Buddhist in religion until the middle of the seventh century. A number of Buddhist or Jain remains survive in it. The village of Ariyavattam in Cocanada taluk is sometimes called Jain-padu ('the Jain ruins') and contains several large but rude images of figures sitting cross-legged in the traditional attitude of contemplation. These are not now 'worshipped, but images of a similar nature in the streets of Pithapuram are still worshipped by Hindus there under the name of sanydsi devulu ('ascetic gods'), and are honoured with a festival in times of drought. At Nedunuru in the Amalapuram taluk are other images of this king which are said to be the largest in the district, and yet other similar relics are found at Kazuliiru, Yendamuru and Sila in Cocanada taluk, Jalliiru in Pithapuram division, Atreyapuram in Amalapuram, Tatipaka in Nagaram, and Draksharamam in Ramachandrapuram taluk. There are also many large revetted wells in the Nagaram and Amalapuram taluks which for some obscure reason are called 'Jain wells.'
The relations of the Musalmans with their Hindu neighbours are on the whole friendly; though petty disputes sometimes arise at festival times, when the processions or observances of the one offend the other. Followers of the faith are generally engaged in menial work or petty trade, and few of them are wealthy. They have no local places of pilgrimage, though the Muhammadans of Draksharamam in Ramachandrapuram taluk say that the darga of their local saint was once regularly visited by the pious of the district. A few of the mixed class called Dudekus occur. They are said to be the descendants of converts from Hinduism, and, though they profess the Muhammadan religion, most of them speak only Telugu, wear the Hindu cloth and not the trousers or the kilt (lunji) of the Muhammadans, and adopt Hindu names. They cannot intermarry with other Musalmans and are looked down upon because they are musicians and cotton-cleaners.
There are four Christian missions in the district; namely, the Roman Catholics and the Canadian Baptist Mission with their head-quarters at Cocanada, the American Evangelical Lutheran Mission of Rajahmundry, and the Church Missionary Society, which works a small 'district' from Dummagudem in Bhadrachalam taluk.
The American Evangelical Lutheran Mission was founded by the North German Mission Society in 1844. The first missionary sent out was the Rev. L. M. Valette. He selected Rajahmundry as his head-quarters and took up his residence there in 1844. Soon afterwards, in consequence of the
