Zarugumilli

Zarugumilli
village
Country	India
State	Andhra Pradesh
District	Prakasam
Talukas	Zarugumalli
Population
• Total	3,500
Languages
• Official	Telugu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	523274
Telephone code	08592

Zarugumalli is a village and a Mandal in Prakasam district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.^[1]

Villages under this mandal include

1. Panguluri vari palem
2. Chintala palem
3. Davaguduru
4. Kamma vari palem
5. Nandanavanam
6. Chirrikuru padu
7. Vavilati padu
8. Narsingolu
9. Kattubadi palem
10. Kamepalli
11. Nethi vari palem
12. Vardhineni vari palem
13. Patchava
14. K.Bitragunta
15. Reddy palem
16. Thumadu
17. Paleti padu
18. Sadhu vari palem
19. Paidi padu
20. Sathuku madu
21. Edluru padu
22. I.M.Khandrika
23. J.G.Khandrika
24. N.M.V.Khandrika
25. N.N.Khandrika
26. N.V.V.Khandrika
27. P.G.Khandrika
28. P.M.Khandrika
29. Kamepalli agraharam
30. Ramachandra puram

Social and cultural history of Prakasam District

Prakasam District's past stretches back to when it was ruled by the Mauryas, from 250 BC. The rise of the Satavahanas saw Buddhism flourish in the region and the construction of several stupas. The Ikshvaku and Vijayanagar Kings, the Qutub Shahis and the Mughals later followed these rulers. Each of them leaving a distinct imprint on the culutural landscape of the District.

Ongole is located 138 km from Vijayawada and 450 km from Hyderabad. The headquarters of Prakasam District, Ongole is an ancient town, mentioned in the inscriptions of the Pallava rulers of the 3rd and 4th century AD. Today, Ongole is a bustling beehive of commercial activity with dairy products, cigars, cereals, pulses, groundnut and pepper being distributed to all corners of the country. The bullocks from Ongole, known as Ongole Gitta, are renowned throughout the world.

Formation of Prakasam District

The Ongole district was originally constituted on the 2 February 1970, out of the Guntur, Nellore and Kurnool districts. It was renamed as Prakasam district on 12 May 1972, in memory of the great patriot and Andhra Leader, Tanguturi Prakasam Panthulu, also known as Andhra Kesari (Lion of Andhra), who was born in Kanuparthi village of this district. It was carved out of three taluks of Guntur District, i.e. Addanki, Chirala and Ongole, four taluks of Nellore district, i.e. Kandukur, Kanigiri, Podili and Darsi and two taluks of Kurnool district i.e. Markapuram and Giddaluru. It is one of the nine coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. Some of the main towns in Prakasam district are Ongole, Addanki, Markapuram, Darsi, Chirala, Kandukur, Parchur, Giddaluru, Podili, Dornala, Cumbum, Kanigiri and Chimakurthi. Markapuram is India's main slate manufacturing town and is where the historic temple of Chennakesava is situated. Chimakurthi is world renowned for its granite. Dornala is also known as diguva Srisailam, since it is very near the historic pilgrimage of Srisailam.

History of Zarugumalli

Interestingly, the name Zarugumalli has emerged from the word Zarugu (displaced from one place to place), that is according to the ancestors, at one time all the villagers decided to build all the houses far from the farms from the place where they resided for many years, so the name came to zarugumalli in this way.

Zarugumalli (Zarugumilli according to government records) is a village in Prakasam District about 27 kilometers from Ongole. The place earned its own importance in the cultural history of Andhra Pradesh. The village is situated on the bank of Paleru River, a tributary of River Krishna. Eastern Chalukyas, Telugu Cholas, Kaakateeyulyu and Kondaveeti Reddy Raajulu held sway in this region. Their descendants have achieved prominence and recognition in the fields of academics, science, entertainment and politics. After 18th Century this region went into the hands of the British empire. Post-independence this region was a part of Madras State. After the formation of Andhra state in 1950 it came under Nellore District. Until 1986 it was a part of Ulavapadu Samithi. In 1986, the village was Named as mandal Headquarters for the surrounding 22 villages.Ex forest Minster Late Sri Nalamothu Chenchu Rama Naidu was from Chintalapalem villege of this Mandal.

Zarugumalli Agriculture

Agriculture is the source of income for the villagers. Tobacco is the main commercial crop in this region. Most of the agricultural land is black soil, hence the main paddy, chick pea (Senaga) were the main crops in monsoon season. Watermelon is also cultivated in the summer season. The countryside of Zarugumalli has many ponds, namely NagulaKunta, NannuKunta, Palaikunta, and Bapi Reddy Kunta; these ponds are blessed with large spread across a large area, serving water for cattle and for agriculture.

The Paleru River, which flows on the left side of the village, is keeping the village ground water level at a safe level, but due to the deep excavations by the greedy sand mafia it has lost its shine. The other source of income is cattle; milk production in the village is high compared to other villages.

Literacy in Zarugumalli

The village has 3 lower primary schools and one ZPPH school. Most of the youth are educated and serving many multinational organizations around the world.

Political overview

Zarugumalli Village has 2,100 votes approximately, and falls under Kondepi Constitution.Many people elected from this constituency have served key roles in the Andhra Pradesh government. The village has newly constructed buildings for the MRO office, police station, MDO office, bank, and all other administrative blocks for all government offices. It has 24-hour electricity, Internet, well-finished concrete roads, and pure drinking water facility for all houses.

Atmosphere in Zarugumalli

The atmosphere in the village is very beautiful, mostly away from the industrial area. The environment is unpolluted; one can find a lot of greenery, and cool winds in the evening. Diving into the river from the sand bank of Paleru is an amazing and unforgettable experience. Birds feed on fish in the river. In the evening it is inspiring to watch them fly toward the riverbank in the shapes of arcs and semicircles.

Places to visit

Zarugumalli has an old Lord Shivas Temple constructed hundreds of years ago. There is an old inscription near the Temple written on the rock in a unidentified language. "Ulleramma Talli Temple" is very famous in the area; she is considered as the Goddess (Grama Devatha)for Zarugumalli and Chintalapalem Villeges. Every Sunday, villagers offer holy food (Pongali) to Grama Devatha. There are many temples around the area, including:

• Chennakesavaswamy Temple: this 18th-century temple has a beautifully sculptured idol of Chennakesava with his consort Lakshmi.
• Kasivisweswaraswamy Shrine: situated next to the Chennakesavaswamy Temple, this shrine is famous for its Addala Mandapam, which was consecrated in 1945.
• Saneswara Temple in Narasingole, which is 9 km from Zarugumalli
• Bhairava Konda: the ancient temple of the eight-faced Durga-Bhairavaswamy is located amid thick forest and picturesque surroundings. The sculpture in this temple has been carved out of a single rock. The 60-metre-high waterfall near the temple adds to the beauty of the surroundings.
• Malakonda (6 km from Chundi): The temple of Malayadri Lakshminarasimhasamy is on a hillock amid thick forest and delightful country.
• Manikeswaram (32 km): the Mandukeswaraswamy Temple on the slope of a hill was built by a Chola king. The Gundakamma River flows by the hill.
• Markapur: the Chennakesavaswamy shrine here has a beautiful 40 pillar mantapam and magnificent sculptured gopurams. The Kalyana Mandapam in this temple has six musical pillars that produces the seven musical notes when tapped.

Motupalle: Motupalle is an ancient seaport that flourished under various dynasties from the 1st century AD. Traces of Buddhist stupas and sculpture may be seen here.

References