Guntur is a major city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, close to the state capital Amaravati, 65 km (40 mi) West of Bay of Bengal. In ancient times, the city was referred as "Garthapuri". Its estimated population is around 700,000.
Understand
[edit]Climate
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It's a humid climate, with hot summers and mild winters.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]The nearest airport is in Vijayawada (VGA IATA), which takes about two hours to reach by bus.
By train
[edit]There are two railway stations serving the city, namely 1 Guntur Junction SCoR 
and 2 New Guntur SCoR . The former is reserved for long-distance trains while the latter is reserved for passenger and local trains.
Guntur has long-distance service from many cities, including Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi, Howrah, Puri, Visakhapatnam, Lucknow, Delhi, Jammu and Tirupati. See the Indian Railway site for detailed schedule and pricing information. It's also possible to travel to nearby Vijayawada, which is connected to even more destinations, and change to a local train for the last leg. Local trains are plentiful and connect Guntur, Vijayawada, Tenali and numerous smaller towns in between.
By bus
[edit]Local city buses are run by state owned APSRTC and also private City buses are also there. They cover not only the entire city region, but also the suburban and near by rural areas with a bit low frequency.
- Deluxe buses travel to longer distances with in the state as well outside the state, for example to Hyderabad and Bangalore.
- Private buses -- many private buses travel across the region covering both center city, suburban and rural areas. But the draw back of the private buses is that they don't maintain good schedules.
- Parking in the city is improving. It may be easy to park two wheelers, but finding parking for Cars bit harder. Generally parking is provided by the city government as well as the business owners.
Get around
[edit]
By two-wheeler
[edit]Motorbiking or cycling in downtown and busy areas can often be quicker than taking the auto-rickshaw or a taxi.
See
[edit]Ancient & archaeological
[edit]- 1 Bhattiprolu (20 miles (32 km) southwest of the city). Formerly the Kingdom of Prati Palaputra, appears to be the earliest-known kingdom in the region.
- 2 Kondaveedu Fort (17 miles (27 km) from Guntur City). This historical fort was built during the reign of the Reddy kings in 14th century CE. There are 21 structures in the fort. The ruins of the fort located on the hilltop offer unraveled mysteries to the tourist. A place of natural scenic beauty with natural wonders it is an ideal place for trekking. The Gopinatha temple and Kathulabave at the foot of the hillock, numerous temples, residential structures, pillared halls on the hill and the entrance gate ways on east and west sides are the attractions at Kondavidu.
- 3 Guthikonda Caves. Kotappakonda, the temporal abode of Trikoteswara Swamy, is a village, 40 km (25 miles) southwest of Guntur City near Narsaraopet. Its original name is Kondakavuru, but is more popularly known as Kotappakonda or Trikutaparvatham, a three-peaked hill nearby. Though surrounded by other hills, the three hills, also known by the names of Trikutachalam or Trikutadri, can be distinctly seen from a distance from any direction. The three peaks are named after the Hindu Triumvirate, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara. Guthikonda popularly known as Dakshina Kasi is located near Narasaraopeta. The Guthikonda Caves are a place of deep mystery attracting many tourists to explore.
- 4 Sitanagaram (16 miles (26 km) northeast of Guntur City). on the banks of river Krishna with a vast sandy beach for recreation and leisure. The famous Someswara Swamy temple is situated here. According to the legend Lord Rama wept here for Sita when she was abducted by Ravana, hence the name Sitanagaram.
City centre
[edit]Guntur is known for its modest city centre, business district and residential areas. To name a few, Center of Brodipet and Arundelpet, 5 Jinnah Tower , 6 Naaz Center, 7 Inner Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, and 8 Old Guntur. 9 Brindavan Gardens is one of the famous residential areas. 10 Manasa Sarovar is like the Central Park for Guntur City. Located on the eastern part of the city, it is one of the man-made parks located in Guntur. Managed by the GMC and UDA together.
- 11 Krishna Barrage (also known as Prakasam Barrage) is in the northeastern part of Guntur, located around 29 km (18 mi) from the Guntur City on the Krishna River connecting Guntur and Krishna Districts. On the other side of the River Krishna is Vijayawada (aka Bezawada) which is like a twin city to Guntur. Together the two/twin cities provide major medical, educational facilities in the state. This region is also a major transportation hub in the country. There is a future plan to make 'Greater Guntur' and twin cities comprising this area.
Nature
[edit]- 12 Ethipothala Falls (11 km (7 miles) from Nagarjuna Sagar). The water here is used for crocodile breeding.
- 13 Uppalapadu Nature Conservation (The southern part of the Guntur City (4 miles)). The water tanks in the village are unique as they provide refuge to many species birds including endangered Spot-Billed Pelicans and Painted Storks. The bird population in these tanks used to be around 12,000, although lately only about 7,000 birds roost in this dwindling habitat through the year.
Spiritual
[edit]- Viswa Nagar. southwest of the City near Chowdavaram (10 miles/16 km), easily accessible using the GNT-Chennai Express way (NH5). This is the place of Sri Viswayogi Viswamji and the Universal Integration Pillar. It is an envisioned symbol of oneness of humanity. Also located here is the VIMS/Viswayogi Institute of Medical Sciences (Mother and Child Care Hospital).
Famous temples and other shrines
[edit]- Temple of Chaturmukha Brahma Lingeswaralayam 8 miles (13 km) to the center city of Guntur. It is one of rare temples of India built for Lord Brahma.
- Sri Anjaneya Swamy Temple at Ponnuru (which has large idols) and Kothapet.
- Sri Bhavanarayanaswamy Temples at Bapatla (built at the time of Shri Krishna Deva Raya) and Ponnuru.
- Temple at Ramalingeswara Agraharam. It has old inscriptions dating to 1000 years ago.
- Kakani Malleswara Swamy Temple at Pedda Kakani built during the era of Krishnadevaraya.
- Hinkar Tirtha (Jain Temple, Mangalagiri), Vaikuntapuram (Tenali).
- Sri Kali Gardens at Namburu.
- Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple (Anantavaram) 32 km from Guntur and 10 km from Amaravathi.
Churches
[edit]- St. Matthew's West Parish, Near Grand Trunk Road
- St. Matthew's East Parish, Near Old Bus Stand
- St. Matthew's North Parish, Brodipet
- Telugu Baptist Church, Nagarampalem
- St. Joseph's Church, Opposite A.C.College
- Church of South India, Opposite A.C.College
- Laymen's Evangelical Fellowship, Opposite ILTD, Grand Trunk Road. Peter Paul Mobile: 9394111519
Mosques
[edit]- Masjid - e - Markaz, Near Pottur-pet, Old city
- Masjid - e - Barah Imam, Near Brahma Nanda Reddy Stadium, Old City
- Masjid - e - Firdouse, Alinagar, Old city
- Masjid - e - Azad Nagar, Old City
- Masjid - e - Madeena, Small Market, Old City
- Masjid - e - Al Aksa, New City
- Masjid - e - Big Mosque, Constructed by Aurangazeb, Old City
- Masjid - e - EK Minar, Big Market, Guntur, Masjid-e-Mohammad, 5/7 brodipet and Masjid_e_Athiqur Rahaman at Jute Mill are good mosques with nice architecture.
Nearby
[edit]- 14 Garikapadu. A small village in Jaggayyapeta Mandal, in the Khammam district. It is near Madhira and Wyra. It has approximately 1000 houses, which includes the 700 houses of Kammas (Chowdaries) and 150 houses of members of Scheduled Castes and 150 houses of members of Scheduled Tribes from the lower castes. About 80% of the lands are owned by the Kammas. They take the help of people from lower caste. This is the main resources of earning for the people of lower caste. One of the main incomes in the village is milk from buffalos. A unique thing about the village is its water system. Britishers dug the big canal from Vijayawada to Madras. “Krista kaluva” canal, originally named “Bakim Ham” Canal, is 480 km long. In this canal 2 cusecs of water will pass, the total cultivated land depends on this canal.
Do
[edit]- Visit Guntur mirch (red chilly) yard, which is the biggest in Asia.
Buy
[edit]- 1 The Chennai Shopping Mall, 6-19-18, Block No. 1, Lodge Center, Amaravathi Rd, Arundelpet, ☏ +91 40 2233 3333. Daily 10AM-10PM. A good place to shop for clothing, especially saris, as well as jewellery.
- Sri Venugopala Chenetha Vastralayam (Jonnadula Ramakotaiah & Son), Cloth Bazaar, Opp Gandhi statue, baskar deluxe road,Kothapet, ☏ +91 9290449511. Handloom sarees manufactured using traditional ways of hand-woven techniques. They manufacture their own sarees and sell them directly to the customers without any middlemen which makes the models cheaper than in the market.
Eat
[edit]
- 1 Ananda Bhavan Hotel (beside Sankara Vilas bridge). Well-known for tasty and delicious vegetarian meals, and tiffins. Andhra style meals are famous.
2. Syed Babu Hotel ( Anjuman E Islamia Complex. Opp: Lalapet Police Station) is the oldest hotel for over 50 years serving authentic Guntur Biryani. Other dishes served are Kichidi, Paya and Kebab. Its worth a visit.
Guntur has three star hotels like Vajram Residency, Sindhuri, and Vijaya Krishna International. For biryani you can visit Hyderabadi house.
- 2 Hotel Surya Mahabodhi (Arundelpet 10th Line). Famous for its delicacies. Especially the Vada Sambar variety they serve is a feast for your appetite. Also don't forget to taste Guntur Mirchi Bajji. You may get it elsewhere in AP also but the taste that you get in Guntur is absolutely matchless. Two more restaurants namely Nakshatra (a 3-star hotel, located at Lakshmipuram main road) and Grand Nagarjuna are very famous in Guntur.
For grocery shopping, one can go to the super markets like Triveni supermarket, Reliance Fresh. Moreover, Spencers and Subhiksha are famous for grocery shopping. Apart from these supermarkets, the Guntur vegetable market is one of the biggest in Andhra Pradesh.
- 3 Bismillah Biryani Point, Gunturvarithota, Beside Bilal Masjid (Opp RTC Bus Stand). 7AM-11PM. This hotel serves authentic Guntur biryani. Its mutton biryani is special and its chicken biryani is also worthwhile. Also try side dishes of mutton and chicken.
- 4 Hotel Madras Bilal, Near Markaz Mosque, Potturivarithota (Lane Opposite RTC Bustand). Hotel Madras Bilal serves authentic Guntur mutton and chicken biryani.
Drink
[edit]- 1 Tonique Restaurant & Bar, JKC College Rd, Bapaiaha Nagar. Daily 10AM-11PM. Known for its cocktails. Has separate areas for smokers and non-smokers.
Sleep
[edit]There are many three-star hotels in Guntur like Grand Nagarjuna, Sindhuri,Nakshatra.
- 1 Embassy Hotel, 4/2 Arundelpet, ☏ +91 9014488341, theembassyhotelsmo@gmail.com. Outfitted with 27 air-conditioned rooms.
- A1 Grand, Near Kadiyala Hospital, Narasaraopet (45 west of Guntur), contact@a1grand.in.
Cope
[edit]- Hospitals - As Guntur is a district headquarters, it has a number of good hospitals including Amaravathi Nedical Research Center, Sankar Eye Hospital and Bommidala Cancer Center.
Go next
[edit]| Routes through Guntur |
| Visakhapatnam ← Vijayawada ← | N  S |
→ Nellore → Chennai |