| Macherla | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | India Andhra Pradesh |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Coordinates: | 16.48°N 79.43°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Andhra Pradesh |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Palnadu |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 2nd century |
| Established Title1: | Incorporated (town) |
| Established Date1: | 1983 |
| Government Type: | Municipal council |
| Governing Body: | Macherla Municipality |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 13.48 |
| Elevation M: | 136 |
| Population Total: | 57,290 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Telugu |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Postal Code: | 522426 |
| Area Code Type: | Telephone code |
| Area Code: | 08642 |
Macherla is a town in Palnadu district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Macherla mandal in Gurazala revenue division.[3]
Macherla is capital of the region Palnadu. The name Macherla originated from Mahadevi Cherla. This town is in the heart of Palnadu, and has a history of over a thousand years. The famous battle Palnati Yudhdham (War of Palnadu) took place between Macherla and Gurazala between 1176 AD – 1182 AD. The Palnadu Battle is also called the Andhra Mahabharatam because of several similarities. The town is renowned for the Chennakesava Swamy temple built here during the reign of the Haihaya Kings. Palanati Brahmanaidu is from velama community and the minister to Haihaya kings, who tried to abolish the caste system by "Chapa Koodu" or "Sahapankthi Bhojanalu" in the 12th century.
Macherla is located at .[4] It has an average elevation of 136 metres (446 feet). It is located 23 kilometers from Nagarjuna Sagar. Jerri Vagu is the source of water for the town and the surrounding villages.[5]
census of India, the city had a population of 1,06,289. The average literacy rate stands at 71.13% with 86,176 literates, significantly higher than the state average of 67.41%.[6]
Macherla Municipality is the civic body of the town and constituted in the year 1983.[7] The municipality is classified as second grade and has a jurisdictional area of the municipality is present area of the corporation is 32.94km2.[8]
Nagarjunakonda Museum Nagarjunakonda, meaning the hill of Nagarjuna, was named after the Buddhist scholar and savant Acharya Nagarjuna. It was a great religious centre promoting Brahmanism and Buddhist faiths, moulding the early phases of art and architecture affiliated with them. The Ethipothala Falls lies 8 km from Macherla, is a mountain stream cascading down the hills as Chandravanka and Suryavanka streams. The Suryavanka falls from a height of 21 meters into a lagoon and joins River Krishna.[9] The Sri Lakshmi Chennakesava swami temple hosts a yearly local festival, Tirunalla.
The town has a total road length of 76.23km (47.37miles).[10]
As per the school information report for the academic year 2018–19, the village has a total of 21 schools. These include 1 MPP, 1 KGBV and 19 private schools.[11]