Sachin Soni: creating initial location w/ infobox

2026-03-11T21:32:32Z

creating initial location w/ infobox

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Coringa
| native_name = Korangi
| native_name_lang = Telugu
| settlement_type = [[Village]]
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 280
| image_style =
| perrow = 1/2/1
| image1 = Entrance Gateway for Coringa Wildlife reserve.jpg {{!}} Entrance Gateway
| image2 = A bridge to the leftside at the Entrance of Coringa Forest.jpg {{!}} Pedestrian bridge
| image3 = Backwaters from the suspension bridge in Coringa reserve.jpg {{!}} Backwaters in the reserve
| image4 = Macha the Fishing cat sculpture in Coringa reserve.jpg {{!}} Fishing cat sculpture }}
| image_alt = 
| image_caption = '''Clockwise from top''': Entrance Gateway to the reserve, Backwaters in the reserve, [[Fishing cat]] sculpture at the entrance and Pedestrian bridge inside the reserve
| pushpin_map = India Andhra Pradesh#India
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Andhra Pradesh, India
| coordinates = {{coord|16|48|N|82|14|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Andhra Pradesh]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = Kakinada
| unit_pref = Metric
| population_total =
| population_as_of =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Telugu language|Telugu]]
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| registration_plate = AP
| blank1_name_sec1 = Nearest city
| blank1_info_sec1 = Kakinada
| blank1_name_sec2 = Climate
| blank1_info_sec2 = Average temperatures range from 76-90 °F, with annual rainfall between 34 and 64 inches.
| website =
}}

'''Coringa''', also known as '''Korangi''',<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 August 2021 |title=Korangi · Andhra Pradesh 533461, India |url=https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Korangi,+Andhra+Pradesh+533461,+India/@16.1245934,80.5112388,7.75z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x3a382061fca929b5:0xc3e101fe95ae204f!8m2!3d16.8100085!4d82.239315 |access-date=4 August 2021 |website=Korangi · Andhra Pradesh 533461, India}}</ref> is a coastal village in [[Kakinada district]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], India. It consists of the village and the adjacent [[Hope Island (India)|Hope Island]], which was named by British officials in the hope that it would be protected from environmental disasters.

Once a thriving port city, Coringa was a trade hub on the [[Bay of Bengal]] in the 18th and 19th century. It hosted thousands of ships annually, with a large population.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=10 October 2017 |title=Hell on Earth: 12 of History's Most Destructive Natural Disasters |url=https://historycollection.com/12-historys-remarkable-natural-disasters/ |access-date=5 May 2021 |website=HistoryCollection.com |language=en-US}}</ref> However, two devastating cyclones, one in 1789 and another in 1839, caused significant damage, leading to its decline. Historically, Coringa was a key migration point, with people from various parts of Andhra travelling through its seaport to countries like [[Myanmar|Burma]] and [[Malaysia]], where they were called "Coranghees," after the port of Coringa.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=W. W. Hunter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5IoIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA42 |title=The Imperial Gazetteer of India |date=1885 |publisher=Trübner & Company |volume=IV |pages=42–43 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Satyanarayana |first=Adapa |date=2008 |title=Telugu Diaspora in South East/West Asia, 1871-1990 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44147252 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=69 |pages=904–914 |issn=2249-1937 |jstor=44147252}}</ref>

== History ==
In 1759, the [[East India Company|British]] established a shipbuilding and repair facility at Coringa, located on the [[Coringa River]], a branch of the [[Godavari River]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Henry Morris |year=1878 |title=A Descriptive and Historical Account of the Godavery District in the Presidency of Madras |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jj0QAAAAYAAJ |publisher=Trübner |pages=52–53}}</ref> It had attracted European merchants, including the British, French, Dutch, and Portuguese, who used its waters as a safe anchorage.<ref name=":73" />

By 1802, Coringa had become a prominent seaport, featuring a dry dock for ship repairs—the only such facility between [[Mumbai|Bombay]] and [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] at the time.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Morris |first=Henry |url=https://archive.org/details/descriptivehisto00morrrich/page/40/mode/2up |title=A Descriptive and Historical Account of the Godavary District in the Presidency of Madras |date=1878 |publisher=Trübner & Co. |pages=40}}</ref> Constructed by Ebenezer Roebuck, a British resident, the dock measured 155 feet in length and was equipped with steam engines for pumping. It was capable of accommodating [[Royal Navy]] vessels and underscored Coringa’s strategic importance in regional maritime activities.<ref name=":73">{{Cite book |last=Hemingway |first=F. R. |url=https://archive.org/details/godavaridistrict01frhe/page/210/mode/2up |title=Godavari District Gazetteer |date=1915 |publisher= |isbn=978-81-206-1462-8 |volume=1 |pages=210–212}}</ref> Historically, Coringa was the only location between Calcutta and [[Trincomalee]] capable of docking and repairing large ships.<ref name=":3" /> The area, including Cape Cori (now known as [[Hope Island (India)|Hope Island]]), gained international recognition for its shipbuilding and repair capabilities.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sankar |first1=K.N. Murali |date=20 July 2016 |title=Coringa's relic of the past |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/coringas-relic-of-the-past/article3379198.ece |access-date=24 April 2018 |work=The Hindu}}</ref>

Coringa’s prominence also extended to shipbuilding. The village was recognized as one of the greatest shipbuilding centres on the east coast of India, contributing to its reputation as a vital maritime location. However, its coastal position made it vulnerable to frequent storms and natural disasters.<ref name=":73" />

Coringa suffered several catastrophic events that contributed to its decline. In 1784, a sea surge caused vessels to drift inland as far as [[Rajahmundry]].<ref name=":3" /> The Great Coringa Cyclone of 1789 claimed approximately 20,000 lives and inflicted severe damage on the port. Another storm in May 1832 further weakened the settlement.<ref name="Coast of Golconda- Coringa Bay2">{{cite book |last1=Horsburgh |first1=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LbhAAQAAMAAJ&q=Coringa+ship+building+AND+india&pg=PA602 |title=The India Directory, Or, Directions for Sailing to and from the ..., Volume 1 |date=1841 |publisher=Wm. H. Allen and Co. |pages=602–603 |access-date=24 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hoiberg |first1=Dale |url=https://archive.org/details/studentsbritanni05hoib |title=Students' Britannica. India: Select essays |date=2000 |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica (India) Pvt. Ltd |isbn=0-85229-762-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/studentsbritanni05hoib/page/n423 409] |quote=shipbuilding in Coringa. |access-date=24 April 2018 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

The most devastating event occurred on November 25, 1839, when a cyclone accompanied by a 40-foot storm surge obliterated Coringa’s port. Over 20,000 ships were destroyed, and the cyclone claimed around 300,000 lives overall, making it one of the deadliest in history. This disaster marked the beginning of Coringa’s irreversible decline.<ref name=":02" />

=== Decline ===
Following the 1839 cyclone, Coringa’s port was never fully rebuilt. By the 1870s, it could only service small vessels, and [[Siltation|silting]] of the river made navigation increasingly difficult. Although the village maintained limited trade with regions like [[Mawlamyine|Moulmein]] and [[Yangon|Rangoon]], its commercial importance diminished significantly.<ref name=":0" />

The dry dock constructed by Roebuck fell into disuse, eventually becoming filled with silt.<ref name=":73" /> By the late 19th century, Coringa’s trade value had plummeted, and the once-thriving port was reduced to a shadow of its former self. Neighboring villages, such as [[Thallarevu]], took over the shipbuilding activities, further cementing Coringa’s decline as a maritime centre.<ref name=":73" /> By 1901, the port had become inaccessible to large ships, and by 1905, shipbuilding activities had ceased altogether.<ref name="Building of docks2">{{cite book |last1=Frowde |first1=Henry |url=http://scans.library.utoronto.ca/pdf/2/25/imperialgazettee11greauoft/imperialgazettee11greauoft.pdf |title=Imperial Gazetteer of India. Vol XI |date=1908 |publisher=Oxford at the Clarendon Press |page=51 |access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref>

== Cyclones ==

=== The 1789 Cyclone ===
The ''Great Coringa Cyclone'' struck in December 1789, causing severe damage with a series of three massive storm surges.<ref name=":02" /> The first wave drove ships ashore, and subsequent waves washed away everything that survived, killing at least 20,000 people. The effects of the cyclone reached as far as [[Rajahmundry]] to the northeast. The event was recorded in colonial and maritime records, marking a turning point in Coringa's maritime significance. After the cyclone, Coringa never regained its former prominence as a port. It served as a cautionary tale for future cyclone preparedness, especially in the Bay of Bengal region.<ref name=":02" /><ref name="Coast of Golconda- Coringa Bay2"/>

=== The 1839 Cyclone ===
On 25 November 1839, a major cyclone with a massive 40-foot storm surge ravaged Coringa.<ref name=":02" /> The surge obliterated the port, sinking over 20,000 ships and causing a death toll estimated at around 300,000. This cyclone was notable as one of the first to be recorded in meteorological history and led to the first usage of the term "cyclone" by [[Henry Piddington]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Reid |first=William |url=https://archive.org/details/progressdevelop00reidgoog |title=The progress of the development of the law of storms... |publisher=J. Weale |year=1849 |page=105}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Balfour |first=Edward |title=The cyclopaedia of India and of eastern and southern Asia |publisher=B. Quaritch |year=1885 |volume=2 |page=125}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Chambers |first=William |url=https://archive.org/details/chambersspapers03ltdgoog |title=Chambers's Papers for the people |year=1851 |page=15}}</ref> The destruction from the storm led to the decline of Coringa as a port and a significant loss to the Indian Ocean shipping industry.<ref>{{cite book |last=Moore |first=H. S. |title=A New and Complete History of the City of London and Its Environs |year=1867 |publisher=Thomas Kelly |page=211}}</ref>

== Geography ==
Coringa is located at the junction of the [[Godavari River]] and the Bay of Bengal.<ref name=":02" /> The region is low-lying and prone to flooding, particularly during the cyclone season, when heavy rain and high winds can cause major damage to the infrastructure. The surrounding area has mangrove forests, which serve as a buffer to mitigate the effects of storms.

== Economy ==
Historically, Coringa was known for its shipbuilding industry and its port facilities, which facilitated significant trade.<ref name=":0" /> Though the port no longer operates at the scale it once did, the village continues to rely on small-scale fishing and agriculture. The region's mangroves, which provide a rich habitat for biodiversity, have been protected as part of the [[Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary]].

== See also ==
* [[Godavari River]]
* [[Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary]]
* [[Kakinada]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Coringa|volume=7|pages=146–147}}

[[Category:Villages in Kakinada district]]

Coringa, Kakinada district - Revision history

Sachin Soni: creating initial location w/ infobox