Ponnur is an urban town and a municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 located 28 k.m. south of Guntur City in Guntur district

Guntur district

Guntur district is located in Andhra Pradesh along the east coast of Bay of Bengal. The district has a coastline of around 100 kilometers. Guntur City is the largest city in the district and administrative center of Guntur District. The district is a major center for learning.-Etymology:There are...

 of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

Demographics

India census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, Ponnuru had a population of 57,640. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Ponnur has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 64%. In Ponnuru, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Temples

This historic town is famous for two temples, Sri Sakshi Bhavanarayana Swamy Temple and Sri Sahasralingeswara Swamy Temple. Sakshi Bhavanarayanaswamy Temple has a story relating that Lord Vishnu has come from Kasi

Varanasi

-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...

 to this place to prove that one of his devotees is innocent.Hence, Ponnuru is also called 'Chinna Kasi'. The annual festival to this temple occurs in the month of May, which is celebrated as "Tirunalla". Thousands of people from different places attend this festival.

Sahasralingeswara Swamy Temple derives its name from the 1000 Siva lingas that are consecrated here. Also, there are two huge statues of Lord Hanuman  and Garutmanta each carved out of single stone.

Famous people

The famous agricultural activist and politician Acharya N.G.Ranga was born in this town. The agricultural university of Andhra Pradesh is named after him. A few other politicians from this town are Pamulapati Ankineedu prasad Rao Ex- Centralminister,Chittineni Venkata Rao Ex MLA, Dhullipalla Veerayya Chowdary and Pragada Kotayya, both of whom worked as cabinet ministers in Andhra Pradesh Government.

Etymology

The word Ponnuru derives from combination of two Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

 words Pon+Ur which means Vilage of gold. This town is also used to be called as Swarnapuri meaning the same "Town of Gold"

Places of entertainment

An Rail overbridge connecting twin towns Nidubrolu and Ponnuru is one of the best places to spend the evenings. The town's drinking water is supplied by one of the canals of Krishna River. The town has a 100 acre

Acre

The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...

 reservoir to store and purify the water. The nearest beach is at Suryalanka, Bapatla

Bapatla

Bapatla, formerly known as Bhavapuri, is a town and mandal of Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located south of Guntur City on the East Coast.-Assembly constituency:Bapatla is an assembly constituency in Andhra Pradesh....

 which is around21 km from Ponnuru.

Movie Theatres

There are 6 Movie Theatres in Ponnur.

1. Srinivasa 70mm A/C Dts 2. Subbaraya Dts 3. Sri Lakshmi A/C Dts 4. PVS Talkies Dts 5. Ansar Theatre Dts 6. Venkata Sitarama A/C

Transport

Ponnur is on the state highway of Guntur

Guntur

Guntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...

-Chirala

Chirala

Chirala is a large town, mandal and a municipality located in Prakasam district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.It has a population of 85,460 . It used to be a Taluk of Guntur District, and later became part of then formed Prakasam District. The town is situated at a distance of...

. Ponnur is the only road way junction for Chirala

Chirala

Chirala is a large town, mandal and a municipality located in Prakasam district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.It has a population of 85,460 . It used to be a Taluk of Guntur District, and later became part of then formed Prakasam District. The town is situated at a distance of...

 , Guntur

Guntur

Guntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...

 , Tenali

Tenali

Tenali , is a town and a mandal in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, South India. It has a population of 149,839 . It is located 16 miles east of Guntur City. Three canals of the Krishna River flow through Tenali making it a part of the rice bowl of Andhra Pradesh. One of the canals is...

 and Repalle

Repalle

Repalle is a town, mandal and a municipality in Guntur district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located 28 miles south of Guntur.-Geography:Repalle is located at...

. From Guntur ordinary buses are available 5 minutes round the clock.

Nearest railway station is in Nidubrolu, the twin town of Ponnuru (2 km from the centre of the town). Nidubrolu is on Chennai-Vijayawada railway line. Several express trains stop here.