Guntur Coffee Table Book

GUNTUR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
Grand Trunk Road, Opp. Gandhi Park,

Lalapet, Guntur - 522 003.
Andhra Pradesh, India.
Guntur Coffee Table Book | 1
2 | Guntur Coffee Table Book
Perface
P. Samuel Jonathan

History
When travellers came to Guntur, the earliest images of Guntur
could be that of men bringing their toil on field on bullock carts,
with the wealthier among them, on horse carts and selling them
at open market in the old town. Over the years, the city remains
as the trading and commercial hub of the state, and is known as
land of Red Chilli.
The city steeped in history and a cradle of ancient cultures, reli-

gions is also identified with the toil and sweat of its working pop-
ulation, producing bumper harvests commercial crops of Cotton,
Chilli and cash crops.
The city has produced some of the outstanding entrepreneurs in

the field of Education, Agriculture, Packaging, Cosmetics Indus-
try.
Life in the city is ever engaging and there is a constant buzz on

the roads. People seem to be restless exploring new avenues in
entrepreneurship. People also have a firm trust in nature and the
trust drives business as well.
First timers to the city may be taken aback by the directness of its
people, but beneath the hard shell, is the softness that floors the
visitors. Never to shy away from accommodating visitors, people
go all the way to make the visitors special.
How did the city derive its name? set up their bases, build forts. Some of these tanks are still
there surrounded by parks, frequented by men and women
It is said that when Guntur was a village roughly the size of in morning and evening for a quiet stroll.
``Kunta,’’ which is one -third of the size of an acre. So it be
and gradually, Kunta became ``Kunturu’ and later Guntur. Another folklore has that Red Tank has a large stone mound
and it was believed that the water from the tank has therapeutic
Another popular story was that in those days before Stephen properties and people with skin diseases used to sprinkle water.
Fleming had not discovered Worldwide Standard Time, the
earliest kings could blasted a ball (gundu) from a noon gun Earliest references to the name Guntur were found in an in-
at noon and so the town took its name as ``Gunduru’’ and scription dating back to 1158 AD discovered at Agastheswara
later Guntur. Swamy Temple, located to the east of Red Tank. Inscriptions
dating back to 1147 AD bearing the name have also been found
on the foot hills of Durga Malleswara Swamy Temple in Vijay-
Vishunubotla Suryanarayana in his memoirs of Guntur in
awada.
``Guntur Mandala Sarvasam,’’ written by Daruvuri Veeraiah
mentioned that the large stone mound existed at Erra Cher-
Both these inscriptions tell us about the hoary past of the town,
uru (Red Tank), on which the Brahmananda Reddy Stadium weaving around a rich tapestry of feuding dynasties, spiritual-
stands. Even now, a small tank (rajaka cheruvu) is used as a ism, art and culture. Earliest mention was also made in epics
dhobi ghat. written by Tikkana Somayaji.
Earliest references by French and British historians say that The town also could have derived its name from the old Sanskrit
the city was full of water tanks (gunta), prompting them to name, Garthapuri or Guntlapuri.
Growth of The City
The growth of the city during the last 150 years from a predominantly
agricultural region into a hub of trade, commerce and industry was
fuelled by the bountiful harvest of commercial crops, cotton and chil-
li. The cultivation of Virginia Tobbacco by British American Tobacco
Company (BTC) , which is now called as Indian Tobacco Company
(ITC), gave new opportunities for farmers and provided employment
to thousands of women in Tobacco factories. As the exports of Flue
Cured Virginia Tobacco picked up to Russia, USA, South Africa, farm-
ers and traders found themselves flush with money which was invested
in modernisation of Tobacco grading, processing and curing.
Trials on the Flue Cured Virginia Tobacco were conducted as early

as 1897 by the British Indian Tobacco (BAT) at Kantheru. In 1912,
BAT floated Indian Leaf Tobacco Development Company (ILTD). The
ITC-ILTD is the biggest consumer and exporter of FCV Tobacco. The
Tobacco crop size is now pegged at 125 million kg.
Guntur is the hub of Tobacco exports of leaf tobacco and tobacco prod-
ucts generating foreign exchange earnings of around Rs. 6,000 crores
annually. In 1895, Majety and Srisailam company began exporting
FCV Tobacco. Majety Guravayya started his company in 1915. As the
cultivable area of FCV Tobacco increased after construction of Na-
garjuna Sagar project, Tobacco trade flourished and there were about
400 companies in Guntur. Leading exporters like Bommidala Tobacco
Company, Polisetty Somasundaram Company, Jayalakshmi Traders and
Navabharat Traders have been in Tobacco trade for the last five decades.
The images of milling workers walking back to their homes from To-
bacco factories on the Trunk Road at Manipuram (presently Mangala-
giri Road) is still in the memory of several people. The factories are still
there, few of them have given away to shopping malls, retail outlets, au-
tomobile outlets and hospitals and the road is now a expanded stretch
leading to the Chennai-Kolkata national highway no 5.
Cotton was another lifeline for the farmers of district and the white
gold still continues to provide a bounty. Lanchester Road, named after
the trading county in England, used to be a hub of cotton mills and
now the road links the Old Ponnur Road with the trading centre in
One Town.
The city is now known as an educational hub and has emerged as a top
notch teriatary
Health care facility.

GEOGRAPHY
An undulated plain area with an average elevation of 33 metres, GUntur is located at 16.29*N 80.43 *E and is surrounded
by a range of Kondaveedu range of hills in the West. Located around 40 miles (64 km) to the west of Bay of Bengal.
Guntur district covers an area of 11,391 square km. Lying on the south bank of River Krishna, which disgorges from a
corridor in the Palnadu hills and empties into Bay of Bengal in a broad sweeping curve, the district is largely a flat deltaic
plain. Spreading westwards from the Bay of Bengal, it rises gradually and breaks upon the rough, jungled hills of Palnadu.
The topography is as varied as its landscape. On the East, the vast coast line extending upto 43 km gives way to black
cotton soils and then to red gravel and clay.
CLIMATE
It is during the winter season (from November to February), people enjoy the most. The wettest month is July.
The average annual temperature is 28.5 C and annual rain fall is about 905 mm. 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 more commonly between May and November.

ECONOMY
Guntur has been one of important trading hubs in the state since ages.
When East India Company began their trade and when the British settled in
Machilipatnam, 65 km east of Vijayawada, they considered Guntur area and
its lower land for their trade.
After the construction of the dam in 1855 on Krishna River at Bezwada, the
Buckingham canal became the mode of transport to Madras port. It also pro-
vided water to the fields in Guntur lower delta helping the delta to become
the biggest producer of paddy and sugarcane.
Guntur remains the entry point to the Rayalaseema districts (Seeded) from
East Coast.
Guntur was a hub for groundnut oil production. During 1910, it was a
flourishing trade for exports. We have house names of, “Sanakkayala” still
in Guntur as groundnut trade flourished in the early years of 20th century.
Later the traders shifted to tobacco.
The Guntur area was turned into a commercial crop hub. The first tobacco
plantation was introduced in the district in 18th century. The first tobacco
export company Majety and Srisailam Company was established in 1895.
The tobacco growing areas were increased and later by the construction of the
Nagarjuna sagar Dam, the uplands of Guntur districts, as well as the southern
parts at present Prakasam district were high in tobacco production. In the
year, 1950 ITC was entered in tobacco trade, The tobacco trade became the
most important activity in this area. Earlier there were 400 tobacco compa-
nies. In 1990s, the tobacco production was decreased because the farmers
went on crop holiday. Slowly the international demand for tobacco was also
come down. The companies, which are in tobacco trade declined from 400
to around five. The big companies such as Navabharat tobacco, Jayalakshmi
tobacco are not in trade at present.
From 1990s onwards, the tobacco farmers shifted to cotton production. The
yarn producers from Surat and southern parts of Tamilnadu came and purchased
the cotton. The farmers were attracted to the high-income crop. However, there
were risks in the production of cotton. The crop is prone to pests and depends
on changing in the nature. Another important thing was that the buyers were
not paid to farmers, which they purchased. It leads to suicides of Farmers in
cotton growing areas. The local entrepreneurs started to construct ginning mills
and later some of them started spinning mills. Now the Guntur became a hub
for cotton ginning and spinning mills in AP. There are around 18 lakhs spindles
in the spinning mills in and around Guntur.
The another crop later farmers shifted to forming was chillies, which has a
demand from East Asian countries. There was a tremendous growth of cold
storages in and around of Guntur which helps the farms in getting the
remunerative price. However in this year the chilliy farmers are facing the
decrease in prices of the chillies
The first bank was established in 1878 in Guntur. There was a direct train
to Madras port to export the commodities. The cable and telegraph facility
was there in 1920s. It was the first city in getting telephone facility in coastal
districts. Bezwada got the telephone facility after ten years.
The internal dynamics of the city has changed by the construction of the railway
over bridge. Slowly the commercial activity has shifted to two town. The area
of Guntur city has extended beyond the area of Brodie pet and Arundel pet in
two town. Once the areas of gujjanagundla and koritapadu, which were away
from the Guntur centre, now became in the central part of the city. Brundavan
gardens and the lakshmipuram became the centers of commercial activity in the
city in these days.
The latest information given by the district administration that the Guntur
district contributes 14 percent of paddy, 57 percent of Jowar ,28 percent of
Maize, 68 percent of chillies and 38 percent of sorgum in total production of
AP .
The increase in land value in Guntur District was related to the profits obtained
from cultivation of industrial crops during 1940s.
Now the land values are high and it is one of the obstacles in establishing
the industries in this district. Land is one of the
important and the first factor of production in
industry. In recent years land prices increased
faster than the price of commodities. Guntur
became the capital of the Andhra Pradesh after
bifurcation and is witnessing a tremendrous
development on all fronts.
Dr. LSN Prasad,

Associate Professor
Chillies (Guntur sannalu) For eight hours a day, they pluck away at the dead stems,
You wonder what Guntur would be like without its chillies. building more hillocks of processed chillies that will be sewn
In the early hours, when the restless city has barely slipped into bags bound for Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, China, Pa-
into an uneasy snooze, farmers are already making their way kistan.... The chilli trade—second only to Mexico in the
on the two metro-class ring roads, riding atop their bursting world—is what makes Guntur run.
sacks of freshly harvested chillies.
A bad season shakes the city to its very hub, spelling trouble
In high season (between February and May), the lanes of the for not only the thriving gold dealers—every second shop
Yard—Asia’s largest chilli market—are crammed so thickly in Guntur seems to be selling gold chains and bangles—but
with trucks and autos bringing thousands of sacks of sun- everyone: the malls, the cinemas, amusement parks and ex-
dried chillies from all over Andhra Pradesh that you can bare- pos of every consumer durable from handloom saris to home
ly squeeze into the sheds with their electronic weighing ma- theatre systems, the private schools and colleges, and the fat
chines. wheeler-dealers in fertilisers, transport, marble and granite in
their white safari suits but chilli exports are only half of Gun-
But this is low season when chillies stored in the adjoining tur’s story.
60 cold storages are being emptied into the sheds. Women
workers are arriving with their children and steel tiffin boxes,
their babies in dangling cloth cradles, while little girls join
their mothers in separating the red sea of chillies.
TOBACCO FCV Tobacco grown on norther light soils in West Godavari
The cultivation of Virginia Tabacco by British American To- and southern light soils and black soils in Prakasam District
bacco Company (BTC), which is now called as Indian To- is in much demand for its fine flavour. The crop size in AP is
bacco Company (ITC), gave new opportunities for farmers pegged at 125 million KG.
and provided employment of women in Tobacco factories. As
the export of Flue Cured Virginia Tobacco picked up to Rus- Tobacco earns about Rs.20,000 Cr. by way of excise duty and
sia, USA, South Africa, farmers and traders found themselves about 5,000 Cr. by way of foreign exchange every year.
flush with money which was invested in modernisation of
Tobacco grading, processing and curing. Cultivation of FCV Guntur is the hub of exports of leaf Tobacco and Tobacco
Tobacco has come down in the district, but the city remains products generating foreign exchange earnings of around
the trading hub of Tobacco. The Tobacco Board, all India Rs.6,000 annually. In 1895, Majety and Srisailam Company
office is located here and the city has the head quarters of the began exporting FCV Tobacco. Leading exporters like Bom-
ITC-ILTD. midala Tobacco Company, Polisetty Somasundaram Compa-
ny, Jayalakshmi Traders and Navabharat Traders have been in
Tobacco Business for the last five decades.

History of Guntur Municipal Corporation wings during his tenure. In the year 2005, the Congress won
the polls in the indirect elections. Kanna Nagaraju was elect-
In 1866, Guntur was made a municipality with a population ed as a mayor and he was followed by Rayapati Mohana Sai
of about 25,000. Singaruvelu Mudaliyar, a prominent Tamil- Krishna.
ian scholar who was also headmaster of a High School, was
nominated as municipal chairperson in the year 1884. It was Since 2010, the civic administration is being run by District
during the tenure of Pasupuleti Venkata Krishnamma Naidu Collector who is also Special Officer. Kona Sasidhar, IAS is
(1895-1904), Vice Principal of Andhra Christian College, the special officer. The present Municipal Commissioner is
that drinking water pipeline from Vengalayapalem was laid Srikesh.B. Latkar, IAS.
and later a vegetable market (PVK Naidu market) was also
established. The Guntur Municipality held a civic reception
to Mahatma Gandhi in April 1921 during the tenure of Jus-
tice Party leader Ethirajulu Naidu.
It was during the heydays of freedom struggle, Nadimpal-

li Venkata Lashminarasimha Rao pantulu took over (1922-
1930) and he plunged into a non cooperation movement,
even braving a jail term and continued his tirade against
British. .
In the post-independent era, Chebrolu Hanu-

maiah (1952-1963), a senior Congress lead-
er, was instrumental in grounding the water
scheme and initiated piped water supply to
households in Guntur. Hanumaiah laid the
ground for beautification of city, construc-
tion of BR Stadium and laying of the first
Rail over Bridge at Arundelpet.
Kolli Sarada, a gynecologist and daughter of

senior journalist, Narla Venkateswara Rao,
was elected as first Mayor. Dr. Sarada laid
the path for modern development of the
city, widening roads, sprucing up develop-
ment in residential areas, construction of
water reservoirs etc.
Chukka Yesuratnam, succeeded her in the

year 2000. The city’s development took

Time line
1866 - Guntur made into 3rd grade municipality
1891 - Second grade municipality
1917 - First grade municipality
1952 - Special grade municipality
1960 - Selection grade municipality
1994 - Municipal Corporation
List of Municipal Chairpersons/Special Officers. List of Municipal Commissioners
1- Singaruvelu Mudaliyar 1885-1887 1- M. Rajeswara Rao- 1994-1995

2- Vinjamuri Bhavanaharyulu 1893-95 2- G. Sai Prasad, IAS- 1995-1997
3- Pasupuleti Venkatakrishnama Naidu 1895-1904 3- V.N Vishnu, IAS- 1997
4- Tholeti Appa Rao 1910-12 4- M.T Krishna Babu, IAS- 1997-2000
5- Kakani Pundarikashudu 1912-13 5- Praveen Prakash, IAS- 2000-2002
6- Puvvada Venkata Reddy 1913-15 6- G. Ram Narayana Reddy, IAS- 2002-2003
7- Nyapati Hanumantha Rao 1915-17 7- D. Rama Rao- 2003-2004
8- PCN Yathirajulu Naidu 1918-21 8- Kantilal Dande, IAS, 2004
9- Janab Raja Khan Saheb- 1921-22 9- D. Rama Rao- 2004-2007
10- NVL Narasimha Rao-1922-30 10- M.D Haseem Sharif- 2007
11- Potturi Lakshmiah- 1930-31 11- Siddharth Jain, IAS- 2007-2009
12- Sankara Venkata Rao- 1932-33 12- K. Ilambaridhi, IAS- 2009-2010
13- NVL Narasimha Rao-1933-34 13- A. Sarath, IAS- 2010
14- Tellakula Jalaiah-1938-48 14- M.M. Naik, IAS- 2010-2011
15- Upputuri Venkata Punniah-1949-51 15- K. Sudhakar- 2011-2013
16-Chebrolu Hanumaiah-1952-53 16- P. Srinivasulu- 2013
17-NVL Narasimha Rao-1953 17- K. Venkateswarlu-2013-2014
18- Chebrolu Hanumaiah 1952-53 18- P. Nagaveni- 2014
19- Tunuguntla Venkata Rao 1953-54 19- Sreedhar Cherukuri, IAS- 2014-2015
20- NVL Narasimha Rao 1958 20-K. Kanna Babu, IAS- 2015
21- Kanaparthi Nagaiah 1958-59 21- C. Anuradha 2015
22- Rachapudi Venkata Subba Rao 1959-60 22-S. Nagalakshmi, IAS- 2015-2017
23- Sannakayala Ankamma Naidu-1963-1968 23-C. Anuradha - 2017-2018
24-Chebrolu Hanumaiah- 1968-1973 24- Srikesh B. Latkar, IAS- 2018--
25-Golusu Kondala Rao-1981-1986
26- Peesapati Prabhu Das- 1987-1990
27- N.V.L Narasimha Rao-1990
28-Kolli Sarada- 1994-1999
29-Chukka Yesuratnam- 2000-2005 6- City Profile:
City Profile : Total No .of Election Wards 62, Total No. of House-
30-Kanna Nagaraju- 2005-2007
holds 1,89,155, Total Length of drains 1843 kms , Total No.of Wells
31- Rayapati Mohan Sai Krishna- 2007-2009
7650 ,
32-B. Ramannaneyulu, IAS-2009-2011
Total No. of low lying Areas 1765, No.of Government Hospitals 2,
33-V.N Vishnu, IAS-2011-2012
No.of Urban Health Centres 13, No.of Urban family Welfare Cen-
34-S. Suresh Kumar, IAS-2012-2014 tres 2,
35-Kantilal Dande, IAS, 2014-2017 No.of Private Hospitals 91, No.of Slum Areas 209 .
36-Kona Sasidhar, IAS, 2017-

Water Supply
Not so long ago, the city was facing an acute water

crisis so much so that families used to dread at the
prospect of marrying off the daughters as there was
no water in the wells. The popular adage, ``Gun-
tur Chentandu (long rope used to ferry water from
from wells), came into being due to the depth in the
water tanks in the town. The situation was worse in
summers and for many, a transfer to the town used
to be a punishment.
The only water source since the days of British was

the Vengalayapalem pumping scheme. The meagre
drawal of just 2 lakh gallons per day was hardly suf-
ficient to meet the needs of population of one lakh.
In was in 1946 that the foundation stone for Sangam
Jagarlamudi pumping scheme was laid by Rao Ba-
hadur Tellakula Jalaiah and for many years, nothing
moved. Finally, the scheme was completed in 1952.
The apathy of the then government was so much so
that even there were moves to shift cast iron water
pipes to Tamilnadu citing delay in works.
Finally, it was efforts of Chebrolu Hanumaiah that
helped in grounding the scheme. The sub baked and
water starved town was finally drawing 60 lakh litres
of water.
The water supply is at the rate of 152 LPCD in core

area and (about 10%) it is 50-70 LPCD only and
remaining water is being supplied through water
tankers to un-served areas (about 20%) where it is
completely dependent on water tankers. (less than
50 LPCD).
People in the city are now provided round the clock

water supply as the comprehensive water scheme
has been completed.

Wite Text

...transforming many Lives
HONEY MAKING: The Guntur

Municipal Corporation is enabling
women to script sweet tales of success
by promoting self employment. Hon-
ey making is one avenue where wom-
en are able to earn decent livelihoods
while working from their homes. The
GMC in partnership with Mission for
Eliminination of Poverty in Municipal
Areas is providing financial resources
like bank linkage, while MEPMA pro-
vides a platform to sell her products
at various stalls put up during govern-
ment programmes.

SHE AUTO: Empowerment of women has always been big on agenda of Guntur Municipal Corporation. The GMC began
a novel scheme in 2016 to empower women behind the wheels. SHE AUTO is a unique scheme under which women would
be given training in driving of autos free of cost and later would be provided autos through bank loan. All that the beneficiaries
needed to contribute was Rs.26,000 and the sum of Rs.1.40 lakh was provided as bank loan payable in monthly installments.
Amaravathi

Tikkana Library
Old age charm:
As one manoeuvres through the narrow lanes of Old Guntur History says that Tikkana was born at Old Guntur, had lived
dotted with numerous ancient temples, one is consumed by there for some time before migrating to Nellore where he
a sense of history. A part of the busy city untouched by the held important portfolios in the cabinet of Manumasiddhi.
commercial blitzkrieg and wrapped in culture and tradition.
He made a mention of his roots in the Virata Parvam of the
Yet one monument preserves the memory of one of the great classical epic, ’Sri Madandhra Sri Mahabharatham’.
poets of classical Telugu literature, Mahakavi Tikkana So-
mayajulu. Sri Tikkana Vidyalayam, built in 1913, is a treas- Inspired by the classical lore, locals led by Dechiraju Samba-
ure trove of ancient Telugu classics and houses more than siva Rao constructed a building and a court yard in 1913 and
6,000 books, most of them original manuscripts of Telugu named it after Tikkana. Donations poured in as the members
classics, treatises on the works and critical commentaries. It soon compiled books and developed it into a full-fledged li-
also has rare biographies of scholars, film personalities and brary. The place used to be frequented by students and schol-
books dwelling on pre-Independence history. ars of Telugu literature.
Service to man is service to God: The 50-bedded hospital was established on an 18 acre campus
and was once a beacon of hope for many expectant women in
The work of the Christian Missionaries in India was three those days of limited facilities for institutional delivaries. Dr.
fold - Religious, Medical and Educational. The first Lutheran Kuglar died in Guntur on July 26, 1930.
Missionary in Guntur, Father John Christian Frederick Hey-
er, was a medical doctor. In the early days of his work (1842), After independance, the hospital continued to serve the
Father heyer rendered some medical services to the people in needy. Dr. Sarala Elisha was the longest serving superinten-
and around Guntur but the people were not prepared to take dent.
English medicine form a foreigner. However, they felt there
was a need for a medical missionary in this area.
In 1883 Anna S.Kuglar, a doctor form U.S.A., arrived in In-

dia as the first Woman doctor. Through the efforts of another
doctor of U.S.A., L.L. Uhl, about Rs 45.000/- were raised
in the U.S. for constructing a dispensary in Guntur, and the
hospital was opened on June 22, 1897, the Diamond Jubilee
Year of Empress Victoria.
Kugler Hospital - Kothapet

Brahmananda Reddy Stadium
Happy Hunting Ground:

Built in memory of former Chief Minister Kasu Brah-
mananda Reddy, the elliptical shaped stadium with a ca-
pacity of 20,000 persons was completed in April 1967.
The B.R. Stadium, as it is popularly called, has been a
happy hunting ground for star athletes and it was here in
1989 during the National Athletics Championship that
P.T Usha rediscovered her form, after the trailblazing his-
tory she created in Asian Games in 1984.
The stadium has also hosted first class Ranji matches in the
1980s and 90s.
The stadium now boasts of a indoor shuttle badminton

academy, gymnastics centre, skating rink and synthetic
tennis courts.

Tower of Harmony:
Guntur has a memorial for Pakistan’s Father of the Nation, a tower built in Mohammed
Ali Jinnah’s honour in the heart of town. This impressive heritage structure has been a
city landmark and is unique in the whole of South Asia.
Jinnah Tower

In Memory of the Father of Nation:
Located opposite the office of GMC, the Gandhi Park was formed
in the year 1950 when Rao Sahab S. Mukti Swami acted as Special
Officer of the Municipality. In 1938 peace Clock Tower was con-
structed swaraj Maidan Piller was constructed in memory of lathi
charged victims in Guntur City in 1939. In the year 1963 Tula man-
dapam was constructed during China war and several National level,
State level meetings were conducted. Swaraj maidam. cultural social
political activities took places in the premises. Freestyle russelings,
District sports meets were also conducted.
Gandhi Park

St. Mathews Centenary Church (West Parish)

Historic Church
Built on a solid rock edifice with walls built from
stones chiseled from the hills, this was the first per-
manent church building in Guntur. Mrs. Stork, was
behind the construction of the church in 1907 in the
Gunn compound. Built to accommodate the growing
number of people, the church was dedicated to the
people on October 8, 1907 with a cost of $13,000, a
princely sum of about Rs.40,000 in those days. The
imposing structure built in the shape of a cross has for
the past hundred years remained as the most visible
remnants of the glorious legacy of the missionaries
who had done pioneering work in the fields of educa-
tion and health.

The Andhra Christian College or A.C. College is one of
the oldest colleges India, was founded in 1842 by Reverend
John Fredreick Christian Heyer, who has started the Amer-
ican Lutheran Chuch in India. It began as a Angl--Vernacu-
lar school, started by the then Collector Huddleton Stokes.
In 1885, the High School was upgraded as second-grade
college by Dr.L.B Wolf, the founder principal and affiliated
to Madras University. The college was one of the first col-
leges in India to offer graduate programs.
It was in 1928, the college was named as Andhra Christian

College during the tenure of DR. Dr. Strock, and classes in
BA were started.
The college is interspersed with glorious buildings, the ma-

jestic Arthur G. Watts Memorial Building opened in 1893.
Constructed in Gothic architectural style with huge brown
granite boulders, thick walls and magnificent arches, the
building is adjacent to monumental College Tower, stand-
ing 90 feet tall with internal wooden stair case and wooden
flooring of the first floor which was used as Assembly Hall.
The college has produced three Chief Ministers, Kasu Brah-

mananda Reddy, NT Rama Rao and Bhavam Venkatarami
Reddy besides numerous political leaders, film stars and
doctors etc. Guntur Coffee Table Book | 37
Hindu College
In those days, Guntur was a small, nevertheless important

town inhabited by great people, politicians, lawyers, doc-
tors, literary luminaries, businessmen and educationists. It
was a nerve center of activity in several fields, especially
political. The contribution of Guntur to Freedom struggle
is quite substantial. The visits of the two towering personal-
ities, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1930s
to Guntur and Vijayawada bear the amplest testimony to
this.
The Hindu College was established in 1935, by a group of

highly educated, patriotic and philanthropic gentlemen of
Guntur, with the loftiest ideal of ‘dispelling darkness’ from
the society and to prevent any further erosion of values and
virtues from all walks of life. The motto of the college is ,
“Tamasoma jyotirgamaya”, taken from the “Brithadaran-
yaka Upanishad”, sumps up all this. This noble institution
grown like a tree, now under the HCHS (Hindu College
High School Council) which has 12 institutions under its
fold.
Guntur Collector’s office
Citadel of the Power:
The seat of administrative power, Guntur was
the district head quarters since 1791, after
Nathanel Vet took charge as Collector, whose
jurisdiction extended till Krishna district.Dur-
ing 1860-1904, the district was under Krishna
district and after being separated from Krishna
district, S.N Brodie, took charge as Collector in
1905, in whose name a locality in Guntur has
been named. The present Collector’s Office was
built in the year 1912. The first Collector after
indepedance was A. Doriaraj in 1948 and the
first Collector from the Indian Administrative
Service was A. Krishnaswami in the year 1953.
The Collector’s office is a heritage structure

housing all the key departments. A magnificent
edifice of stone, the office opens to a beautiful
lawn.
Kona Sasidhar, IAS, is the present Collector

and District Magistrate. The Office of Collec-
tor has been renovated and is poised to become
one of the best Collector’s offices in the country.
Guntur Medical College
is one of the premiere medical institutions in south India. It is located in the heart of city of Guntur, the knowl-
edge hub of Andhra Pradesh. The institution, established in the Pre independent India, has come a long way
since 1946, the year of its inception.
Guntur Medical College today not only offers undergraduate courses with an annual intake of 200 students
but also various medical Specialities including non clinical, Para clinical and Clinical branches. The College is
affiliated to the Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences and works in conjunction with Government General
Hospital, a tertiary care hospital with 1170 beds, catering to the needs of people of Coastal districts of Andhra
Pradesh. The institution is well known for the rich clinical material and the quality of research work.
Guntur Medical College is one of the few centres in the country to have satellite based training. The College
library has 28,000 books and subscribes to more than 100 journals including access to another 100 E-Journals. A
great asset to the institution is the ultra modern air conditioned auditorium, which was built with contributions
from GMCANA. It has the latest audiovisual equipment and seating capacity for 900. A new super speciality
complex Podila Prasad– GMCANA Super speciality and Trauma Centre, with state of the art facilities is nearing
completion in Government General Hospital to meet the ever increasing health needs of the Public.
Theosophical Lodge
A short walk to the north from the Sankar Vilas Centre leads to a busy traffic island - Lodge Centre - named
after stately compound housing Sri Krishna Theosophical Lodge. One can find people reading the daily newspa-
pers at the reading room on the ground floor and on weekends, the lodge brims with activity when discourses
are held by prominent people from all walks of life.
The Lodge was built on 550 square feet of land donated by Vinjamuri Bhavanacharyalu in 1882 and continues
to serve the people here. A prominent social reformer and theosophist Annie Besant was present at the house
warming done in 1912.
Guntur Medical College Photos

Podila Prasad - GMCANA Super -
Speciality and Trauma Centre
Traning the Trainers:

A gift from Guntur Medical Col-
lege Alumni of North America,
ably supported by a magnanimous
donation of Rs.5 crore by Venkat
Prasad Podila (PVP) of 1981 batch
of GMC, a gastroenterologist prac-
tising in USA, and the Government
of Andhra Pradesh.
The centre has state of the art tertiary

care facilities in the departments of
Cardiology, Neurology, Nephrology
and caters to the patients across the
state.
The facility developed in Public-Pri-

vate Partnership (PPP) mode with
the State Government has taken six
years to be completed and is the first
major additional facility to GGH in
more than 50 years and according
to GMCANA, it will be a ‘tipping
point for betterment of GMC.’

Sri Saradaniketan - Brodiepet
Giving shape to Dreams:

Sarada Niketan, Brodiepet, was started by social reformer, free-
dom fighter, sri Unnava Lakshmi Narayana and his wife Mrs
Lakshmibayamma in the year 1922 with the sole ambition of
women empowerment. It was the first college to start courses
in Oriental Languages for women in the state.
In the later time, Zamindar Sri Raja Nayini Venkata Ranga

Rao Bahudhur donted two acres of his land, which is located
in Brodipet 2/14, for the establishment and smooth opera-
tions of Sri Sarada Niketan.
This institution has empowered numerous women and gave

rise to scores of freedom fighters during freedom moment.
People of different ideologies but worked for single cause –
which is Independent India – such as Mahatma Gandhi has
visited Sarada Niketan and praised the institution for the force
behind freedom struggle.
Navodaya Leadership Institute - Brodiepet
Traning the Trainers:

The institute was the first training centre started by Navodaya
Vidyalaya Samiti in the year 2000 to cater to the training needs
of staff working in different Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalyas.
The institute is housed in a building donated by Konda Par-

vathi Devi, daughter of a renowned freedom fighter “Desha
Bhakta” Konda Venkatappaiah Pantulu, with the vision of
contributing to our national development through supporting
the cause of education.
The building, popularly known as “DESHA BHAKTA

BHAVAN”, enjoys the status of a ‘Heritage Site’ as Mahat-
ma Gandhi, Annebesant, Vallabhai Patel, Nehru, Durga Bhai
Deshmukh and many other legendaries stayed in this building
and prepared salt on this campus during Salt Satyagraha move-
ment.

Sri Hazarath Kale Mastan Shavali
Dargah
Faith Heals!
On the Grand Trunk Road, lies the Mastan
Dargah. The Dargah is visited by people of all
faiths. Legend is that Mastan Vali (Baba) was
born at Tiruchinapalli in Tamil Nadu. After
spending his childhood, he left his home and
went in search of divine depths till he yearned
special powers. He wandered several places be-
fore ending his life in Guntur on May 23, 1895.
Several tales of magical and mysterious tales of

Mastan Vali has made the Dargah a popular
abode for many believers cutting across reli-
gious lines. It’s a testimony to religious harmo-
ny in Guntur.
Every year in May, irrespective of religion, caste,

creed all Hindus and Muslims “URUS” festi-
val. The three day festival starts from Kannavari
Thota in the city where devotees give offerings
to the “Sacred Chair” which was used by Baba
and reaches Sangadigunta through Holi Dargha
and giving second offerings to the “Holy Cot”
which was used by Baba and again reaches the
Dargha. Great saints across the country offer
“Sandal” and “Chaddar” to Mastanaiah Baba.
Free feeding of devotees is taken by the man-
agement headed by Ravi Rammohan Rao.

State Regional Library -
Located opposite A.C. College
Old age charm The Government of India later converted the building into a
library. The State Regional Library, established in 1958, is the
State Regional Library, is the worn out stone plaque indicating second biggest government library in the State with a book
that the present library was once the Town Hall opened in stack of 1,38,750. The books, mostly textbooks and reference
1915 during the British rule. material, have been used by students, general public and vis-
itors.
The location of the library in the heart of the town suggest that
it was also an important landmark and the open spaces were The library subscribes to nearly 97 magazines and receives 23
used to host high tea during the visits of the then Governors other periodicals as gratis. The book section of the library is
of Madras Presidency. the most sought after by students as it is opened from 8 a.m.
to 12 noon.
Baudhasri Archaeological Museum
Old age charm

Located opposite A.C. College, is the museum in
which one can find remnants of district’s legacy, cul-
ture and grandeur. Traces of human civilisation during
the prehistoric times ranging form early stone age to
the iron age are available at several places spread over
in the district as at Naguleru, Nagarjunakonda, Lam,
Nemalipuram, Motadaka etc., in the form of handles,
celts, cleavers etc., Established in May, 1956 by the
then Collector S. Bhagwan Das to coincide with the
2,500 birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha, the muse-
um was initially called as Buddha Vihar and later was
converted as museum in 1975. Rock cut sculptures
from Sekuru, Divuladinne, Amudalapalle have been
installed in the museum.
The museum has rock cut sculptures dating back

to first century AD to 16th century. Several punch
marked coins dating back to 1-4 century AD are also
displayed.

Theosophical Lodge
A short walk to the north from the Sankar Vilas Centre leads to a busy traffic island - Lodge Centre -
named after stately compound housing Sri Krishna Theosophical Lodge. One can find people reading the
daily newspapers at the reading room on the ground floor and on weekends, the lodge brims with activity
when discourses are held by prominent people from all walks of life.
The Lodge was built on 550 square feet of land donated by Vinjamuri Bhavanacharyalu in 1882 and con-
tinues to serve the people here. A prominent social reformer and theosophist Annie Besant was present at
the house warming done in 1912.

The NTR Kreeda Pranganam (Sports Stadium) located in the heart of the city is unique facility drawing
men and women of all aged groups. The multi purpose stadium has an indoor shuttle court with eight
badminton courts, two Table Tennis tables, Carrom Boards. The 300 metres athletic track and a walking
track, along with a Basketball court and a skating rink makes it the most complete stadium in the state.
The stadium also has two synthetic Tennis courts and a swimming pool at Pattabhipuram.

Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple,
Brundavan Gardens
The temple, popularly called ‘Guntur Tirupati’, is located at

Brundavan Gardens and is the most popular temple in the Two
Town. A lush green park, a function hall and a sprawling li-
brary add to the serene ambience of the temple.
In evenings, the temple premises comes alive with vibrant cul-

tural programmes, dance and drama and discourses on every-
day issues..
Located opposite the temple, is the Annamayya Library, with

a collection of 75,000 titles under 68 categories, hundreds of
magazines, and newspaper collection stacked in the Anna-
mayya library. The library is part of the literary and cultural
wing of the temple. ‘Annamayya kalavedika’ has been a plat-
form for cultural and religious discourses for the last 12 years.
The collection of such large volume of books, astonishingly,
has been done by a single person Lanka Suryanarayana, a sep-
tuagenarian bibliophile, who has been painstakingly collecting
books from all parts of the country.

Isckon Temple

Mayabazar
The Genie of your car
In the heart of Old Guntur, amidst rustic scrapes,

you fid everythig right from the uts ad bolts to the
engine of your car.
You should be least bothered about make and the

year when you enter Mayabazaar.
Spices Board
Spices Board was constituted as a statutory body on 26th Febru-

ary, 1987 under Section (3) of the Spices Board Act, 1986. The
Board is headed by a Chairman with its head office at Kochi.
Spices Board is responsible for the development of cardamom
industry and export promotion of 52 spices listed in the sched-
ule of the Spices Board Act, 1986. The primary function of
the Board includes production development of small and large
cardamom, promotion, development and regulation of export
of spices. The Board is also responsible for implementing pro-
grammes for development of spices in North Eastern region and
organic spices in the country. The activities of the Board include
issue of certificate of registration as exporter of spices; undertak-
ing programmes and projects for promotion of export of spices
like setting up of spices parks etc.

Tobacco Board
The Tobacco Board was constituted as a statu-

tory body on 1st January, 1976 under Section
(4) of the Tobacco Board Act, 1975. The Board
is headed by a Chairman with its headquarters
at Guntur, Andhra Pradesh and is responsible
for the development of the tobacco industry.
While the primary function of the Board is ex-
port promotion of all varieties of tobacco and
its allied products, its functions extend to pro-
duction, distribution (for domestic consump-
tion and exports) and regulation of Flue Cured
Virginia (FCV) tobacco.
K. Sunitha, IAS, is the Chiarman of the Tobac-

co Board, Guntur.

Naaz Centre
Municipal Travellers Bunglow Jn.
Naaz Centre
Incredible
Guntur

AMARAVATHI
A RELIC OF HOARY PAST

Dhyana Buddha Statue, Amaravathi
The 125 feet tall statue embellished with sculp-

tures from Amaravati School of Art, was sculpt-
ed by Joint Director of Social Welfare, Guntur,
R. Mallikarjuna Rao.
The statue is an embodiment of the spiritual vir-

tuosity of the Mahastupa at Amaravathi, India’s
greatest architectural achievement during 150-200
AD. The statue stands on massive Lotus pandal
supported by eight pillars symbolizing the Bud-
dha’s eight fold path to attain salvation. The area
is divided into four zones depicting the four noble
truths. The five ayaka pillars made of sand stone
symbolize the five stages of life.
Inside the statue, is a three layered museum which

has reliefs of famous sculptures of Amaravati Art
including events associated with enlightenment of
Buddha, enlightenment under Bodhi tree and all
other events in the life of Buddha.
The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Cor-

poration has built a guest house having 22 suits.
Located at a distance of 32 KM to the North of

Guntur. One has to drive on Guntur-Amaravathi
road to reach the statue.
Rathotsavam, Amareswara Swamy Temple
Amaravathi
`Rathotsavam,’’ is a popular religious festival which takes
place during Maha Shivarathri. One can see the religious
fervour as the presiding deities of Lord Siva and Parvathi
would be pulled in a procession on a chariot.
The temple ritual is unique as it was held on Amavasya and

was marked by fervour at times frenzy. It is quite a sight
to see the chariot decorated with flowers pulled out from
the ratha sala opposite the Amareswara Swamy Temple. As
people chanted ``Hara Hara Maho Deva and Om Nama-
sivaiah’’, the chariot was taken in a procession.

Maha Stupa, Amaravathi
Maha Stupa: The Amaravathi Maha Stupa is a
protected monument of Archeological Survey of
India. The stupa was once an imposing structure
adorned with marble sculpture, stood 38 metres
tall and was known for its intricate carvings with
scenes from the Life of Buddha. In the year 2006,
His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, performed Kala-
chakra empowerment at the Maha Stupa, where a
congregation of Buddhist monks across the world
took part.

UNDAVALLI CAVES
History is truly evident in
Guntur District, a monolithic
example of Indian rock-cut ar-
chitecture; Undavalli Caves are
one of the finest testimonials to
ancient craftsmanship, located
in Undavalli of Guntur district
in the Indian state of Andhra
Pradesh. Caves were carved out
of solid sandstone on a hillside
in the 4th to 5th centuries A.D.
There are several caves and the
best known largest one has four
stories with a huge recreated
statue of Vishnu in a reclining
posture, sculpted from a single
block of granite inside the sec-
ond floor.

Panakala Lakshminarasimha Temple, Mangalagiri
Sri Panakala Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Brahmothsavam is
very important annual festival. It is believed that the celebration
was inaugurated by Dharmaraja at the behest of Lord Krishna.
Pradyumna, the son of Lord Krishna, reqested his father to cel-
ebrate his birthday annualy for a sapthaham (seven days) from
Phalguna Suddha Sapthami.
About 1,00,000 people, local and from distant places congre-

gate. On a big chariot, the Lord will go on procession and hun-
dreds of devotees will pull this cart with fervour and enthusiasm.
Ksheera Vruksham (The milk tree) on the Mangalagiri hill is

of great attraction particularly to the woman. Even today the
milk tree is on the Mangalagiri hill and throughout the year
thousands of women visit and worship the tree for begetting
children.
Gali Gopuram (Tower)

Thoorpu Gali Gopuram (Tower on East Side) is the main attrac-
tion for the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple. Vijayanagara
kings constructed three storeys and Raja Vasireddy Venkatadri
Naidu constructed another 8 storeys. Raja Vasireddy construct-
ed this from 1807 to 1809. Height of this temple is 153 feet
and width is 49 feet.

Uppalapadu- A BIRD SANCTUARY
You can see the pelicans landing with mighty

stances and several rare species migrate every
year providing rare delight to the visitors every
year. Uppalapadu, located 10 km from Gun-
tur, is a bird sanctuary, home to 60 species of
migratory birds.
The number of birds touches 20,000 during

the peak season -- between September and
February. Some of the attractive species in-
clude spotted pelican, painted stork, white
ibis, heron and cormorant

Chebrole Temple
Prakasam Barriage
KOTAPPAKONDA, NARSARAOPET
Kotappakonda, the abode of Trikoteswara Swamy, is a village 13 kilometres south west

of Narasaraopet in Guntur district. At a distance, one can find three hill peaks known as
Trikutachalam or Trikutadri and they are named after Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara.
The presiding deity in the shape of Shivalinga on the hill top is known as Trikuteswara or
Trikoteswara. A steep flight of steps lead to the hill and the deity is located at a height of 1,587
feet. There are a number of ponds on the hill, of which eight are located in front of the temple.
The sleepy village comes alive on the eve of Mahashivaratri. Milling crowds occupy every inch
of the space in and around the hill. Prabhas, which are rectangular frames made of bamboo
and decorated with coloured cloth and paper, of different sizes are taken in procession as part
of the festival. Most of them are 60 to 70 feet high and are carried by the devotees. Giant
prabhas, which are over 100 feet, are carried on decorated bullock carts, and are placed on a
meadow at the foot of the hill.
Suryalanka Beach, Bapatla
Located at a distance of 65 km from Guntur, Suryalanka

beach, Bapatla is renowned for sandy soil and shallow
waters. Being one of the prominent beaches near Gun-
tur, people throng to the beach on weekends and one
can book cottages online in AP Tourism website for a
pleasant stay. Guntur Coffee Table Book | 93
Ethipothala Water Falls
Just about 15 km from Macherla and 143 km

from Guntur are the Ethipothala Waterfalls on
the Chandravanka river, a tributray to the Krishna
river. Amidst beautiful surroundings, you can see
shimmering water cascade 70ft down to form a
lagoon. The picture postcard beauty of the place,
with verdannt valleys and cave temples along hilly
countryside, has made it a favourite picnic spot.
There is a crocodile breeding centre here, giving
you a chance to observe reptiles from close quar-
ters in their natural habitat.
Dam

Nagarjuna Konda
This island was one of the most important and largest Buddhist centers in
entire South India right from the second century BC until the third century
AD. This place was named after Acharya Nagarjuna, who was a renowned
Buddhist philosopher and scholar and who is also considered as the pioneer
to spread Buddhism in this region.
The museum will be kept open from 9am to 4pm for the tourists to visit.
It will be closed on Friday and only a meagre fee is collected as entry ticket.

Public Transport

Railway Station
Guntur railway station is a major railway station
in South Central Railway Division. The first rail
line is a Metre Gauge of Guntur-Repalle section in
1916 and later between Guntur and Hubli/Goa.
Later a Broad Gauge rail line was built between
GNT/VJA towards Howrah with the completion
of Prakasam Barrage on River Krishna. By the end
of the 20th century Guntur had 4 different railway
lines passing through its junction.
The first steam passenger train chugged into Gun-

tur in the year 1887. The train started at Tadepalli
and was headed to Bellary district then in Andhra
Pradesh but now in Karnataka.The Krishna Ca-
nal-Nandyal section was part of Margao-Machili-
patnam railway line connecting the two major
ports in southern India during the British Raj.
The Romance of Railways: Experience the scenic

beauty of Nallamalla forests by travelling on the
Guntur-Nandyal line and feel the thrill of navi-
gating through the Bogoda Tunnel, now electrified
and Dorabavi viaduct.
The Coastal Connect: The Guntur-Repalle section

was built in the year 1917 which passes through
Tenali railway station connecting to East Coast
Railways.
The Lime Line: The Guntur-Macherla section

serves to transport lime stone, quartz, cement from
Piduguralla, known as Lime City.
The new line to Hyderabad: The Bibinagar-Nadi-

kudi section was inaugurated in the year 1974 by
former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi opening a
shorter and alternative line to Hyderabad. The Pal-
nadu Express connecting Guntur and Vikarabad
towns is a popular day inter city express train.
The Guntur Railway Division was established in

April 2003 and was carved out of Vijayawada and
Guntakal railway divisions. Divisional Railway
Manager V.G Bhooma heads the division.

RTC Bus Stand:

Education
Guntur is the hub of higher education in the state. The Andhra

Christian College established in the year 1885 was the earliest
centre for higher learning followed by Hindu College and later
Andhra Muslim College. Government College for Women was
established in the year 1942 . It was called as Lady Hope college.
In the year 1962 AUPG centre was established at Nallapadu. Lat-

er Tellakuala Jallayya college was established. In the same dec-
ade JKC college was also established. In the year 1975 A.U., PG
Centre was upgraded as Nagarjuna University later changed into
Acharya Nagarjuna University. It was due to merging of SSLC and
PUC into two-year Intermediate course, there was a tremendous
growth of Intermediate colleges in the city 5 colleges established in
both private sectors. First it was started by Late CVN Dhan as Ravi
College which later had become the symbol of EAMCET coach-
ing in Guntur. Thousands of students from all over AP opted Ravi
College. Later Lavu Rathaiah started Intermediate in Residential
system.
The residential system of college education had its roots in Gun-

tur. Parents who wanted to see their children in engineering and
medical colleges used to opt for residential colleges in Guntur, that
combined regular teaching of intermediate with coaching for en-
trance tests for admission into medical and engineering colleges.
At present, there are 12 Engineering colleges, 3 Medical colleges, 6

Pharmacy colleges, one dental college, and four Education colleges
existed in Guntur city.

HOUSING
The Guntur City life style has a mixture of both urban and rural with a touch of
cosmopolitan way of life. The city region comprises the surrounding sub-urban
and rural areas stretched in all the directions.
Anyone can see the new townships which are sprawling in its Suburban region
as the population growth created demand for land for new housing, industry
and community. The bifurcation of the state and the announcement of Capital
Amaravati, which is 40 km to the North of the city has triggered a massive de-
mand for property. The stretch between Guntur and Vijayawada is now dotted
with world class living facilities with big construction groups like, Ramakrishna
Venuzia, Lingamaneni Constructions, Mid Valley and Vertex Capital County,
Amaravathi Paradise etc.
The city’s outshine life had created a broad range of recreational, retirement,
leisure, tourism, cultural and economic services which had changed the face of
this land.

FASHION
Fashion can be an impression of social, economical, political and
social changes. Guntur is seeing advancement, symbolizing the
spirit of the conditions.
Fashion has experienced an exceptional change in Guntur– from

street fashion to branded outlets like Tommy Hilfiger, Louis
Philippe Denim, Van Heusen,Blackberries for men and outlets
like BIBA, W, Pantaloons, Neeru’s,for women respectively which
have been setup in Laxmipuram with advanced outfits and the
associate of trendy clothes. People have been pulled in by the
quality and brand wearing that allow having a rich and stylish
appearance and impacts people to feel extraordinary too.

Colours of Life

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GUNTUR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

Grand Trunk Road, Opp. Gandhi Park,

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 3

The city steeped in history and a cradle of ancient cultures, reli-

The city has produced some of the outstanding entrepreneurs in

Life in the city is ever engaging and there is a constant buzz on

Trials on the Flue Cured Virginia Tobacco were conducted as early

8 | Guntur Coffee Table Book

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 11

Dr. LSN Prasad,

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 17

It was during the heydays of freedom struggle, Nadimpal-

In the post-independent era, Chebrolu Hanu-

Kolli Sarada, a gynecologist and daughter of

Chukka Yesuratnam, succeeded her in the

18 | Guntur Coffee Table Book

List of Municipal Chairpersons/Special Officers. List of Municipal Commissioners

1- Singaruvelu Mudaliyar 1885-1887 1- M. Rajeswara Rao- 1994-1995

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 19

Not so long ago, the city was facing an acute water

The only water source since the days of British was

The water supply is at the rate of 152 LPCD in core

People in the city are now provided round the clock

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 21

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 23

HONEY MAKING: The Guntur

24 | Guntur Coffee Table Book

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 25

In 1883 Anna S.Kuglar, a doctor form U.S.A., arrived in In-

Kugler Hospital - Kothapet

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 27

Happy Hunting Ground:

The stadium now boasts of a indoor shuttle badminton

28 | Guntur Coffee Table Book

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 31

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 33

34 | Guntur Coffee Table Book

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 35

It was in 1928, the college was named as Andhra Christian

The college is interspersed with glorious buildings, the ma-

The college has produced three Chief Ministers, Kasu Brah-

In those days, Guntur was a small, nevertheless important

The Hindu College was established in 1935, by a group of

The Collector’s office is a heritage structure

Kona Sasidhar, IAS, is the present Collector

Guntur Medical College Photos

42 | Guntur Coffee Table Book

Traning the Trainers:

The centre has state of the art tertiary

The facility developed in Public-Pri-

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 43

Giving shape to Dreams:

In the later time, Zamindar Sri Raja Nayini Venkata Ranga

This institution has empowered numerous women and gave

Traning the Trainers:

The institute is housed in a building donated by Konda Par-

The building, popularly known as “DESHA BHAKTA

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 45

Several tales of magical and mysterious tales of

Every year in May, irrespective of religion, caste,

46 | Guntur Coffee Table Book

Old age charm

The museum has rock cut sculptures dating back

Guntur Coffee Table Book | 49