Eluru is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the headquarters of West Godavari district and has a population of 389,772 . Eluru is situated on the national highway NH5 connecting Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. Eluru was earlier called Helapuri and has a rich cultural and political history. It was believed to have been the capital of Vishnukundinas at one time. Kolleru Lake a big fresh water lake is found near Eluru.

It is known for its well established educational institutes like Sir C.R.Reddy College. It is the hub for the paddy, tobacco, coconut exports to all other parts of the state. It is well known for the carpets and incense sticks exports to all over the country.Helapuri (Eluru) was part of the Buddhist kingdom of Vengi. The Eastern Chalakyas ruled coastal Andhra from 700 to 1200, with Vengi,near the village of Pedavegi, as their capital. Historical evidence can be found at the villages of Pedavegi and Guntupalli (Jilakarragudem). Eluru then became a part of the Kalinga Empire until 1471. Later it fell into the hands of the Gajapathis. In 1515 Srikrishnadevaraya captured it. After the fall of the Vijayanagara Kingdom, it was taken by the Sultan of Golkonda, Kutub Shah. After the British established control over South India, Eluru and surrounding areas were merged into the Madras Presidency. During the division of Northern Cirkars into districts, Eluru was made a part of Machilipatnam district. Later, it was included in the Godavari District in 1859. Subsequently, Eluru was made part of the Krishna District. Finally, in the year 1925, West Godavari District was formed with Eluru as its Headquarters and all the district offices and regional offices were set up in Eluru town. Eluru became a city when the government of Andhra Pradesh upgraded Eluru to a municipal corporation in April 2005. In the process some of the surrounding villages were merged in the city, raising the city's population to 3,50,000.