History
The Kingdom of (Bhattiprolu) in Guntur district circa 500 BC, appears to be the earliest known kingdom in south India. The earliest recorded reference of Guntur comes from the Idern plates of Ammaraja I (922-929 CE), the Vengi Chalukyan king. Guntur also appears in two other inscriptions dated 1147 CE and 1158 CE. The original Sanskrit (ancient Vedic culture/tradition) name for Guntur was Garthapuri (a place surrounded by water ponds ('garta'/'gunta')).
The 'Agasthyeswara Sivalayam' in the old city is an ancient temple of Lord Siva. There are inscriptions in the temple on stones in 'Naga Lipi' (an ancient script) dating back to about 1100 CE. It is considered one of the famous temples in the city. It is said that Agastya built the temple in the last Treta yuga around the Swayambhu Linga and hence it has this name. The 'Nagals' were said to have ruled the region at that time. The region has been historically known for Buddhism and the first Kalachakra ceremony performed by Buddha himself.
The place of Sitanagaram and the Guthikonda Caves are referred in the ancient texts (Vedic puranas) going back to the Treta yuga and Dwapara yuga (traditional time scale). Also check Timeline of Guntur.
Read more about this topic: Guntur
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