GUNTUR, a town and district of British India, in the Madras presidency. The town (pop. in 1931, 65,179) has a station on the Bellary-Bezwada branch of the Madras and Southern Mahratta railway. It is situated east of the Kondavid hills, and is very healthy. It appears to have been founded in the century by the French. At the time of the cession of the Circars to the English in 1765, Guntur was exempted during the life of Basalat Jang, whose personal jagir it was. In 1788 it came into British possession, the cession being confirmed in 1823. It has an im portant trade in tobacco and cotton, with presses and ginning factories, tobacco factories and oil and rice mills. There is a college and training schools. The DISTRICT OF GUNTUR, consti tuted in 1904 from territory which till then had been divided between Kistna and Nellore, has an area of 5.735 sq.m. ; popula tion (1931) 2,035,66o. The district is bounded on the east and north by the river Kistna; in the west a part of the boundary is formed by the Gundlakamma river. Most of the district is a fertile plain irrigated by canals from the Kistna, and producing cotton, rice and other crops. The population is increasing, owing to the increased area of irrigated land. Saltpetre is worked.