The earliest reference to Guntur, a variant of Guntur, comes from the Idern plates of Ammaraja I (922-929), the Vengi Chalukyan king. The Kingdom of Pratipalapura of 500 BCE (current Bhattiprolu), appears to be the earliest known kingdom in south India. Guntur also appears in two other inscriptions dated 1147 CE and 1158 CE. The original Sanskrit name (ancient Vedic culture/tradition) for Guntur was Garthapuri.

An old temple at GarthapuriThe 'Agasthyeswara Sivalayam' in the old city is an ancient temple for Lord Siva . It has inscriptions on two stones in 'Naga Lipi' (ancient script) dating back to about 1100 CE. The backyard of the temple hosts a very old tree . It is said that Agastya built the temple in the last Treta-Yuga around the Swayambhu Linga and hence the name. The 'Nagals' were said to have ruled the region at that time. The place of Sitanagaram and the Guthikonda Caves [1] can be traced (through Vedic Puranas) back to the last Treta-Yuga and Dwapara-Yuga (Traditional Time scale: 1.7 to 0.5 million years ago, Ref).

LumbiniVanamAlso, the region has been historically known for Buddhism

Further information: Guntur District#History and in a Paleolithic aspect. Also check Timeline of Guntur.

More recently, the region was under the Nizam's rule prior to the colonial period. During colonial rule, Guntur was under the control of the French and then the British, till India's independence.