In 500 BCE, Dharanikota was known as Dhanyakatakam.
Dharanikota ivory seal
Archaeological excavations at Dharanikota revealed viharas in Dharanikota and nearby areas.[6] It is the site of ancient Dhanyakataka, which was the capital of the Satavahana dynasty that ruled in the Deccan around the 1st to 3rd centuries CE. It was also the capital of the Kota Vamsa, which ruled during the medieval period until the mid-12th century. The Krishna River Valley is an important rice-producing area. It was also an important centre of trade with other parts of India and foreign countries. The place is also famous for the great Amaravati stupa; a very large Kalachakra ceremony was conducted there by the Dalai Lama in January, 2006.[7][8]Xuanzang visited Dharanikota and the Amaravati stupa and wrote an enthusiastic account of the place and the viharas that existed then.[citation needed]Jainism flourished in Dharanikota during the reign of Sada kings.[9]
As of 2011[update]Census of India, Dharanikota had a population of 7,534. The total population constitute, 3,734 males and 3,800 females —a sex ratio of 1018 females per 1000 males. 725 children are in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 368 are boys and 357 are girls —a ratio of 970 per 1000. The average literacy rate stands at 66.06% with 4,498 literates, slightly lower than the state average of 67.41%.[3][11]
As per the school information report for the academic year 2018–19, the village has a total of eight schools. These schools include five MPP and three private schools.[13]
^"School Information". Commissionerate of School Education. Government of Andhra Pradesh. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
