Happy TravellerWelcome to Chirala, a bustling city located in the Bapatla district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. With a population of over 170,000, Chirala is the most populated city in the Bapatla Lok Sabha Parliamentary Constituency. The city has a rich history, having been carved out of Sudhanagaram, the original name of Patha Chirala, in 1604 AD. Chirala was granted to Chirala Anantharaju by Goparaju Ramanna, Minister of the Kakatiya king, Ganapati Deva, during Saka 1067 (1145 AD) as mentioned in the records obtained from the Madras Oriental Library. Today, Chirala is a municipality and the headquarters of Chirala mandal in Chirala revenue division.
Chirala is known for its handloom weaving industry, which is one of the main occupations in the city. Several Cloth Market Complexes are situated in Chirala, which is also known as Small Bombay. The city is a famous tourist place for several beaches, including Vadarevu Beach, Ramapuram Beach, and New Vadarevu Beach. Vadarevu Beach is the shortest distance beach from Hyderabad and Telangana via Nagarjuna sagar and Macherla route. Every weekend, a lot of IT folks from Hyderabad City visit Vadarevu Beach for boat amusement and seafood food. Chirala has several beach resorts, and the AP Govt. has sanctioned a Fish harbour to Vadarevu Beach.
Chirala experiences a tropical climate with hot summers and cool winters due to its proximity to the coast of Bay of Bengal. The average annual temperature records at 28.5 °C (83.3 °F), and it receives both South west monsoon and North-east monsoon. The precipitation is very high with an annual rainfall of about 200 millimetres (8 in), and the month of October receives a maximum rainfall of 197 millimetres (8 in).
Chirala is well connected with National and State highways. The National Highway 216 passes through the town, which connects Ongole with Kattipudi. State Highway 48, also referred to as Guntur-Bapatla-Chirala Road, connects the city with Guntur. National Highway 167A connects it with Piduguralla, which passes through Narasaraopet and Chilakaluripet. Public transport includes the buses operated by state-run APSRTC services. Chirala railway station is an A–Category station in Vijayawada railway division of South Central Railway zone and it is located on the Howrah-Chennai main line of Indian Railways.
Chirala is an educational hub in Bapatla District, with several colleges providing education requirements for decades now. The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools, under the School Education Department of the state. The medium of instruction followed by different schools are English and Telugu. VRS & YRN College is a famous college in Chirala. Its Engineering colleges include St. Anns College of Engineering and Technology, Chirala Engineering College, and VRS & YRN College of Engineering. St Anns Pharmacy College and Polytechnic College are also located in Chirala.
Chirala Municipality is the civic governing body of the city. It is a first-grade municipality, constituted on 1 December 1940, and has a jurisdictional area of 13.57 km2 (5.24 sq mi) with 33 election wards. The present Municipal Commissioner of the city is P.Sreenivasa Rao. The constituents of Chirala urban agglomeration include Chirala Municipality, census City of Chirala, Vetapalem; outgrowths of Ipurupalem, Ramakrishna Puram, and Kothapeta.
Chirala has a population of 172,826 with 23,070 households, according to the 2011 census of India. It shows 2.04% growth in population, compared to the 2001 Census of India, which was recorded as 100,455. The total population constitutes 52,927 males and 47,528 females — a sex ratio of 1031 females per 1000 males, higher than the national average of 940 per 1000. 8,389 children are in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 4,253 are boys and 4,136 are girls — a ratio of 973 girls per 1000 boys. The average literacy rate stands at 78.80% with 62,099 literates, higher than the national average of 73.00%.
Chirala has a rich history, a thriving handloom weaving industry, and beautiful beaches. It is a city that is well-connected and has a lot to offer to tourists and locals alike. Come and explore the wonders of Chirala!
