Vijayawada set to regain its past glory

HYDERABAD: With Vijayawada being announced as the capital city of residuary Andhra Pradesh on Thursday by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, this historical and cultural hub is all set to regain its glory and pre-eminent position.

Vijayawada in Krishna district of coastal Andhra Pradesh has traditionally occupied a prominent place in the history of Telugus.

Krishna district gets its name from Krishna, the third largest river that flows in India. The holy river originates near Mahabaleswar (Maharashtra) and joins the Bay of Bengal near Hamsaladevi Village in the district.

Krishna is considered the kernel of Telugu culture and is the birth place of the famous Indian classical dance form ' Kuchipudi. The dialect of Telugu spoken in Krishna is often considered to be the standard form of Telugu.

A commercial hub, the Vijayawada region, is also known for the contribution of its freedom fighters, entrepreneurial spirit and strides in the cultural field.

Dharanikota in present day Guntur district, neighbouring Vijayawada, was the first capital of Simukha, the founder of Satavahana dynasty in 3rd century BC, according to official records of Andhra Pradesh government.

The present Nagarjunakonda in Guntur district, which was known as Sriparvata and Vijayapuri, was the capital of Ikshvaku kings.

After the Ikshvakus, a part of the Andhra region north of the river Krishna was ruled over by Jayavarma of Brihatphalayana 'gotra'.

Salankayanas ruled over a part the East Coast with Vengi (near Eluru around 60 kms from Vijayawada) as their capital.

After the Salankayanas, next to rule were Vishnukundins who occupied the territory between the Krishna and Godavari.

The Vishnukundins extended patronage to architecture and sculpture.

The cave temples at Mogalrajapuram and Undavalli near Vijayawada bear testimony to their artistic taste. The ruins of the fort at Kondapalli in Krishna district hail back to Reddy Kingdom. Subsequently, the area came under the Vijayanagara Empire.

The temple in Srikakulam village in Krishna district was built by the Vijayanagara Kings. The area then passed on to the Qutub Shahis and later to the Nizams.

The office of the two important ministers during the Qutub Shahi rule - Madanna and Akkana -was in Vijayawada due to their reverence towards Goddess Kanaka Durga, the famous temple in Vijayawada.

The rulers from Golconda were the first to patronise European traders to establish themselves in Masulipatnam (now Machilipatnam, the administrative capital of Krishna district).

The Portuguese may have been the earliest, followed by the Dutch and the English.

In 1611, the English founded their settlement at Masulipatnam, which was their headquarters until they finally moved to Madras (Chennai) in 1641.

In 1761, in return for supporting Nizam Ali Khan in his succession to Golconda, the English secured their first division at Masulipatnam from the Nizams.

Initially, the division was administered by a chief and a council at Masulipatnam. In 1794, collectors, directly responsible to the Board of Revenue were appointed at Masulipatnam, making Krishna Collectorate, one among the oldest collectorates in the country.