Kondapalli
| Kondapalli కొండపల్లి | |
|---|---|
| Census Town | |
|
Kondapalli fort | |
  Kondapalli Location in Andhra Pradesh, India | |
| Coordinates: 16°37′N 80°32′E / 16.617°N 80.533°ECoordinates: 16°37′N 80°32′E / 16.617°N 80.533°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Andhra Pradesh |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • Total | 33,373 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Telugu |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
Kondapalli is a census town in Ibrahimpatnam mandal, located in Krishna District of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located at 16 km from Vijayawada, on National Highway 221.
Kondapally toys
It is very famous for Kondapally Toys known as Kondapalli bommalu. The toys are chiseled from locally available special light softwoods (Tella Poniki) and painted with vegetable dyes, and vibrant enamel colours. They are world famous artistic wonders. They are made by artisans said to have migrated from Rajasthan several generations ago. The most popular toys include Dasavatarams (ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu) elephants with Ambari, palanquin-bearers carrying the bride and bridegroom, toddy tapper, set of village craftsmen, as well as various animals. The papier mache swinging doll is a favourite with many.[2]
Fort
Circar Mustafanagar (Kondapalli Fort) is a major tourist attraction. The historic fort, in the foothills of the Eastern Ghats, on the west of the town was built by Prolaya Vema Reddy of Kodaveedu during the 14th Century. It was under occupation of the Gajapati rulers of Orissa for some time, then Krishna Devaraya of Vijayanagar and it later fell into the hands of the Muslim rulers of the Qutubshahi dynasty in the 16th century. One can see the remains of the main fort and the prisons of that time. The fort is connected by road from Ibrahimpatnam and Kondapalli. Tourism development is now remodeling the fort, the prison, Ranimahal and Gajasala (i.e. the elephant stable).
Flora and fauna
Kondapalli is home to the Kondapalli Reserve Forest one of the last remaining pristine forests in the Krishna district, spread over an area of 30,000 acres (120 km2). It is home to several leopards, wild dogs, jackals, wild boar, and wolves with a varied topography.[3]
Economy
Kondapalli is an industrial suburb of Vijayawada. It has one of the largest industrial estates (industrial parks) in Andhra Pradesh, spread over 450 acres (1.8 km2) and supporting over 800 industrial enterprises. Second largest wagon workshop of Indian railways is present in Rayanapadu (Guntupalli) about 3 km from Kondapalli.[4] In addition to a 1760 MW Vijayawada Thermal power project (VTPS) (The VTPS name has since been replaced by NTTPs.) and 368.144 MW gas based Lanco power plant which is under expansion to 768.144 MW are located here.[5] Andhra Pradesh Heavy Machinery & Engineering Limited (APHMEL) factory is present in kondapalli. Kondapalli is hub for storage, bottling and transportation of petroleum products of all major companies. Major companies having a presence in Kondapalli include BPCL, GAIL, HPCL, IOC, RELIANCE, and LANCO.
Transport
Kondapalli railway station is located on Kazipet–Vijayawada section, administered under Vijayawada railway division of South Central Railway zone.[6] NH 221 passes through the town, which connects Vijayawada and Jagdalpur.APSRTC operates city buses from Vijayawada to Kondapalli.
References
- ↑ "Census 2011". The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
- ↑ Somya, J. N. and Des, M. "Design Resources on Traditional Toys of Kondapalli The Craft of Wooden Toys". Visual Communication Industrial Design Centre (IDC), IIT Bombay. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012.
- ↑ Rao, G. V. Ramana (25 May 2006). "Presence of leopards, wild dogs detected in Krishna forests". The Hindu (Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu). Archived from the original on 27 November 2007.
- ↑ "Wagon Workshop, Guntupalli". South Central Railway. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013.
- ↑ "‘It is always better to spread your wings’". The Financial Express. 31 March 2008.
- ↑ "Overview of Kondapalli Station". indiarailinfo. Retrieved 13 January 2015.