Machlipatnam

Machilipatnam Masulipatnam, Masula, Bandar
City
Koneru centre, the business centre of Machilipatnam
Machilipatnam Show map of Andhra Pradesh Machilipatnam Show map of India Location in Andhra Pradesh, India
Coordinates: 16°10′N 81°08′E / 16.17°N 81.13°E / 16.17; 81.13Coordinates: 16°10′N 81°08′E / 16.17°N 81.13°E / 16.17; 81.13
Country	India
State	Andhra Pradesh
District	Krishna
Mandal	Machilipatnam
Founded	14th century
Government
• Type	Mayor council
• Body	Machilipatnam Municipal Corporation
• MLA	Kollu Ravindra (Telugu Desam Party)
• Municipal commissioner	A.S.N.V.Maruthi Diwakar
Area
• Total	26.67 km2 (10.30 sq mi)
Elevation	14 m (46 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	169,892
• Density	6,875/km2 (17,810/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Telugu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	521 xxx
Telephone code	91-8672
Vehicle registration	AP-16
Website	machilipatnam.cdma.ap.gov.in/en

Machilipatnam ( pronunciation ), also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar, is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of the Krishna district. It is also the mandal headquarters of Machilipatnam mandal in Machilipatnam revenue division of the district. The ancient port town served as the settlement of European traders from 16th century and it was a major trading port for the British, Dutch and French in the seventeenth century.

During seventeenth century, it was known with the name Masulipatnam, Masula and also Bandar (translates to port in Turkish, Arabic and Persian). The port town in the ancient times was also referred with the name Maesolia.

The town has existed since the 3rd century BCE (Satavahana period) when, according to Ptolemy, it was known as Maisolos. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea calls it Masalia in the 1st century BCE. The port is located on the southeastern, or Coromandel Coast, of India. Situated in the mouth of the River Krishna on the Bay of Bengal, the Masula port saw flourishing sea trade. Muslin clothes were traded by ancient Greeks from the town and the word muslin originated from the name Maisolos. Muslin was an important source of income for the town, being a favourite of Roman traders for domestic consumption. Several Roman coins were found during excavations of Buddhist towns located near Machilipatnam.