Неллоре: История и современность города в Андхра-Прадеше

Nellore is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of the district, as well as Nellore mandal and Nellore revenue division. It is the fourth most populous city in the state. It is at a distance of from Vijayawada and about north of Chennai, Tamil Nadu and also about east northeast of Bangalore, Karnataka.

There are various theories linked to the origin of the name Nellore. A mythological story from Sthala Purana depicts a lingam in the form of a stone under a Phyllanthus emblica, the nelli tree (, 'emblica tree' in Proto Dravidian). The place gradually became nelli ūru (ūru generally stands for 'place' in Telugu) and then to present day Nellore.

Nellore had been under the rule of Mauryas, Satavahanas, Cholas, Pallavas, Pandyas, Kharavela of Chedi dynasty, Kakatiyas, Eastern Gangas of Kalinga Empire, Vijayanagara Empire, Arcot Nawabs and other dynasties. Nellore was ruled by Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty in the 3rd century BCE. Nellore was conquered by the rulers of the Pallava dynasty and it was under their rule till the 6th century CE, subsequently the Chola rulers ruled Nellore for a long period of time. The Cholas met their decline in the 13th century CE. Tamil inscriptions indicate that it formed part of Chola kingdom till their decline in the thirteenth century CE. It later became a part of Kakatiyas, Vijayanagara Empire, Sultanate of Golconda, Mughal Empire and Arcot Nawabdom. In the 18th century, Nellore was taken over by the British from the Arcot Nawabs and was part of the Madras Presidency of British India.

The first account was produced by John Boswell in 1873 as collector. This report by the British Includes Climate, agriculture, health statistics as well important taxation information. Social structure including important families of Nellore from the 1800s. These included Venketagiri Raja, kalhastri Rajah, The Chundi Zamindhar, The Mutiyalpad Zamindhar, Sayidapur Zamindhar, Jupalli Zamindhars of Udayagiri, Udayagiri Jaghirediar, the Vazella Zamidhars of Gudur, Zamindhars of Ongole, Turrawar Poligar, Tadeboyina Polighar, The Chettiars Polighar, The Udathawar Polighar, The Gangulawar Poighar and Buchireddypalem Family. These families under the British Raj were responsible for the villages and lands in their possession. The British recognized the importance of Nellore in cultivation as well as important port of Krishnapatam. The city had an important role in the emergence of the Telugu language and the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Potti Sriramulu, who fasted until death for the formation of Andhra Pradesh, hailed from Nellore.

Nellore is located at It has an average elevation of
The maximum temperature is during summer and the minimum temperature is during winter. The rainfall ranges from through South West and North East Monsoons. Nellore is subject both to droughts and to floods based on the seasons.

Nellore Municipal Corporation was constituted as a municipality on 1 November 1866 by the Madras District Municipality Act. It was upgraded to corporation on 18 October 2004 and has a jurisdictional area of with 54 wards. In 2013, fifteen gram panchayats namely, Allipuram, Ambhapuram, Buja Buja Nellore, Chinthareddypalem, Gudupallipadu, Gundlapalem, Kallurupalli, Kanaparthypadu, Kodurupadu, Narayanareddypeta, Navalakulathota, Nellore Bit I (Kothuru), Peddacherukuru, Pottipalem, Vavilatepadhu were merged into the municipal corporation. Present mayor of the city is Sravanthi. The city is one among the 31 cities in the state to be a part of water supply and sewerage services mission known as Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).

Nellore is represented by Nellore City assembly constituency and Nellore Rural assembly constituency for Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Anil Kumar Poluboina is the present MLA of Nellore City assembly constituency representing YSRCP. Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy is the present MLA of Nellore Rural assembly constituency representing YSRCP.

The residents of the city are generally referred as Nelloreans. The Rottela Panduga (Roti festival) is an annual urs event celebrated at the Bara Shaheed Dargah (shrine of twelve martyrs) on the banks of Swarnala Cheruvu. The event got its name after the practice of exchanging flat breads and attracts visitors from all religious backgrounds every year and from all over the country and also from foreign countries.

Chepala Pulusu (fish curry) is a non vegetarian recipe of the Nellore district, prepared from Korramennu. Malai Kaja Nellore Famous Sweet is a local sweet made from maida, milk and sugar.

Zaminryot newspaper, established in 1930, and the Lawyer Weekly newspaper are based out of Nellore. In addition, Vaartha AndhraJyothy and Sakshi newspapers are also printing local editions in Nellore.

Local transport in the city include, two, three and four wheelers. Of these, privately operated auto rickshaws numbered around 6,000 in 2017, dominating most parts of the city for local commuting. Nellore bus station of the city operates district and long distance services. Nellore railway station is classified as an A grade and Adarsh station in the Vijayawada railway division of South Central Railway zone. The city also has three small railway stations namely, , Vedayapalem. and Padugupadu railway station The Southern Railway operates MEMUs regularly for commuting between Nellore and There is also a proposal to build a no frills airport for the city. The city has a total road length of The proposed Outer Ring Road, existing arterial and internal roads helps reduce traffic congestion.