Machilipatnam - The Lost Port City

Machilipatnam - The Lost Port City Machilipatnam is a municipality in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is known as a seaport on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. In the seventeenth and late eighteenth century, the city prospered as a commercial port and a textile and apparel center, and European powers tried to seize it. The first British commercial post in southern India was established there. During this time, the city was known as Masulipatnam or Masulipatam. Another name for it is Bandar.

The Bandar Canal connects the Vijayawada province northwest with Vijayawada city, which serves as a transit station and a seaport. Machilipatnam's primary industries are carpet production, rice and oilseed milling, and scientific instrument manufacturing. There is a head office for the All-India Spinners' Association and different institutes linked with Andhra University and a technology that has been adopted.

(Image Source: Jawahar, 09th June 2021)

Machilipatnam began as a bit of a fishing village and harbor. In the 15th century, it grew to be an important regional port, handling trade with Southeast Asia. The Machilipatnam area was previously part of the Golconda province, ruled by the Qutb Shahi ruler. In the late 1700s, the city grew as a port and a center for weavers and dyers. It was famous for its exquisite kalamkari cloth, initially hand-painted with natural colorants; Artists still create kalamkari in Machilipatnam.

When the Dutch arrived in the city in 1605, they quickly got permission from the prince of Golconda to establish a trade station. The Dutch erected a fort in Machilipatnam to defend their commercial interests. Around 1611, the British East India Company opened its first commercial port on the Bay of Bengal. The French and the Dutch ruled the city from 1708 until 1759. In the 1700s, Machilipatnam deteriorated dramatically as the British established commerce and administrative hubs in Kolkata, Madras, and Bombay. Machilipatnam was also destroyed by a tropical cyclone in 1864, with a massive ocean wave killing an estimated 30,000 people.

After recovering from it, the primary momentum crushers for Machilipatnam's glorious history were damaged when the deep seaport construction was delayed for more than a decade, and Bharat Electronics Limited's expansion unit was shifted beyond Machilipatnam in 2016. The primary causes for the flight out of the area in pursuit of better opportunities include a lack of job opportunities, wealth development, and the absence of fisheries and marine impact on its business on the Machilipatnam coastline. The port town has increasingly become a vital retirement destination. The shutdown of the Gilakaladindi harbor, which could house 100 ships, has led to the loss of hundreds of local employment and detrimental economic activity. Since the head offices of government departments were shifted to Vijayawada and Amaravati, district officials have typically departed the district's headquarters.

For Europeans, Machilipatnam was a popular marine commerce destination. The British also built a railroad between Machilipatnam and Goa, indicating the port town’s importance for trade and security."