South India · Andhra Pradesh
Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh
About Rajahmundry
- Riverside
Where it is
Rajahmundry, officially Rajamahendravaram, lies on the east bank of the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh, at the head of the river's delta, where long road and rail bridges cross its broad channel.
History
The city rose to prominence under the Eastern Chalukya king Rajaraja Narendra in the 11th century. Over the following centuries it passed to the Kakatiyas, the Reddi kings, the Gajapatis, Vijayanagara and the Golconda sultans before British rule, and in the mid-19th century Sir Arthur Cotton's barrage at nearby Dowleswaram turned the delta into a rich rice bowl.
People
Telugu is spoken by nearly everyone, and the city is known as the cultural capital of Andhra Pradesh, with a long tradition of poets, reformers and theatre. The social reformer Kandukuri Veeresalingam, author of the first Telugu novel, lived and worked here.
Known for
- The Godavari and its long bridges
- The Pushkaram bathing festival every 12 years
- Boat trips to the Papikondalu gorge
- Dowleswaram Barrage
- Kadiyam plant nurseries nearby
Did you know?
Nannaya, honoured as the first poet of Telugu literature, began the Telugu retelling of the Mahabharata here in the 11th century under the patronage of King Rajaraja Narendra.
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