Bheemunipatnam

Bheemunipatnam భీమునిపట్నం Bheemili
Town
Hilltopview of Bheemunipatnam (bhimili) town Hilltopview of Bheemunipatnam (bhimili) town
Bheemunipatnam Location in Andhra Pradesh, India
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Andhra Pradesh
District	Visakhapatnam
Area
• Total	18.88 km2 (7.29 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	52,110
• Density	2,800/km2 (7,100/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Telugu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	531 xxx
Vehicle registration	AP–31
Sex ratio	1:1 ♂/♀
Website	Bheemunipatnam Municipality

Bheemunipatnam is a town in Visakhapatnam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Bheemunipatnam mandal in Visakhpatnam revenue division.

File:Bhimili Narasimha swamy temple hill vizag.jpg

Bhimili Narasimha swamy temple hill Visakhapatnam District

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History

Buddhism

File:Buddha Statue at Bheemili beach Road.jpg

Buddha Statue at Bheemunipatnam (Bheemili)beach Road

Historical evidences of Buddhist Culture have been noticed at Bheemunipatnam dating back to 3rd century BCE on the hillock Pavurallakonda (also known as Narsimhaswami konda locally) in the town. Buddhist remains were found during the excavations here along with Relic caskets. Both the schools of Buddhism Hinayana and Mahayana were propagated in this land and also to the far east lands from the port of River Gosthani. See pavurallakonda page for more details.

Narasimha temple

There is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Narasimha on the eastern side of Pavurallakonda facing the sea. As per the historical evidences the temple is constructed around 14th century by Mindi Kings. There are two more temples in the town of Bhimili, which date back to the times of Chola's as Bheemeswaralayam and Choleswaralayam.

Dutch settlements

Known to the Dutch as Bimilipatnam, Bheemunipatnam was one among the major Dutch settlements of the Dutch Coromandel coast in the 17th century. There are remnants of the Dutch East India Company trading post when the town was a port. The town contains one of the oldest Christian cemeteries on the coast. Bhimili also had a currency mint during the times of Dutch.

East India Company

The British East India Company made Bheemunipatnam their main trading base of the east coast. The Bhimili port used to operate passenger vessels to Madras and Calcutta during the British Raj. The big clock tower in the town was built by British.

Geography

Bheemunipatnam is located at 17.53N 83.26E. It has an average elevation of 51 meters (170 feet).

Demographics

According to Imperial Gazetteer of India, Bimlipatam tahsil had an area of 207 square miles (540 km²) with 117 villages. The population in 1901 was 126,354 compared with 114,834 in 1891. It was entirely Zamindari land belonging to the Vizianagram estate.

As of 2001 India census, Bheemunipatnam had a population of 44,156. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Bheemunipatnam has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 67% and female literacy of 54%. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Landmarks

File:Panoramic view of Gosthani confluence BayofBengal Bhimili.JPG

Panoramic view of River Gosthani confluence into Bay of Bengal at Bhimili

There is an old Church dated back to 1850s called "The Red Church". Another church, 'The Andhra Baptist' has a rich history of more than 130 years. The lighthouse dated to 1868 acts as a citadel on the shores of Bheemili beach. Some of the Buddhist sites are Bojjannakonda, Bavikonda, Lingalakonda, Pavurallakonda, Salihundam and Thotlakonda.