Anantapur district, officially Ananthapuramu district, is one of the eight districts in the

Rayalaseema Rayalaseema (IAST: ''Rāyalasīma'') is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises four southern districts of the State, from prior to the districts reorganisation in 2022, namely Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa, and ...

region of the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

. The district headquarters is located in

Anantapur Anantapur, officially Anantapuramu, is a city in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Anantapuru Tehsil, mandal and also the divisional headquarters of Anantapur revenue division. The city ...

city. It is one of the driest places in

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

. In the year 2022, as part of re-organisation of districts, Sri Sathya Sai district was carved out.

Etymology

The name Anantapuramu was named after a reservoir called ''Anantasagaram'', a big tank, which means "Endless Ocean". The villages of Ananthasagaram and Bukkarayasamudram were constructed by Chikkappa Wadeyar, the minister of Bukka Raya I. Some authorities assert that Anaantasagaram was named after ''Ananthamma'', wife of Bukka Raya I, one of the founders of the

Vijayanagar empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belonging to ...

. , while some contend that it must have been known after Anantarasa Chikkavodeya himself, as Bukka-Raya had no queen by that name.

History

Gooty Fort, a major fort in the medieval history of the region was a stronghold of the

Marathas The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

, but was taken from them by Hyder Ali. In 1789 it was ceded by his son

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...

to the

Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I wh ...

. In 1800 the Nizam ceded the surrounding districts to the British in payment for a subsidiary British force. In 1882, Anantapuram district was formed by carving out from

Bellary district Ballari, formerly Bellary (pronounced ), is a major district in Karnataka. It is located at north-eastern part of Karnataka. This district belongs to Kalyana-Karnataka. This district was one of the biggest districts in Karnataka until the Vi ...

. Revenue mandals of Kadiri, Mudigubba, Nallamada, N.P.Kunta, Talupula, Nallacheruvu, O.D.Cheruvu, Tanakal, Amadagur and Gandlapenta (previous Kadiri Taluk) from erstwhile YSR Kadapa District were added in the year 1910. In the year 1956, the revenue mandals of Rayadurg, D.Hirehal, Kanekal, Bommanahal and Gummagatta of Bellary District were added, with the formation of Andhra Pradesh.

census of India The decennial census of India has been conducted 15 times, as of 2011. While it has been undertaken every 10 years, beginning in 1872 under Viceroy Lord Mayo, the first complete census was taken in 1872. Post 1949, it has been conducted by the R ...

, it was the largest district in the state by area and had a population of 2,241,105. As per the Gazette notification No.122 dt 26 January 2022 (G.O.Rt.No.55, Revenue (Land-IV), 25 January 2022), Sri Sathya Sai district was formed from Ananthapur district.

, the undivided Anantapuramu district has a population of 4,081,148 with 9,68,160 households, ranking it as the 7th most populous district in the state. It is the largest district in the state with an area of . Anantapur has a

sex ratio A sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...

of 977 females for every 1000 males, and a

literacy rate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

of 64.28%. Urban population in the district is 28.9% of total population. The Gross District Domestic Product (GDDP) of the undivided district for FY 2013-14 is and it contributes 6.8% to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). For the FY 2013–14, the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

at current prices was . The

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

, secondary and tertiary sectors of the district contribute , and respectively to the GDDP.

Geography

It is one of the largest districts of Andhra Pradesh spanning an area of . It is bounded on the north by Kurnool district and Nandyal district, on the east by

Kadapa district YSR Kadapa district is one of the twenty six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. In the 2022 reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh districts, the district boundary was largely restricted to the Kadapa parliamentary constituency area. ...

, and south by Sri Sathya Sai district and on the southwest and west by

Chitradurga district Chitradurga district is an administrative district of Karnataka state in southern India. The city of Chitradurga is the district headquarters. Chitradurga gets its name from Chitrakaldurga, an umbrella-shaped lofty hill found there. Tradition ...

and

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

state. It is part of

region on the state. The northern part of the district has large areas of black cotton soil, while the southern part has mainly poor red soil. There are two major hill ranges namely Mutchukota hills Nagasamudram hills, accounting for 70% of forest area. Penna, Chithravathi, Pedda Hagari, Chinna Hagari, Thadakaleru and Pandameru are the main rivers. The average elevation is about 1300 feet above the mean sea level. The annual normal rainfall of the district is 508.2 mm. Thus it secures least rainfall when compared to other parts of Andhra Pradesh.

Demographics

Based on the 2011 census, the district had a population of 2,241,105, of which 753,354 (33.62%) lived in urban areas. The district had a sex ratio of 978 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 3,34,142 (14.91%) and 70,161 (3.13%) of the population respectively. Hinduism is the major religion with 88.45% followers, while Islam has 10.37%. Based on the 2011 census, 84.59% of the population spoke Telugu, 9.64%

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, 3.03%

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

and 1.42% Lambadi as their first language.

Administrative divisions

Politics

There are two parliamentary constituencies in the district namely, Anantapuram Parliament constituency, Hindupuram parliament constituency(partial). Legislative assembly constituencies in the district are given below. The district is divided into 3 revenue divisions:

Anantapuramu Anantapur, officially Anantapuramu, is a city in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Anantapuru Tehsil, mandal and also the divisional headquarters of Anantapur revenue division. The city ...

Guntakal Guntakal, natively known as Guntakallu, is a city in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Guntakal mandal and Guntakal revenue division.It is also the headquarters of the Guntakal Railway Division ...

and Kalyandurg, which are further subdivided into a total of 32

mandal A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative c ...

s, each headed by a sub-collector.

Mandals

The list of 31 mandals in Anantapuramu district, divided into 3 revenue divisions, is given below. # Anantapuramu revenue division ## Anantapuramu Urban ## Anantapuramu Rural ## Atmakur ## Bukkaraya Samudram ## Garladinne ## Kudair ## Narpala ## Peddapappur ## Putlur ## Raptadu ## Singanamala ## Tadipatri ## Yellanur # Guntakal revenue division ## Gooty ##

## Pamidi ## Peddavadugur ## Uravakonda ## Vajrakarur ## Vidapanakal ## Yadiki # Kalyandurg revenue division ## Beluguppa ## Bommanahal ## Brahmasamudram ## D.Hirehal ## Gummagatta ## Kalyandurg ## Kambadur ## Kanekal ## Kundurpi ## Rayadurgam ## Settur

Cities and towns

There are one municipal corporation and five municipalities, one nagar panchayat in the district.

Economy

Agriculture The

economy An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

is principally agrarian with a developing industrial sector. The district receives very less rainfall due to its location in the rain shadow area of Indian Peninsula. Prominent crops include groundnut, sunflower,

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

, chillies,

sesame Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for ...

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

and

Silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

Industries Industries like

Construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

Manufactures Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

and

Electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

are major contributors for GVA. Minerals Gold, Diamonds, Limestone, Iron ore, Quartz, Asbestos, Dolomite, Barytes, Steatite, Granite, Clay, Share are found in the district. Power plants Solar thermal power plant of 50 MW was commissioned at Nagalapuram village in Peddavadaguru mandal of the district occupying an area of 600 acres under Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission which was named as Megha Solar Plant. It is one of the 7 solar thermal plants in the country. Tadipatri region in Anantapur is an industrialised town famous for Granite and Cement production. Ultra Tech Cements a unit of Industrial major Larsen & Toubro has a major Cement production unit near the town.

Transport

National Highway 44 (India) National Highway 44 (NH 44) is a major north–south National Highway in India and is the longest in the country. It passes through the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Prade ...

passes through the district via Anantapur. The major railway stations are , and .

Kempegowda International Airport Kempegowda International Airport is an international airport serving Bengaluru, the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Spread over , it is located about north of the city near the suburb of Devanahalli. It is owned and operated by ...

, Bengaluru is the nearest international airport at 190 km from the district headquarters. Other small-scale domestic airports are there in neighbouring districts of

Kurnool Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema". Kurnool is also famous for Diamond hunting as diamonds ca ...

and

Kadapa Kadapa is a city in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located in the Rayalaseema region, and is the district headquarters of YSR Kadapa district. It is located south of the Penna River. The city is surrounded on three sides by ...

which are around 150 km and 200 km away respectively.

Education

As per the year 2019-20, there were 3085 schools, 143 junior colleges, 42 degree colleges. There is 1 medical college, 14 engineering colleges, 23 ITI, 11 polytechnic and 18 degree colleges. Some of the institutions include Sri Krishnadevaraya University, JNTU Ananthapur, Sri Sathya Sai University, Government Medical College, Government polytechnic anantapur, Srinivasa Ramanujan Institute of Technology, Government Polytechnic Hindupur, Gates Institute of Technology, Central University of Andhra Pradesh,

Tourism

Gooty Fort is a historical fort on a hill dating to 11th century. It is at a distance of 52 kms from Anantapur. Penna Ahobilam is famous for Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy temple. It is at a distance of 36 km from Anantapur.

Notable people

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy born in Illur village, Garladinne mandal, rose to became President of India after serving in other roles such as Lok sabha speaker, chief minister of Andhra Pradesh and central minister. T. Nagi Reddy born in Tarimela village of Singanamala mandal. He was a freedom fighter and popular communist leader.

References

Books

External links

Mandals of Anantapuram district - Interactive Overpass-turbo OSM map
* {{Authority control Districts of Andhra Pradesh Rayalaseema 1882 establishments in India