Markapuram is a town in

Prakasam district Prakasam district is one of the twelve districts in the coastal Andhra region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was formed in 1970 and reorganised on 4 April 2022. The headquarters of the district is ...

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 ...

. It is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and is the headquarters of Markapuram Municipality in

Markapuram revenue division Markapuram revenue division is an administrative division in the Prakasam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the 3 revenue divisions in the district which consists of 13 mandals under its administration. Markapuram is t ...

. Markapuram is notable for the Chennakesava Swamy Temple, built by King Sri

Krishnadevaraya Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 – 17 October 1529) was emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1509 to 1529 and the third ruler of the Tuluva dynasty. Widely regarded as one of the greatest rulers in Indian history, he presided over t ...

. During

Ratha Yatra Ratha Yatra (), or chariot festival, is any public procession in a chariot. They are held annually during festivals in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The term also refers to the popular annual Ratha Yatra of Puri that involves a public process ...

(''Tirunalla'' in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

) there occurs a popular carnival; the town is also famous for Chenna Kesavaswamy (''Saptavahana Seva'') on the day of Rathsapthami, which is attended by thousands of people coming from different parts of the state. It is the second-largest town in Prakasam district after

Ongole Ongole (), natively known as Ongolu, is a city in Prakasam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Prakasam district. It is known for Ongole cattle, an indigenous breed of oxen. Etymology The name 'Ongole' i ...

and it is the main place within West Prakasam district to avail all facilities. Markapuram was formerly a part of

Kurnool District Kurnool district is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh after the districts are reorganised in April 2022. It is located in the north western part of the state and is bounded by Nandyal d ...

, serving as the east gate of

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 ...

. The town is close to the

Nallamala Hills The Nallamalas (also called the Nallamalla Range) are a section of the Eastern Ghats which forms the eastern boundary of Rayalaseema region of the state of Andhra Pradesh and Nagarkurnool district of the state of Telangana, in India. They run in ...

and currently has a population of approximately 75,000. Markapuram is known for

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

manufacturing industries. On 3 September 2020, Markapuram received a historically heavy rainfall measuring 227mm. Due to this weather event, the partially-depleted ground water level increased significantly, leading to a marked decrease in local drought conditions.

History

The town's name comes from a story of a milk maid by the name of Marika who was graced with a son by Swamy Chennakesava. The milk maid, in commemoration of this event, constructed a small temple. Soon afterwards a village grew round and about this temple and was known as Marikapuram. By afflux of time this name evolved into Markapuram. The temple, originally constructed by Marika, underwent numerous additions and renovations, the later large and prominent temple being dedicated to Sri Chennakesava. This town was a part of Kurnool District until 1971. Yerragondapalem, Markapuram, and Giddalur

mandals 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 ce ...

were in Kurnool district until 1971, when a carve-out made a new district (along with Kanigiri, Podili, Darsi, Kandukur from Nellore District and Ongole and Chirala from Guntur district).

Geography

Markapuram is situated about east 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 about three miles north-east of the

Vijayawada Vijayawada ( ), formerly known by its colonial name Bezawada, is the second largest city and a major commercial hub in the Andhra Pradesh state of India. The city forms an integral part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is situated on th ...

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 ...

railway line. Markapuram is located at at an average elevation of and is surrounded by

Nallamala Forest Nallamala Forest is located in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is part of the Eastern Ghats. Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India and is spread across districts of Nandyal, Kadapa, P ...

. An important industry in Markapuram is slate manufacturing. It exported slate to other countries in the late 1980s. It is one of the revenue divisions in Prakasam district.

Transport

Markapuram is located on the Ananthapur-

Amaravati Amaravati ( , Telugu language, Telugu: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Guntur district on the right bank of the Krishna River, southwest of Vijayawada. The city derives its name from the nearby his ...

Express Highway, a section of the Expressway Project. It is away from Ongole, away from Podili, and

Nandyal Nandyal, commonly called as Nandyala, is a city and the district headquarters of Nandyal district of the Indian state of the Andhra Pradesh. It is a Municipal corporation and the headquarters of Nandyal mandal in Nandyal revenue division. Dem ...

is away on the other side of Nallamala hills. It is a part of the Guntur division of

South Central Railway South Central Railway (abbreviated SCR) is one of the 19 zones of Indian Railways. The jurisdiction of the zone is spread over the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka. It has three divisions under its administration, wh ...

division. The railway line from

passes through this station. Markapuram is near

Srisailam Srisailam is a census town in Nandyal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Srisailam mandal in Atmakur revenue division, Nandyal district, Atmakur revenue division. It is located about from the distri ...

. People visiting Srisailam take the train route through Markapuram railway station. Donakonda Airport was used by the British during World War 2 and is also close to Markapuram.

Education

The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government in conjunction with private schools, under the ''School Education Department'' of the state. Instruction is given in both English and Telugu. N.S. Agricultural College is located in Markapur, along with other degree colleges, including engineering. Various coaching institutes are there which help for competitive exams.

References

{{Prakasam district Towns in Prakasam district