RAJAMUNDRY, a town in the Madras Presid ency, in lat. 16° 50' N., and long. 81° 48' 30" E., on the left bank of the Godavery, 30 miles from the sea, and 565 miles to the north of Madras. Population (1871), 19,682. The district lies between lat. 16° 18' and 17° 35' N. The western parts are elevated and picturesque,- and on the north - west are forest - clad mounthins. Raja mundry was the capital of the junior or eastern branch of the Chalukya princes of Vengi, whose authority extended to the frontiers of Orissa. The kingdom of Vengi was established about A.D. 540, by the capture of the old capital of Vengipura, the retuains of which still exist at Vengi, five miles to the north of Ellora, and 50 miles to the NV est-sou th- w est of Rajamundry. About A. D. 750, Kalinga was conquered by the raja of Vengi, who shortly after moved the seat of government to Rajamundry. According to the chronicles of Orissa, the present town of Amaravati was founded or established as a subordinate seat of government by Surya Deva, raja of Orissa, in the 12th century. The name is connected with the
worship of Siva. as Amaranatha or Arnareswara ; 9.nd one of the twelve great linga of this god, which is assigned to Ujjain, almost certainly be longed to the holy city 071 the Kistua, as we know that Ujjain possessed its own famous temple of Mahakala, and that all the other shrines of Siva belong to different places. Chicacole and Raja mundry were "the capitals of Andhra, and of a race of sovereigns anterior to the Christian era. The chief towns are Rajarnundry, Samulcottah, and Coriuga. The Godayery enters it through a gap in the chain, and passes through the district to. the sea. At the village of Dowlaishwaram, in the delta of the Godavery, is a large anicut seven miles long.