Eluru is a city and district headquarters of West Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.[6] It is one of the 16 municipal corporations in the state, and the mandal headquarters of Eluru mandal in Eluru revenue division.[7][8] As of 2011 Census of India, the city had a population of 283,648.[4] The city is well known for its wool-pile carpets and hand woven products.The city was alternately referred as in days of Buddhist kingdom of Vengi as Helapuri.[10] It was also known as Ellore.History of Eluru dates back to 2nd century and has great prominence in the history of Andhra. Vengi near Eluru was capital of Andhra from 2nd century to 12th century, ruled by Salankayanas, Vishnukudinas, and Eastern Chalukyas. Vengi was the capital city of Andhradesa for many years than any other city in Andhra Pradesh. Eluru was part of the Buddhist kingdom of Vengi. Salankayana ruled from 3rd century AD to 5th century AD. They were known as Salankayana after the Gotra name. They were the feudatories of Ikshvakus. They Ruled near vengi area, with Vengi (Eluru) as the capital. Salankayana is another of the Phantom kingdoms of Andhra for Indologists. Their date is fixed based on Samudra Gupta inscription mention of Hastivarman of Vengi.Eluru was major city of Vishnukundinas.[13] Vishnukundin reign might be fixed between the end of the Salankayana and the rise of the Eastern Chalukyan power in 624 AD.[14] In the late 5th century, the Salankayanas were conquered by Madhavarma II of the Vishnukundinas. During the reign of Madhava Varma the Great, they became independent and conquered coastal Andhra from the Salankayanas and might have shifted their capital to a place in the Coastal Andhra.Eastern Chalukyas, or Chalukyas of Vengi were a South Indian dynasty whose kingdom was located in the present day Andhra Pradesh. Their capital was Vengi near Eluru and their dynasty lasted for around 500 years from the 7th century until c. 1130 C.E. when the Vengi kingdom merged with the Chola empire. The Vengi kingdom was continued to be ruled by Eastern Chalukyan kings under the protection of the Chola empire until 1189 C.E., when the kingdom succumbed to the Hoysalas and the Yadavas. They had their capital originally at Vengi now (Pedavegi) near Eluru of the West Godavari district end later changed to Rajamahendravaram (Rajamundry). Eluru was later captured by Kakatiyas and then became a part of the Kalinga Empire until 1471. Later it fell into the hands of the Gajapatis. In 1515 Srikrishnadevaraya captured it. After the fall of the Vijayanagara Kingdom, it was taken by the Sultan of Golkonda, Kutub Shah. Mohammedans built the fort at Eluru from the ruins of Vengi.Eluru was formerly a military station, and the capital of the Northern Circars, a former division of British India's Madras Presidency.[11] Salabat Jang, the son of the Nizam al Mulk, granted Northern Circurs to French East India Company and was necessarily transferred from the French to the British. After the British established control over South India, Eluru and surrounding areas were merged into the Madras Presidency. Eluru was a part of Machilipatnam district after the division of Northern Circars. In 1859, it was included in the Godavari district and later it was made a part of the Krishna district. In 1925, it became the headquarters of the newly formed West Godavari district.Eluru is located at 16.7N 81.1E and has an average elevation of 22 m (72 ft). It lies on the Eastern coastal plains.[18] The Tammileru river, the Krishna and Godavari Canals passes through the city, before the river and the Eluru canal from Krishna empties into Kolleru Lake near the city.
