Ongole's name derives from the Sanskrit word 'Ongole', meaning the 'town of Shiva'.
History
The city's history dates from 230 BCE with the era of the Mauryas and Satavahanas who ruled most of what is now Andhra Pradesh. A few inscriptions dating to the Satavahana period have been found in China Ganjam, a village near Ongole. According to the historical inscriptions available at Sri Raja Rajeswara Swami Temple complex, the city was founded by Cholas. Ongole is also mentioned in the inscriptions of the Pallava rulers of the third and fourth century A.D. The city was also ruled by Krishna Deva Raya. This place came into the limelight again during the Kakatiya dynasty, when the nearby towns of Motupalli and Vodarevu served as major seaports. The last dynasty to rule the Ongole region before the British was the Mandapati dynasty (zamindars). Kaasi Visweswara Swami temple, Chenna Kesava Swami Temple and Veeranjaneya Swami temple were built in the early 17th century by King Vankayalapati mantri and his chief of army.
Andhra Baptist Mission High School founded in the late 19th century by American Baptist missionaries, is the oldest educational institution in the city.
Ongole is located at 15.5°N 80.05°E. It has an average elevation of 10 m (33 ft) AMSL and is situated on the plains. The city is around 149 kilometres (93 mi) to the south west of Amaravati, the stat capital.
Climate
Summer temperatures reaches as high as 44 °C (111 °F) during March–May.[8][9] During the monsoon season, the city receives lot of rain. The annual average rainfall 794.5 mm. The winter season from November to February is pleasant. Winter months are usually dry, with little to no rainfall. The average annual temperature is 24.5 C. Cyclones occur more commonly during October–December bringing rains and heavy winds.
Climate data for Ongole (1991–2020, extremes 1944–2020)
Ongole has been ranked 17th best “National Clean Air City” under (Category 3 population under 3 lakhs cities) in India.[13]
Demographics
Based on the 2011 Census of India, the city had a population of 252,739. The sex ratio of 994 females per 1000 males is higher than the national average of 940 per 1000.[14] 19,744 children are in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 10,228 are boys and 9,516 are girls&a ratio of 935 per 1000. The average literacy rate stands at 83.04% with 153,628 literates, significantly higher than the state average of 67.41%.[15][16]
Governance
Civic administration and politics
Community Hall, Ongole
It is constituted as a municipality in 1876 and was upgraded to municipal corporation on 25 January 2012.[17] The jurisdiction of the corporation is spread over an area of 132.45 km2 (51.14 sq mi) with 50 election wards.[18] The agglomerated villages that were merged into Ongole corporation are: Cheruvukommupalem, Throvagunta, Muktinuthalapadu, Dasarajupalli, Koppolu, Narasapuram Agraharam, Pellur, Pernamitta, Vengamukkapalem.
Agriculture is the primary industry of Ongole, and the city is a major center for tobacco trading in Andhra Pradesh.
Ongole bulls are a breed of oxen that are exported to many countries. The Brahman bull in America is an off-breed of the Ongole. Ongole Island, in Malaysia, holds many Ongole oxen. The population of Zebu off-breed descended animals in Brazil, which contain a large Ongole component, was over 100 million in 1995.[22] The original breed of Ongole stud bulls are found in a small region around Ongole town between the Gundlakamma and Musi rivers.
Education is imparted through government and private institutions. Several aided schools decided to become private schools or close down after transferring the staff to the government, when the government decided to stop giving aid.[32] English became the medium of instruction for primary schools in the academic year 2020–21.
The PDCA-CSR Sarma College Ground is one of the home grounds of the Andhra cricket team, with a first-class cricket status and hosts Ranji Trophy matches.[37][38] The ground has recorded the first ever triple century by a wicket keeper in Ranji Trophy, achieved by Srikar Bharat of the Andhra cricket team.[39] The police parade grounds hosted the first state-level Girl Football Tournament in October 2016.[40]
Tourism
Boats near Kothapatnam beach
Kothapatnam beach (approx 17 km away), Valluramma temple at Valluru (about 11 km away), Gundlakamma Reservoir Project at Mallavaram (approx 20 km away) are few nearby places of tourist interest.
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