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East Godavari (old district)

The old East Godavari district in undivided Andhra Pradesh included the Godavari delta, Konaseema and the Agency hills. Its headquarters was Kakinada. Rajahmundry had been an Eastern Chalukya and Reddi capital, while Dutch, English and French traders worked along the coast. The district was formed from the remainder of old Godavari in 1925. Cotton's anicut brought prosperity to the delta, and Alluri Sitarama Raju's rebellion of 1922–24 began in its hills. In 2022 it had its boundaries changed and was renamed Kakinada. The remaining territory went to Konaseema, the new East Godavari district and Alluri Sitharama Raju.

The old East Godavari district lay on the east bank of the Godavari, from the Agency hills to the Bay of Bengal.1 It held most of the Godavari delta and the Konaseema, and its headquarters was Kakinada.12 It was formed in 1925.34 In 2022 Andhra Pradesh divided its territory between four districts.34

Early history and kingdoms

The 1908 gazetteer says Pallava chiefs once had capitals at Vengi and at Pithapuram.5 In the seventh century the Eastern Chalukyas took the country and extended their rule far into Visakhapatnam.5 The same gazetteer thinks the Chalukyas almost certainly founded Rajahmundry.6

The 1979 district gazetteer reports a tradition that Amma I built Rajamahendravaram and named it after himself.7 It adds that there is little evidence for this, because two later kings had the same title.7 From about 999 the land became part of the Chola empire.5 The temple at Draksharama contains many valuable inscriptions.8

After the Cholas declined, the Kakatiyas of Warangal held the country.6 An inscription over the main mosque at Rajahmundry dates it to 1324.6 Then the land passed to the Reddi kings of Kondavidu and Rajahmundry.9 The 1979 gazetteer says Anavema took the fort of Rajamahendravaram, and Kumaragiri later made his son Anavota viceroy there.10

Gajapatis, Golconda and the Europeans

About the middle of the fifteenth century the Gajapatis of Odisha united the Vengi and Kalinga countries.9 In 1515 Krishnadeva Raya overran the country, but his hold did not last.9 Rajahmundry fell to Golconda in 1572, and the Qutb Shahis held the land north of the Godavari until 1687.9

Palakollu was the first European settlement in the old district, founded by the Dutch in 1652.9 The Dutch next set up a station at Jagannathapuram, now part of Kakinada.9 The English followed, and founded a factory at Injaram in 1708.9 The French took Yanam, which they still held in 1908.9

In 1753 the Subahdar of the Deccan granted the Northern Circars to the French.9 The French general Bussy made Rajahmundry his headquarters from 1754 to 1757.6 In 1758 Colonel Forde from Bengal defeated the French at Condore (Chandurti) near Pithapuram.98 In 1765 the Circars, including this district, passed to the English.8

The Godavari district

In 1794 Collectors were appointed at Kakinada, Rajahmundry and Mogalturu.8 In 1859 the coast districts were re-formed into Godavari and Kistna.8 The old cloth factories closed in 1830, and the district suffered badly.8 That was one reason for building the Godavari dam.8

Sir Arthur Cotton took up the plan in 1845, and work at Dowlaishweram began in 1847.11 The 1908 gazetteer says the dam’s effect on the district’s prosperity was enormous.8 Kakinada grew into the chief port north of Madras, and during the American Civil War it shipped the cotton pressed at Guntur.1213

In 1879 the Rampa hill country became an Agency under the Scheduled Districts Act.8 The same year the Rampa rebellion broke out there, and troops had to be used.814 In 1904 five taluks, among them Eluru and Narsapur, moved to Kistna district.3

East Godavari, 1925–1956

On 15 April 1925 West Godavari was formed, and the rest of the old Godavari district was named East Godavari, with Kakinada as headquarters.3 It then had 13 taluks, including Bhadrachalam and Nugur.3 Polavaram taluk moved to West Godavari in 1942.3

The 1979 gazetteer says Alluri Sitarama Raju rose against the British on 22 August 1922.15 He moved through villages of the Yellavaram and Rampachodavaram areas.15 He was captured on 7 May 1924, and the gazetteer says he was shot soon after while trying to escape.15 See Alluri Sitarama Raju.

On 6 April 1930 volunteers broke the salt law at Chollangi, a coastal village near Kakinada, by boiling sea water.16 In 1953 it was one of the eleven districts of the new Andhra State.17

1956–2014

In 1959 the Bhadrachalam taluk and the Nugur sub-taluk moved from East Godavari to Khammam district.318 The East Godavari gazetteer says the change made administration easier.3 In July 1969 the Alamuru and Mummidivaram sub-taluks were formed.3 The census of 1981 counted East Godavari among the 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh.19

By 2001 the district had 59 mandals in five revenue divisions, set up in 1991.20 After the division of 2014 it stayed in Andhra Pradesh.21

Division, 2022

On 4 April 2022 its territory was divided between four districts:4

Administration

In the 1970s the district had eight taluks and six sub-taluks in four revenue divisions: Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Peddapuram and Amalapuram.132 The 1979 gazetteer divides it into the Agency hills, the delta and the uplands.2 It says nearly half the district is covered by the Eastern Ghats.2

Land, farming and water

The delta covered the whole of the Konaseema, with Kothapeta, Razole and Amalapuram, and parts of three other taluks.2 In 1904 most of the irrigation canals were fed by the Godavari anicut.22 Sugarcane was important in Ramachandrapuram and Kakinada.23

The 2001 handbook says the district was famous for coconut, sugarcane and paddy.24

Crafts and industries

The district was once famous for fine cotton cloth, but by 1904 it was made only in a few villages near Kakinada and Palakollu.25 The largest factory was then the sugar refinery and distillery at Samalkot, with 520 workers.25 In 1903–04 Kakinada exported goods worth about 167 lakh rupees.26

By 2001 the district had rice, sugar, fertiliser and paper industries, with large fertiliser and chemical plants at Kakinada.27 There were six spinning mills, two sugar factories and ten paper mills in the private sector.27

People

The 2001 census handbook lists the district’s population within its 2001 boundaries, from 1901 onward.28 The 2011 figure is from the 2011 handbook.29

Census yearPopulation
190113,39,029
195123,01,822
196126,08,375
198137,01,040
200149,01,420
201151,54,296

The 1979 gazetteer says East Godavari had the second-largest population of any district in the State.1

Where the sources disagree

The 1908 gazetteer gives two dates for the Godavari dam:811

  • Its Godavari district article says the dam was completed in 1850.8
  • Its article on the Godavari canals says work began in 1847 and was practically finished in two years.11

For an overview of district changes, see How the map changed.

Footnotes

  1. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: East Godavari (1979), p. 1 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: East Godavari (1979), p. 3 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  3. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: East Godavari (1979), p. 2 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  4. Government of Andhra Pradesh, Revenue (Lands-IV) Department, G.O.Ms. No. 176 (Alluri Sitharama Raju; Gazette No. 475), No. 179 (Kakinada; Gazette No. 478), No. 180 (Konaseema; Gazette No. 479) and No. 181 (East Godavari; Gazette No. 480), 2 April 2022, final notifications printed in the Andhra Pradesh Gazette, Part I Extraordinary, 3 April 2022: notification PDF p. 1, Schedule-I PDF p. 2 (archive.org copies: 176 (opens in a new tab), 179 (opens in a new tab), 180 (opens in a new tab), 181 (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  5. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 271 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 296 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  7. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: East Godavari (1979), p. 21 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  8. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 273 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12

  9. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 272 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  10. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: East Godavari (1979), p. 30 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  11. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 165 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  12. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 293 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  13. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 294 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  14. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 297 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  15. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: East Godavari (1979), p. 44 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  16. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: East Godavari (1979), p. 45 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  17. “Prime Minister’s Statement on Andhra”, 25 March 1953, printed in Madras Legislative Assembly Debates, 2 April 1953, appendix, pp. 823–825 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)); The History of the Andhra Pradesh Police (1861–1961) (1961), pp. 249–250 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  18. S. S. Jaya Rao, Census of India 1981, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Khammam District (1986), PDF p. 17 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  19. Ch. Purnachandra Rao, Census of India 1981, Andhra Pradesh: Portrait of Population (1981), p. 13 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  20. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, East Godavari District (2006), p. 9 (PDF p. 59) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  21. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (Act No. 6 of 2014), ss. 2–4, pp. 1–2 (Gazette copy (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  22. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 278 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  23. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 277 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  24. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, East Godavari District (2006), p. xix (PDF p. 11) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  25. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 279 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  26. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 280 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  27. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, East Godavari District (2006), p. 14 (PDF p. 64) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  28. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, East Godavari District (2006), p. xxxii (PDF p. 24) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  29. Directorate of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2011, Andhra Pradesh (Series 29): District Census Handbook, East Godavari District, Part XII-A (Village and Town Directory) (2014), p. 9 (PDF p. 27) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

Places in this district (13)

Monuments in this district (4)

Inscriptions found in this district (12)

References

Sources (10)
  1. Ch. Purnachandra Rao (Census of India 1981), Census of India 1981, Andhra Pradesh: Portrait of Population (opens in a new tab), Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, 1981, pp. 13. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  2. Government of Andhra Pradesh, Revenue (Lands-IV) Department, Restructuring / formation of districts: final notifications, G.O.Ms. Nos. 173 to 198 (2 April 2022) (opens in a new tab), Andhra Pradesh Gazette, Part I Extraordinary, Nos. 472 to 497 (3 April 2022), 2022, PDF pp. 1–2 of each notification. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  3. Madras Legislative Assembly, Prime Minister's Statement on the Establishment of Andhra State (Assembly debates, 2 April 1953) (opens in a new tab), Madras Legislative Assembly, 1953, pp. 823–825. [Public domain in India]
  4. Inspector-General of Police, Andhra Pradesh, The History of the Andhra Pradesh Police (1861-1961) (opens in a new tab), Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, 1961, pp. 249–250. [Public domain in India]
  5. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: East Godavari (revised edition) (opens in a new tab), Government of Andhra Pradesh (Government Central Press, Hyderabad), 1979, pp. 1–3, 21, 30, 37, 40, 44–45. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  6. S. S. Jaya Rao (Census of India 1981), Census of India 1981, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Khammam District (opens in a new tab), Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, 1986, PDF p. 17. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  7. Government of India, Imperial Gazetteer of India, Provincial Series: Madras, Vol. I (opens in a new tab), Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta, 1908, pp. 165; 271–273, 277–280, 288–298. [Public domain]
  8. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, East Godavari District (Parts A and B) (opens in a new tab), Census of India, 2006, xix, xxxii, 9, 14. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  9. Directorate of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2011, Andhra Pradesh (Series 29): District Census Handbook, East Godavari District, Part XII-A (Village and Town Directory) (opens in a new tab), Census of India, 2014, pp. 9. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  10. Parliament of India, The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (Act No. 6 of 2014) (opens in a new tab), Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 1 (1 March 2014), 2014, pp. 1–2 (ss. 2–4). [Public domain (Indian enactment; Copyright Act 1957, s. 52(1)(q))]

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