Somarama Swamy temple

BHIMAVARAM

  • Bhimavaram is a city and headquarters of West Godavari district of the Andhra Pradesh state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Bhimavaram mandal in Bhimavaram revenue division.
  • It is a part of Eluru Urban Development Authority. As of 2011 census, it is the most populous urban area in the district with a population of 163,875.
  • It is one of the major pilgrimage centers in the state, which is home to Somaramam, one of the five great Pancharama Kshetras.

History

  • Along with much of present-day coastal Andhra Pradesh, Bhimavaram was controlled by the Chola dynasty.
  • Under Kulothunga Chola I, Bhimavaram was ruled by his sons who served as viceroys. Stone inscriptions have been found in the town dating from his reign.
  • Bhimavaram is in the epicentre of the Godavari delta region. It is one of the principal trade centres of paddy in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
  • The town is the regional centre for higher education and is known for its specialized health services.[7] It has many major retail brand shops like KLM, DMart, Coastal city centre etc..

Etymology

The name Bhimavaram literally means "the gift of Bhima". According to a legend, in around 890-918 AD, an Eastern Chalukya king named Chalukya Bheema built a Siva temple and laid the foundation to this town. It was originally called "Bhimapuram", but the name gradually changed to "Bhimavaram"; "puram" refers to a dwelling place while "varam" means an endowment in Telugu. An alternative explanation is, that the sound va (labiodental) is preferred to ba, pa (labials) in colloquial language and over a period of time tend to shift from pa to va. Hence "varam" from "puram". Sri Bhimeswara Swamy aalayam was built between 890 & 918 CE by East Chalukya king named Chalukya Bhima. He is said to have laid the foundation for this temple and named the place Bhimapuram, which was later changed to Bhimavaram. Varam means something that is bestowed in Telugu. The temple was built by King Chalukya Bheema during 4th century. Shivalinga was installed by Moon God and hence the temple named as Somarama, as Sanskrit word soma means Chandra (God Moon). It is believed that the color of the Shivalinga changes according to the Lunar-rays.

Demographics

As of 2011 census of India, the town had a population of 142,184. The total population constitutes 70,066 males and 72,214 females—a sex ratio of 1031 females per 1000 males. 12,157 children are in the age group of 0-6 years, of which 6,149 are boys and 6,008 are girls—a ratio of 977 girls per 1000 boys. The average literacy rate stands at 83.41% with 1,08,535 literates, significantly higher than the state average of 73.00%. Its urban agglomeration population was 146,961.

Economy

Bhimavaram is in the epicentre of the Godavari delta region. It is one of the principal trade centres of paddy in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Agriculture-based businesses like food processing, aqua culture, rice mills etc., are the chief sources of the town's revenue. It serves as a distribution centre as well as commercial centre to its hinterland. The town is the regional centre for higher education and is known for its specialized health services.[7] It has many major retail brand shops like KLM, DMart, Coastal city centre etc..,

Governance

Its urban agglomeration covers Bhimavaram Municipality, partly out growths of Rayalam (rural) and Chinamiram.April 1948: Bhimavaram Municipality was established as a third grade Municipal Corporation. August 1963: Upgraded to a second grade municipality in August 1963. August 1967: Upgraded to a first grade municipality in August 1967. September 1980: Upgraded to a Special Grade Municipality in September 1980. September 2011: It was upgraded to 'Selection Grade municipality' in 2011. 1 January 2019: Eluru Urban Development Authority created. Bhimavaram became a part of EUDA along with places in West Godavari District.

Education

Primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided, and private schools of the School Education Department of the state. The mediums of instruction followed by schools are English and Telugu. There are numerous higher educational institutions in and around Bhimavaram. Some of the renowned institutions are S.R.K.R Engineering College, D.N.R Educational Institutions, K.G.R.L Group of Educational Institutions, Sri Vishnu Educational Society, Vishnu Dental College, Bhimavaram Institute of Engineering & Technology, Grandhi Varalakshmi Venkatarao Institute of Technology (GVIT), Dr. C.S.N. degree and P.G college.