Machilipatnam Charithra


One of the readers of this blog, Mr.Deepak, kindly complimented me for giving a detailed information on the town and wondered where i get all this from....Actually very easy to say.....Sir, i am, fortunately armed with a 600+page book called Machilipatnam Charithra and most of the authentic information like dates and events come from this source....

It has been said that a previous charithra written by the duo of Sri. Mamidi Sarangapani, and Sri.Mathukumalli Krishna Sasthry,as far back as 1889,...and yet another one by Chitta Balakrishna Sasthry--vice-principal, Hindu college,(1923)- did exist at one time but are not available anymore.....Incidentally, Bandar--proudly our own--is considered to be the first place in Andhra Pradesh to have got written a history book of it"s own.....No doubt we get dubbed as Bandaru pichollu by others for our pre-occupation with the place..:)...and utterly hilarious scenes are picturised on us...Shhhh.Gup Chup....

Wikepedia names another book called MASULIPATNAM AND CAMBAY as another authentic hitorical one but personally , i had not read that....

It is in june, 2001,ostensibly, that this Machilipatnam Charithra, written in Telugu, by Sri, Dondapati Raghava Rao garu, a retired Hindi pundit, got published and a decade"s indefatigable research and monotonous scrutiny and analysis lay behind it....He was stated to have gone through a painstaking research process that involved visiting the record rooms of the Dt.collectorate, Gauthami Grandhalayam of Rajahmandry, , Vetapalem, The Connemera Library, Chennai, National Library, Calcutta, Archeological Directorate, and innumerable other sources and souvenirs....A veritable BHAGIRATHA PRAYATNAM..

This is an almost complete, comrehensive, authentic work and not many topics have been left out of this that had to do with the place...History, a detailed topography,--including the streets and districts,and how they got their names,--few pictures,political events,sketches of it"s prominent personalities,temples,it"s cultural and literary heritage,...in fact, every aspect of the place has been dealt with extensively and explained to the last detail......Two hours with the book and you would feel like having taken a stroll through the lanes of the town....A delightful book, a must buy for all the lovers of MTM,.... priced at 200/Rs and copies can be had from this address...,

D.V.Raghava Rao,
19/414,Sarkar Thota
Machilipatnam-2

Coming to my own blog,it all started with a bright idea i had one fine morning ....to put down my memories and experiences...---At 49, you are left with so many of "em--.... .Since most of them had to do with Bandar ,it figured in prominently...Then one thing followed another...Originally it was about personal experiences....Then in due cource came the realization that Bandar had no sufficient net presence,and how nice it would be if it had it"s own place over there,...in English, where anyone could reach for with a click.......

But....mine is not a translation...Nor is it going to be as methodical or as exhaustive...Nor has definite perimeters....or no idea how long it can go on... I choose my topic, certainly borrow relevant info from the book but in the end go my own way.....Hope some one will enjoy them..

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