Bapatla is a town and district headquarters of Bapatla district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the mandal headquarters of Bapatla mandal of Bapatla revenue division. The nearest towns and cities to Bapatla are Chirala, Ponnur, Tenali and Guntur of 17 km, 22 km, 50 km and 53 km respectively.

Etymology

The name Bapatla is derived from the presiding deity of the Bhavanarayana Temple, which is believed to date back to the Mauryan period. Historically, the town was known as Bhavapuri during the time of the Mauryan Empire, reflecting its connection to the temple and the deity worshipped there. The town has also been referred to as Bhavapattana, Bhavapattu and Bhavapatta. These names were derived from the temple, which was constructed in 1465 by a Chola king named Krimikantha Chola and later restored. Over time, these names evolved into the present name of Bapatla.

Geography

The coordinates of the town are 15.90444°N, 80.4675°W and is located at an altitude of 8 mts from the coast of Bay of Bengal.

Climate

The town experiences tropical climate with the average annual temperatures records at 28.4 C. Hot summers and cool winters are observed due to its proximity to the coast of Bay of Bengal. It receives both South west monsoon and North-east monsoon as well. The precipitation is very high with an annual rainfall of about 854 mm and the month of October receives a maximum rainfall of 197 mm. It is most affected by the cyclonic storms that occur on the east coast.

Demographics

Census of India, the town had a population of 100300 with 98,216 households. The total population constituted 54,385 males and 56,392 females —a sex ratio of 1058 females per 1000 males, higher than the national average of 940 per 1000. 6,182 children were in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 3,156 were boys and 3,026 were girls—a ratio of 959 per 1000. The average literacy rate stood at 80.67% with 52,106 literates, significantly higher than the national average of 73.00%.

Governance

Bapatla district collectorate

The very first Bapatla district Collector is K.Vijaya krishnan IAS.

Civic administration

Bapatla Municipality was established in 1951. It oversees the civic needs of the town like, water supply, sewage, and garbage collection. It is a Grade–I municipality which has an extent of 17.92 km2 with 34 wards.

Utility services

Kommamuru and Poondla channels of the Krishna Western Delta system provide irrigation water to Bapatla and the surrounding areas.

Politics

Bapatla, being a part of Bapatla mandal, falls under Bapatla assembly constituency of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Vegesana Narendra Varma Raju of Telugu Desam Party is the present MLA of the constituency. The assembly segment is in turn a part of Bapatla (SC) lok sabha constituency and the present MP is Tenneti Krishna Prasad of the Telugu Desam Party.

Key points

Bapatla district collectorate – smt K Vijaya Krishnan IAS. Bapatla Sub-Division of police – A.Srinivas. Member of Parliament – Krishna Prasad Tenneti Member of the Legislative Assembly – Vegesana Narendra Varma

Economy

Aquaculture and agriculture are the main occupations of the coastal areas of the town. Aquaculture involves pisciculture and the farming is dominant with paddy cultivation. The Cairn India have conducted oil drilling onshore of Bapatla which is a part of KG basin stretch. Tourism also plays a role in generating revenue with the presence of Suryalanka Beach near the town, operated by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.

Cityscape

Bapatla is characterized by its rich history and unique architecture, prominently showcased in the Bhavanarayanaswami Temple and Centenary Baptist Zion Church. Bhavanarayanaswami temple exemplifies the Dravidian style of art and architecture, a distinctive feature of South Indian temples. The city's landscape is marked by a blend of ancient structures and modern development, reflecting the evolution of Bapatla over the centuries. The Clock Tower, built in 1948, was demolished for road extension and started to be rebuilt in December 2017. The Suryalanka Beach connected by the Beach Road of the town hosts the Bhavapuri Beach Festival every year.

Memorials

'''The Edward Coronation Memorial Town Hall was built in 1905 in coronation of the then Emperor of India, Edward VII. '''

Transport

The town has a total road length of 165.50 km. Until 1993, Vijaya Krishna Bus Service was the sole operator in Bapatla. APSRTC started operations in 1994 with its bus services to various parts of the state from Bapatla bus station. The town has frequent buses to Vijayawada, Guntur, Ponnur, Repalle and Chirala.

Education and research

The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools, under the School Education Department of the state. The mediums of instruction followed by different schools are English and Telugu. The town has many schools, colleges and universities. The Agricultural College was established on 11 July 1945 by Government of Composite Madras State. It is the oldest of all the colleges under Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University. Bapatla Engineering College, College of Agricultural Engineering under Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University, College of Food Science and Technology, Bapatla Polytechnic College, and Bapatla College of Arts & Sciences are other prominent ones.

Research and defense establishments

An automatic weather station of India Meteorological Department is located in the town which records the temperatures. BPT 5204 (rice variety of Sona Masuri), BPT 2270 (Bhavapuri Sannalu) and BPT 2231 (Akshaya) were developed at this rice research unit. There are also a number of research institutes of this agricultural university, such as the AICRP on Betelvine, and a cashew research station.

Air Force base

Suryalanka Indian Air Force base on the shore of the Bay of Bengal is located near Bapatla. The base carries out activities such as testing missiles and guided weapon firing range.

Notable people