Calingapatam
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Calingapatam
Port in the Chicacole taluk of Ganjam District, Madras, situated in 18° 20' N. and 84° 8' E., at the mouth of the Vamsadhara river, 17 miles from Chicacole. Population (1901), 5,019. It was one of the early seats of Muhammadan government in the Telugu country. Signs of its ancient importance are still visible in the ruins of many mosques and other buildings. After rain, small gold coins of great age are found on the site of the old city. Having a safe anchorage, it is a regular place of call for steamers. The port is an open roadstead, protected on the south by a sandy point and some rocks which extend seaward about half a mile from the shore. These rise above water near the land, but are submerged farther out. On this sandy point, about a mile south of the port, stands a lighthouse 73 feet in height, exhibiting a white occultating light, visible 14 miles at sea in clear w^eather. It is protected from the sandhills which are drifting towards it, and threaten to bury it, by a casuarina plantation. The exports from Calingapatam, consisting chiefly of grain and pulse, myra- bolams, and turmeric, were valued in 1903-4 at 6 lakhs. The imports, mainly haberdashery, glass-ware, and gunny-bags from Indian ports, were valued at only Rs. 12,000. The coasting trade has decreased con- siderably since the construction of the East Coast Railway. CaHnga- patam possesses one of the four salt factories of the District. The pans cover an area of 517 acres, and yielded a revenue in 1903-4 of Rs. 3,27,000.
