Bhimavaram

Bhimavaram is a city in West Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Bhimavaram mandal in Narasapuram revenue division. census, it is the second most populous city in the district with a population of 142,184. It one of the major pilgrimage centers in the state, which is home to Somaramam, one of the five great Pancharama Kshetras.HistoryAlong with much of present-day coastal Andhra Pradesh, Bhimavaram was controlled by the Chola dynasty. Under Kulothunga Chola I, Bhimavaram was ruled by his sons who served as viceroys. Various stone inscriptions have been found in the town dating from his reign (c. 1096 C.E.).EtymologyThe name Bhimavaram literally means "the gift of Bhima". According to a legend, in around 890–918 AD, an Eastern Chalukya king named Chalukya Bheema built a Siva temple and laid the foundation to this town. It was originally called "Bhimapuram", but the name gradually changed to "Bhimavaram"; "puram" refers to a dwelling place while "varam" means an endowment in Telugu.Demographicscensus of India, the town had a population of 142,184. The total population constitutes 70,066 males and 72,214 females —a sex ratio of 1031 females per 1000 males. 12,157 children are in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 6,149 are boys and 6,008 are girls —a ratio of 977 girls per 1000 boys. The average literacy rate stands at 83.41% with 1,08,535 literates, significantly higher than the state average of 73.00%. While, its urban agglomeration population was 146,961.