As district headquarters of the West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, Eluru has a total population of 2,03,780 and a literacy rate of over 83 percent. It is the sixth most populous city of Andhra Pradesh, with Telugu as the major spoken language. As per the data of the 2011 census, with a population of 3.9 million, the West Godavari district ranks 11th in terms of population in the state. Literacy rate in the district is over 74 percent and 45 percent of the population is in the working age. 68 percent of the workers are employed in agriculture and allied services, 2 percent in the household industry and 30 percent work in industry and services. Since the 17th century, Eluru has been known as a centre for rug weaving, with weavers believed to be of Iranian descent. During the Buddhist kingdom of Vengi, the city was known as Helapuri and has also been referred as Ellore / Ellora. The city was a part of the Eastern Kingdom of Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Kalinga and Vijaynagara. When the British took over this region, Eluru was made a part of the Madras Presidency and in 1925 it became the headquarters of West Godavari District.
