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Tourist Attractions inTourist Attractions in AnantapurTourist Attractions in Anantapur
Tourist Attractions in Anantapur
Lepakshi
Lepakshi village is located just 14 km from Hindupur town and 110km from Anantapur. It is a very popular pilgrimage destination. The place is famous for its huge Nandi statue. Experts also believe that the place is deeply related to Lord Rama. Devotees from far and wide visit Lepakshi, especially on Shivratri to seek blessings of lord. The temple is known for its intricate architecture and sculptures.
Lapakshi is well connected via bus service and private transport service through Hindupur. The nearest railway station to Lepakshi is Hindupur.
Puttapathy
Puttapathy is located on the banks of Chitravathi. It is the abode of abode of Puttaparthy Sri Sathya Sai Baba. It is situated at about 80km from Anantapur. Devotees from different parts of India and all over the world used to head to Puttapathy to seek blessings of Sathya Sai Baba. There is a huge ashram known as Prasanthi Nilayam Ashram and madapam constructed by devotees. People gather and sing bhajans in the mandapam.
The other places of importance in Puttaparthi are Purnachandra auditorium, Planetarium, Super specialty hospital, museum and Satya Sai Deemed University
Guguddu
29km from Anantapur and you reach the famous tourist destination – Guguddu. It is situated along Mutchukota Hills. The temple is named after the veteran saint Sri Kullai Swamy. The place is famous for its Moharam festival. It is also believed that barren women become fertile if they visit this holy shrine. The ceremony of walking on the holy fire is conducted on the night of the 11th day of Moharam. There is a Sri Anjaneya Swamy Temple near the abode of Sri Kullai Swamy Chavidi.Gooty Fort
The majestic Gooty Fort is situated 52km from Anantapur. It is built at a height of about 300m on a hilltop. Gooty Fort is one of the oldest forts in the state. It was built during the prestigious Vijaynagar Empire. The unique shell shape and the view from the fort are the main highlights. The nearest railway station is Anantapur. Gooty is well connected to Anantapur through road and rail.
Pennaahobilam
Pennahobilam is situated 35 km from Anantapur. It is an uninhabited village and is known for its temple of "Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy" popularly called as "Degurla Narasimha Swamy. It is a very popular pilgrimage center in the region. The temple is constructed on a small hill. The main shrine consists of gigantic footprints about 5'' by 3''. It is believed that these footprints are of Lord Narasimha.
A car festival is held on the fifth day of the dark fortnight during the month of Vaisakam (April-May). It is a very popular festival and people from neighboring states also come to be a part of it. One can easily reach Pennaahobilam by hiring a taxi from Anantapur.
Gutibayalu
Gutibayalu is home to one of the largest Banyan trees in South India. It is located at a distance of about 100 from Anantapur. The branches of this tree spread over an expansive area of about 5 acres. The tree is popularly called "Thimmamma Marrimanu" after the name of Thimmamma, who is said to have committed ‘Sati’ in 1434 A.D at this spot, where this Banyan Tree sprouted. The Thimmamma Marrimanu was recorded as the biggest tree in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1989.A small temple of Thimmamma is there under the tree. It is strong belief that if a childless couple visits this temple and prays with full dedication, they will have a child the next year.
Kasapuram
Kasapuram is the temple of Nettikanti Veera Anjaneya Swamy. A large number of Hindu pilgrims from Anantapur, Bellary and Kurnool districts head to Kasapuram and offer their prayers. The pilgrims flock the temple in large numbers on Saturdays. A lot of marriage and tonsure ceremonies are also performed at this temple. The temple is also famous among the Muslim population living in the nearby areas. They visit the temple often and seek blessings of lord. A huge procession is taken out once in a year on the day next to the Telugu New Year Day.
Tadipatri
Tadipatri is located at a distance of 90 km from Anantapur. It is famous for Chintala Venkataramana Temple and many other ancient religious monuments. Also just 1km from the main town is Bugga Ramalingeshwara Temple which overlooks the Pennar River. The temple has a lingam placed on a pedestal which is constantly filled with water from a small spring.
Yadiki Caves
Yadiki Caves are a popular tourist attraction of the region. The caves are located midway between Gooty and Tadipatri. The view of beautiful hillocks, paddy fields and winding roads from the caves is a refreshing sight.
The cave is 5km in length and tourists can go 2km inside. There are stalactite and stalagmite formations at various points. The Kona Ramalingeswara temple which is just adjacent to the springs of the caves is also a must see place. The place also offers rock climbing, nature walks and trekking.
History of Anantpur
History of Anantpur
Anantapur has always been an integral part of many dynasties. Due to its strategic location it was an important center for the British Army during the Second World War. It is believed that Anantapur got its name from 'Anaatasagaram', a big tank, which means "Endless Ocean". The villages of Anaantasagaram and Bukkarayasamudram were constructed by Chilkkavodeya, the minister of Bukka-I, a Vijayanagar ruler.During the Vijaynagar period, Anantapur was an important center. It was popularly known as "Hande Anantapuram". Hande means chief of Vijaynagar period. Historians say that Anantapur and a couple of other places were gifted by the Vijaynagar rulers to Hanumappa Naidu of the Hande family. Subsequently Anantapur came under the rule of the Qutub Shahis, Mughals, and the Nawabs of Cuddapah, although the Hande chiefs continued to rule as their subordinates. The British took control of Anantapur as a part of their treaty with the Nizams.
Anantapur District
Anantapur district was formed in 1882 when it was separated from Bellary district. Sir Thomas Munro was the first Collector. Today Anantapur district is divided into 5 Revenue Divisions and these divisions are further divided into 63 Mandals. It is the largest district in Andhra Pradesh and is spread over an expansive area of about 19, 100 sq. km. The following six rivers flow within the district.- Penna
- Swarnamukhi
- Papagni
- Chithravathi
- Vedavathi
- Thadakaleru
Geography of Anantpur
Anantapur is located at 14.68°N 77.6°E. It has an average elevation of 335 meters. Anantapur district is bounded by Bellary and Kurnool districts on the north, Cuddapah and Kolar of Karnataka on the south and east respectively.
Climate of Anantpur
The climate of Anantapur is semi-arid. Since the elevation is quite high, the region has a tolerable climate all through the year. Summers usually commence in March and reach the peak in May – June.The dry and warm months of March – May have temperature ranges between 29.1 C to 40.3 C. November – January are cooler and the average temperature ranges between 22 C to 23 C.
Shifting the focus to monsoons. The region receives pre-monsoon showers as early as March. The region witnesses full monsoon during September – November. Since Anantapur is quite far from the east coast it does not benefit from the North East Monsoons. Also it is cut off by the high Western Ghats, thus, the South West Monsoon is also prevented from reaching the region. The normal rainfall of the district is 553.0 mm.
Demographics of Anantpur
According to the 2011 census, Anantapur had an average population of 262, 340. The sex ratio was 995 females for every 1000 males. The average literacy rate was 82%. Male literacy rate was 89% and female literacy rate was 75%. It can be rightly said that Annatapur has a multicultural society. People from different parts of the country are settles in Anantapur. Telugu, Urdu, English and Kannada are the predominant languages spoken in the region.Famous people from Anantapur
Following are some of the notable personalities who have made their mark in different walks of life.Sathya Sai Baba – Hindu spiritual leader
- Neelam Sanjiva Reddy – former President of India
- Bellary Raghava – Indian playwright famous in Telugu cinema
- Satya Nadella – CEO of Microsoft
- Kadiri Venkata Reddy (KV Reddy) – Indian film director, writer, producer
- T Nagi Reddy – communist politician
Transportation of Anantpur
Anantapur city is 354 km from the state capital, Hyderabad and 200km from Bengaluru. it connects Hyderabad to Bengaluru through NH – 7. The district has a strong connectivity of roads and is very well connected to the other cities of the state and the neighboring states. It has direct trains to Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Adoni, Vishakhapatnam, Jaipur etc.Nearest Domestic Airport – Puttaparthi Airport (80 km)
Nearest International Airport – Bengaluru Airport (168 km)
