+0.38%
1921	1,123,461	+0.20%
1931	1,222,767	+0.85%
1941	1,333,341	+0.87%
1951	1,405,792	+0.53%
1961	1,555,369	+1.02%
1971	1,769,968	+1.30%
1981	1,959,352	+1.02%
1991	2,321,126	+1.71%
2001	2,537,593	+0.90%
2011	2,703,114	+0.63%
source: [12]

According to the 2011 census Srikakulam district has a population of 2,703,114, roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait ^[13] or the US state of Nevada. This gives it a ranking of 147th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 462 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,200/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 6.38%. ^[14] Srikakulam has a sex ratio of 1014 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 62.3%. ^[15]

Religions in Srikakulam district (2011) [16]
Religion			Percent
Hinduism			98.79%
Christianity			0.54%
Other or not stated			0.67%

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. ^{[15] : 86–89}

Languages of Srikakulam district (2011) ^[17]

   Telugu (92.34%)

   Odia (6.18%)

   Saora (0.92%)

  Others (0.56%)

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. ^[17]

Household indicators

According to 2007–08, International Institute for Population Sciences, ^[18] 86.9% had access to electricity, 70.4% had drinking water, 18.5% toilet facilities, and 47.2% lived in a pucca (permanent) home. ^[18] 31.5% of girls wed before the legal age of 18 and 90.1% of interviewees carried a BPL card. ^[18]

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:

Constituency number	Name	Reserved for (SC/ST/None)	Lok Sabha constituency
1	Ichchapuram	None	Srikakulam
2	Palasa	None
3	Tekkali	None
4	Pathapatnam	None
5	Srikakulam	None
6	Amadalavalasa	None
7	Narasannapeta	None
8	Etcherla	None	Vizianagaram

Cities and towns

There are one municipal corporation, three municipalities, two nagar panchayats and seven census towns. 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.

Largest cities or towns in Srikakulam District As per the 2011 Census
Rank		Division	Pop.
1	Srikakulam	Srikakulam Division	125,953
2	Palasa	Palasa Division	57,507
3	Amudalavalasa	Srikakulam Division	39,799
4	Ichchapuram	Palasa Division	36,478
5	Tekkali	Tekkali Division	28,637
6	Narasannapeta	Srikakulam Division	26,280
7	Sompeta	Palasa Division	18,778
8	Pathapatnam	Tekkali Division	15,954
9	[[{{{city_9}}}]]	[[{{{div_9}}}]]	{{{pop_9}}}
10	[[{{{city_10}}}]]	[[{{{div_10}}}]]	{{{pop_10}}}

Administrative divisions

Satellite view of Srikakulam district

The district is divided into 3 revenue divisions: Palasa, Srikakulam and Tekkali, which are further subdivided into a total of 30 mandals, each headed by a sub-collector. ^[19]

Mandals

The list of 30 mandals in Srikakulam district, divided into 3 revenue divisions, is given below. ^{[20] [21]}

1. Palasa revenue division
   1. Ichchapuram
   2. Kaviti
   3. Sompeta
   4. Kanchili
   5. Palasa
   6. Mandasa
   7. Vajrapukotturu
   8. Nandigama
2. Srikakulam revenue division
   1. Srikakulam
   2. Gara
   3. Amadalavalasa
   4. Ponduru
   5. Sarubujjili
   6. Burja
   7. Narasannapeta
   8. Polaki
   9. Etcherla
   10. Laveru mandalLaveru
   11. Ranastalam
   12. Ganguvarisigadam
   13. Jalumuru
3. Tekkali revenue division
   1. Tekkali
   2. Santha Bommali
   3. Kotabommali
   4. Pathapatnam
   5. Meliaputti
   6. Saravakota
   7. Kothuru
   8. Hiramandalam
   9. 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.

S.No.	Erstwhile Talukas in 1971	Newly Formed Talukas in 1978	Newly Formed Mandals in 1985
1	Srikakulam	Srikakulam	Srikakulam, Gara,
		Amadalavalasa	Amadalavalasa, Burja [part], Sarubujjili,
2	Palakonda	Palakonda	Palakonda, Vanagara, Burja [part], Seethampeta,
		Rajam	Veeraghattam, Regidi, Rajam, Santhakaviti,
3	Pathapatnam	Pathapatnam	Pathapatnam, Kothuru [part], Hiramandalam[part], Saravakota, Meliaputti, Tekkali [part],
		Hiramandalam	Hiramandalam[part], Bhamini, Kothuru [part], Lakshminarsupeta
4	Narasannapet	Narasannapet	Narasannapet, Polaki [part],
		Kotabommali	Kotabommali [part], Polaki [part], Jalumuru, Santhabommali [part],
5	Tekkali	Tekkali	Tekkali [part], Kotabommali [part], Santhabommali [part], Nandigam [part], Varjapukothuru [part]
		Palasa	Palasa, Nandigam [part], Varjapukothuru [part],
6	Sompeta	Sompeta	Sompeta, mandasa,
7	Ichchapuram	Ichchapuram	Ichchapuram, Kaviti,
8	Cheepurupalle	Ranasthalam	Ranasthalam, Laveru,
		Ponduru	Ganguvari sigadam, Pondhuru, Etcherla,
		***Cheepurupalle [New Vizianagaram]	Vizianagaram District
9	Bobbili	***Bobbili [New Vizianagaram]
10	Salur	***Salur [New Vizianagaram]
11	Parvathipuram	***Parvathipuram [New Vizianagaram]

Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies

There are three Parliamentary Constituencies and 10 assembly constituencies in Srikakulam district. Parliamentary constituencies include Srikakulam, Araku, and Vizianagaram. ^[22]

The 10 Assembly Constituencies are Amadalavalasa, Rajam, Tekkali, Ichchapuram, Palasa, Narasannapeta, Palakonda, Pathapatnam, Srikakulam and Etcherla.

Municipalities in district

S.No.	City / Town	Civic Status of Town	No.of Wards	Municipality Formation year	2011 Census Population	2001 Census Population	1991 Census Population	1981 Census Population	1971 Census Population	1961 Census Population	1951 Census Population
1	Srikakulam	Municipal Corporation	50	1856	1,37,944	1,17,320	88,883	68,145	45,179	35,071	24,212
2	Palasa-Kasibugga	Municipality Grade - 2	31	2000	57,507	49,899	33,057	23,737	17,439	--	--
3	Amadalavalasa	Municipality Grade - 2	27	1987	39,799	37,931	34,395	18,005	13,842	--	--
4	Ichapuram	Municipality Grade - 3	23	1986	36,493	32,662	29,564	19,152	15,850	12,961	11,390

Villages

• Devudala
• Edulavalasa
• Ganguvada
• Gorlepeta
• Honjaram
• Kantragada
• Komarthi ^[23]
• O.V.Peta
• Pesarapadu
• Talada

Economy

Khadi weaving at Ponduru, Srikakulam district

The gross district domestic product (GDDP) of the district is ₹19,942 crore (US$2.4 billion) and it contributes 3.8% to the gross state domestic product (GSDP). While the per capita income at current prices was ₹92,090 (US$1,100). The primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of the district contribute ₹4,855 crore (US$580 million), ₹4,114 crore (US$490 million) and ₹10,973 crore (US$1.3 billion) respectively. ^[24]

Tribal communities such as the Saora and Jatapus still practise the traditional podu system of cultivation. ^[25]

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, a major pharmaceutical company, is at Pydibhimavaram.

Transport

APSRTC bus depot locations

The total road length of state highways in the district is 959 km (596 mi). ^[26] 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 Andhra Pradesh. ^[27]

The district has many people from fields like film industry, music, art and architecture etc. Among the notable people are Vaddadi Papaiah, J. V. Somayajulu, Gidugu Venkata Ramamoorty, Sarat babu, LV Revanth(Indian idol), Rao Ramesh, Rao gopala Rao, Sai kumar, Pingali Nagendrarao, and Kalipatnam Ramarao.^{[ citation needed ]}

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. ^{[28] [29]} 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. ^[30] The number of students enrolled in primary, upper primary and high schools of the district is 371,472. ^[31]

The only university in the district is Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Srikakulam ^[32] 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. ^[33]

Trust controlled Temples

S.no	Temple	Mandal	Village
1	Sri Kodanda Rama Swamy Temple	SRIKAKULAM	BALAGA (RURAL)
2	Sri Maninageswara Swamy Temple	SRIKAKULAM	KALLEPALLE
3	Sri Kothamma Ammavari Temple	KOTABOMMILI	KOTABOMMILI
4	Sri Neelamani Durga Ammavari Temple	PATHAPATNAM	PATHAPATNAM
5	Sri Yendala Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple	TEKKALI	RAAVI VALASA
6	Sri Hatakeswara Swamy Temple	SRIKAKULAM	Singupuram
7	Sri kurmam Temple	GARA	SRI KURMAM
8	Sri Suryanarayana Swamy Temple	ARASAVELLI	ARASAVELLI

Important commodities produced / manufactured in the district

Following are the towns & villages with respective commodities produced across the district. ^[34]

S#	Town	Commodities
1	Srikakulam	Jute, Bricks, Iron Articles
2	Palasa	Cashew Nuts, Coir Ropes, Sugar
3	Ichchapuram	Coir Ropes, Bricks, Stone Carving
4	Sompeta	Cashew Nuts, Baskets
5	Hiramandalam	Groundnut Oil
6	Tekkali	Aluminium Moulding
7	Amadalavalasa	Sugar
8	Narasannapeta	Jaggery
9	Balaga	Jute, Bricks
10	Ponduru	Textiles, Ground Nut

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

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2. "District Census Hand Book – Srikakulam" (PDF). Census of India . Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
3. "District Census Hand Book – Srikakulam" (PDF). Census of India . Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India . Retrieved 14 June 2019.
4. "New 'AP 39' code to register vehicles in Andhra Pradesh launched". The New Indian Express. Vijayawada. 31 January 2019. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
5. "Srikakulam | Andhra Pradesh | DISTRICTS OF INDIA". districts.nic.in. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
6. "Population of AP districts(2011)" (PDF). ap.gov.in. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
7. "Iron Age habitation found in Srikakulam". The Hindu. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
8. "Remnants of Jain monuments found". 21 August 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
9. Law, Gwillim (25 September 2011). "Districts of India". Statoids. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
10. Srivastava, Dayawanti; et al., eds. (2010). "States and Union Territories: Andhra Pradesh: Government". India 2010: A Reference Annual (54th ed.). New Delhi, India: Additional Director General, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Government of India. pp. 1111–1112. ISBN   978-81-230-1617-7.
11. "Island Directory Tables: Islands by Land Area". United Nations Environment Program. 18 February 1998. Retrieved 11 October 2011. Melville Island 5,765km2
12. Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
13. US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Kuwait 2,595,62
14. "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
15. "District Census Hand Book – Srikakulam" (PDF). Census of India . Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
16. "Population by Religion - Andhra Pradesh". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
17. "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Andhra Pradesh". Census of India . Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
18. "District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-3), 2007-08: India. Andhra Pradesh" (PDF). International Institute for Population Sciences and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 2010. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
19. "ULB Lists". Commissioner and Directorate of Municipal Administration. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
20. "Mandals | District Srikakulam, Government of Andhra Pradesh | India" . Retrieved 21 April 2022.
21. "New AP Map: Check Out Biggest and Smallest Districts in Andhra Pradesh". Sakshi Post. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
22. "District-wise Assembly-Constituencies". ceoandhra.nic.in.
23. "Komarthi Population (2020/2021), Village in Narasannapeta Mandal, Pincode". www.indiagrowing.com. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
24. "Economy of Srikakulam District". Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
25. von Fürer-Haimendorf, Christoph (1982). Tribes of India: The Struggle for Survival. University of California Press. pp. 77–78. ISBN   978-0-520-04315-2.
26. "Existing State Highways" (PDF). Andhra Pradesh Road Development Corporation. Government of Andhra Pradesh. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
27. "State Wise Registration Details of G.I Applications" (PDF). Geographical Indication Registry. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
28. "School Education Department" (PDF). School Education Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
29. "The Department of School Education – Official AP State Government Portal". www.ap.gov.in. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
30. "School Information Report". Commissionerate of School Education. Government of Andhra Pradesh. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
31. "Student Information Report". Commissionerate of School Education. Child info 2015–16, District School Education – Andhra Pradesh. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
32. "Welcome :: Dr.B.R.Ambedkar University, Srikakulam, AP. INDIA". brau.in. Archived from the original on 24 June 2011.
33. "Trust Boards Abstract". AP Temples Portal, Government of Andhra Pradesh. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
34. "Census of India 2011 Andhra Pradesh District Census Handbook Srikakulam Village and Town Directory" (PDF). Government of India Census. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2016.

External links

• Website of Srikakulam District Collectorate
• Official website