Narasapur, India

History

The existence of Narsapur originates back to 1173 AD. Dutch people arrived in Narsapur in 1626. Narsapur was used as a port by the Dutch and ships and boats were built here. It was noted for its ship building activity and some of the Europeans also were customers at this place; small boats are still built in Narsapur. In the 16th century, Portuguese established their own factory which remained as a trading centre for a few years. In the 18th century, Narsapur became an important trading port. From this port, teak was exported to other regions. The ports at Kakinada and Narsapuram became famous for manufacturing ships. At present there is no port handling at Narsapur.

Madhavayapalem (Madapollam) is celebrated as one of the earliest places where the English established a factory and was famous for its trade in cloth. According to Alexander Hamilton's A New Account of the East Indies (1727): "Next to Matchulipatam (Machilipatnam) is Narsipore, where the English had a Factory for long Cloth, for the Use of their Factory of Matchulipatam, when they manufactured Chintz there. It also affords good Teak Timber for building, and has a fine deep River, but a dangerous Bar, which makes it little frequented."

The trade of the town has steadily declined since the abolition of the company's factory in 1827. Before independence, British civilians had made imports and exports from Narsapur.

From the History section of Narasapuram on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.