Macherla

Macherla is a town in Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Macherla mandal in Gurazala revenue division.HistoryIt is capital of the region Palnadu. The name Macherla originated from Mahadevi Cherla. This town is in the heart of Palnadu, and has a history of over a thousand years. The famous battle Palnati Yudhdham (War of Palnadu) took place between Macherla and Gurajala between 1176 AD – 1182 AD. The Palnadu Battle is also called the Andhra Mahabharatam because of several similarities. The town is renowned for the Chennakesava Swamy temple built here during the reign of the Haihaya Kings. Palanati Brahmanaidu is the minister to Haihaya kings, who tried to abolish the caste system by "Chapa Koodu" or "Sahapankthi Bhojanalu" in the 12th century.GeographyMacherla is located at. It has an average elevation of 136 metres (446 feet). It is located 23 kilometers from Nagarjuna Sagar.Demographicscensus of India, the city had a population of 1,06,289. The average literacy rate stands at 71.13% with 86,176 literates, significantly higher than the state average of 67.41%.Governance and politicsCivic administrationMacherla Municipality is the civic body of the town and constituted in the year 1983. The municipality is classified as second grade and has a jurisdictional area of the municipality is present area of the corporation is 32.94km2. Nelluri Mangamma is the present chairman of the municipality.