Telugu Historyతెలుగు చరిత్ర

Krishna (old district)

The old Krishna (Kistna) district lay on the north bank and delta of the Krishna in undivided Andhra Pradesh. It included Machilipatnam and Vijayawada. The English traded at Machilipatnam from 1611. The district was formed in 1859. Guntur was separated from it in 1904, followed by West Godavari in 1925. The Krishna anicut turned the delta into a rice-growing region. Kondapalli toys and Machilipatnam kalamkari are its well-known crafts. In 2022 its territory was divided between Krishna, NTR and Eluru districts.

The old Krishna district lay on the north bank of the Krishna river and around its delta, on the Bay of Bengal.12 The port of Machilipatnam was its headquarters.345 Vijayawada was its major junction town.345 It was formed in 1859.67 In 2022 Andhra Pradesh divided its territory between three districts.67

Early history and kingdoms

Buddhist stupas stood at Jaggayyapeta and Gudivada.8 The stupa near Jaggayyapeta, found in the late nineteenth century, was 66 feet across and surrounded by marble carvings.3

According to the 1908 gazetteer, the Eastern Chalukyas came about the beginning of the seventh century.9 About 999 the Cholas replaced them, and about two centuries later the Kakatiyas of Warangal followed.910 After them the kings of Odisha ruled the north and the Reddi kings the south.10

The Reddis built the hill fort of Kondapalli about 1360.3 It changed hands many times.3 The Bahmani Sultan took it in 1471, Krishnadeva Raya about 1515, and Sultan Quli Qutb Shah in 1531.3 In 1515 Krishnadeva Raya took the north of the district from the Gajapatis of Odisha.10

Golconda and the European traders

When Vijayanagara fell in 1565, the area passed to the Qutb Shahis of Golconda.10 Their last ministers, Akkanna and Madanna, made Vijayawada their headquarters.11 In 1687 the district became part of Aurangzeb’s empire.10

Under the Golconda Sultans, diamonds were mined in the Nuzvid country and at Partiala, west of Kondapalli.12 One account says the famous Pitt (or Regent) diamond was found at Partiala.13

In 1611 the English founded their second settlement in India at Machilipatnam.10 It stayed their headquarters until they moved to Madras in 1641.10 The Dutch came three years after the English, and the French in 1669.10 Machilipatnam’s fine carpets were once exported to England.13

The Company and the district

In 1752 the Subahdar of the Deccan granted the Northern Circars to the French.10 In 1758 Clive sent Colonel Forde from Bengal against them.10 Early in 1759 Forde stormed the fort at Machilipatnam.14 By a treaty of 14 May 1759 the town and its land passed to the Company.14 In 1766 General Caillaud took Kondapalli from the Nizam.3

At first a Chief and Council ruled from Machilipatnam.10 In 1794 Collectors were appointed at Guntur and Machilipatnam.10 In December 1859 the coastal districts were reorganised into two new districts: Godavari and Krishna (then Kistna).61516

The great dam across the Krishna at Vijayawada was finished in 1854, and it fed ten main canals.17 The 1908 gazetteer says the area had not suffered serious famine since then.9 The tidal wave of 1864 was a different disaster: it drowned about 30,000 people around Machilipatnam.9

Changes to the district, 1904–1925

In 1904 seven of Krishna’s taluks became part of the new Guntur district.1819 In return the district received five taluks from Godavari, among them Ellore (now Eluru).19 The census of 1931 says that in 1925 two districts, Krishna and West Godavari, were formed from the old Kistna district.2021

After 1925 the district changed little, apart from small border adjustments.1 In 1959 the Munagala paragana (an enclave) went to Nalgonda district.1

1953–2014

In 1953 it was one of the eleven districts of the new Andhra State.22 The census of 1981 counted Krishna among the 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh.23 The 2001 handbook names Pingali Venkayya, who designed the Indian national flag, among the district’s people.24 It also names N. T. Rama Rao, who founded the Telugu Desam Party and became Chief Minister.24

In 1985 the district’s 18 taluks, in four revenue divisions, became 50 mandals.25 After the division of 2014 it stayed in Andhra Pradesh.26

Division, 2022

On 4 April 2022 its territory was divided between three districts:7

  • Krishna, which kept the old name, with its headquarters at Machilipatnam7
  • NTR, with its headquarters at Vijayawada7
  • part of Eluru7

Administration

In 1961 the district had ten taluks in four revenue divisions: Bandar, Vijayawada, Gudivada and Nuzvid.1 It had 13 towns, including two cities with populations of over a lakh each.1

Land, farming and water

The 1961 handbook divides the district into the delta and the uplands.1 The delta covered the Bandar, Divi, Gudivada and Kaikalur taluks.2 The Kolleru lake, about 150 square miles, lies in Kaikalur taluk and almost dries up in summer.2

In 1903–04 rice was the staple crop of the old district, on a quarter of the cultivated land.27 Nearly 90 per cent of the irrigated land was watered by government canals.17 By 2001 the Krishna anicut system, the Muniyeru dam at Polampalli and the Nagarjuna Sagar project together watered 9.14 lakh acres.28 Paddy covered 10.26 lakh of the 18.26 lakh acres cropped.28

Crafts and industries

Kondapalli is known for its toys, made from a light wood that grows on its hills.1229 Machilipatnam is known for kalamkari, hand-printed cloth that sold even abroad.29 The 1961 handbook calls the district well advanced in industry.29

By 2001 the district had 45 large and medium industries, mostly at Vijayawada, Gudivada, Machilipatnam, Kondapalli, Nuzvid and Jaggayyapeta.30 They made cement, cotton yarn, sugar, milk powder and mango pulp, among other things.30 The 2001 handbook also names the rolled-gold ornaments of Chilakalapudi.24

People

The 2001 census handbook lists the district’s population within its 2001 boundaries, from 1901 onward.31 The 2011 figure is from the 2011 handbook.32

Census yearPopulation
19018,61,068
195117,36,429
196120,76,956
198130,48,463
200141,87,841
201145,17,398

In 1901 the old, larger Kistna district had a higher share of Christians than any other district in Madras.33

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

Footnotes

  1. A. Chandra Sekhar, Census of India 1961, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Krishna District (1966), p. i (PDF p. 19) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  2. A. Chandra Sekhar, Census of India 1961, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Krishna District (1966), p. ii (PDF p. 20) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 323 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  4. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 319 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  5. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 320 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  6. Gordon Mackenzie, A Manual of the Kistna District (1883), p. 3 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  7. Government of Andhra Pradesh, Revenue (Lands-IV) Department, G.O.Ms. No. 183 (Eluru; Gazette No. 482), No. 184 (Krishna; Gazette No. 483) and No. 185 (NTR; Gazette No. 484), 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: 183 (opens in a new tab), 184 (opens in a new tab), 185 (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  8. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 303 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  9. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 301 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  10. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 302 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12

  11. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 321 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  12. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 308 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  13. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 309 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  14. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 325 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  15. Mackenzie, Kistna District (1883), p. 86 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  16. Hemingway, Godavari (1907), p. 169 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  17. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 307 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  18. Hemingway, Godavari (1907), p. 178 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  19. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 328, s.v. Guntur District (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  20. Census of India, 1931, Vol. XIV: Madras, Part I, Report (1932), p. 3 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  21. Census of India, 1931: Madras, Part I (1932), p. 12 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  22. “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)). ↩

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

  24. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Krishna District (2006), p. 22 (PDF p. 58) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  25. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Krishna District (2006), p. 10 (PDF p. 46) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

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

  27. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 306 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  28. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Krishna District (2006), p. 15 (PDF p. 51) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  29. A. Chandra Sekhar, Census of India 1961, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Krishna District (1966), p. vi (PDF p. 24) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  30. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Krishna District (2006), p. 16 (PDF p. 52) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  31. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Krishna District (2006), p. xxvii (PDF p. 19) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  32. Directorate of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2011, Andhra Pradesh (Series 29): District Census Handbook, Krishna District, Part XII-A (Village and Town Directory) (2014), p. 11 (PDF p. 29) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  33. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 304 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

Places in this district (13)

Monuments in this district (5)

Inscriptions found in this district (14)

References

Sources (12)
  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. Gordon Mackenzie, A Manual of the Kistna District in the Presidency of Madras (opens in a new tab), Government of Madras (Lawrence Asylum Press), 1883, pp. 3; 86. [Public domain]
  4. F. R. Hemingway, Madras District Gazetteers: Godavari, Vol. I (opens in a new tab), Government Press, Madras, 1907, pp. 169; 178. [Public domain]
  5. Government of India, Imperial Gazetteer of India, Provincial Series: Madras, Vol. I (opens in a new tab), Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta, 1908, pp. 299–309, 312, 319–325; 328. [Public domain]
  6. M. W. M. Yeatts, Census of India, 1931, Vol. XIV: Madras, Part I, Report (opens in a new tab), Government Press, Madras, 1932, pp. 3; 12. [Public domain]
  7. A. Chandra Sekhar (Census of India), Census of India 1961, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Krishna District (opens in a new tab), Census of India, 1966, i–vi, xii–xiii. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  8. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Krishna District (Parts A and B) (opens in a new tab), Census of India, 2006, xix, xxvii, 10, 15–16, 22. 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, Krishna District, Part XII-A (Village and Town Directory) (opens in a new tab), Census of India, 2014, pp. 11. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  10. 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]
  11. 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]
  12. 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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