Kurnool district | |
|---|---|
 Konda Reddy Burju | |
.svg) Location of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh | |
 | |
| Coordinates:15°50′N78°02′E / 15.83°N 78.04°E /15.83; 78.04 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Andhra Pradesh |
| Region | Rayalaseema |
| Established | 1808 |
| 1st Reorganized | 1970 |
| 2nd Reorganized | 4th April 2022 |
| Headquarters | Kurnool |
| Administrative divisions | |
| Government | |
| • District collector | P. Ranjit Basha, IAS[1] |
| • Lok Sabha | Kurnool |
| • Assembly | |
| Area | |
• Total | 7,977 km2 (3,080 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 2,271,686 |
| • Density | 284.8/km2 (737.6/sq mi) |
| • Sex ratio | 988 (females per 1,000 males) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Telugu |
| • Additional Official | Urdu[4] |
| Literacy | |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Postal Index Number | 518xxx |
| Area codes | +91–8518 |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-AP |
| Vehicle registration | AP-21 (former)AP–39 (from 30 January 2019)[5] |
| Website | kurnool |
Kurnool district is one of the eight districts in theRayalaseema region of theIndian state ofAndhra Pradesh after the districts are reorganised in April 2022.[2] It is located in the north western part of the state and is bounded byNandyal district in the east,Anantapur district in the south,Raichur district ofKarnataka in the northwest,Bellary district ofKarnataka in the west, andJogulamba Gadwal district of Telangana in the north. It has a population of 2,271,686 based on the 2011 census.[2] The city ofKurnool is the headquarters of the district.Konda Reddy Fort,Mantralayam andOrvakal Rock Garden, Kurnool are tourist places of interest in the district.
The name Kurnool was originally called "Kandenavolu". In the 11th century CE, the Oddera community engaged in construction activity used this place as a halting place for greasing their cartwheels with oil, before crossing the Tungabhadra river. The carts carried loads of stones for temple construction at Alampur. The wordoil is known askandena in Telugu and thus the place was called "Kandenavolu".[6]: 3
The Ketavaram rock paintings are dated back to thePaleolithic era (located at a distance of 18 km (11 mi) from Kurnool).[7] Jurreru Valley, Katavani Kunta[8] andYaganti in the Nandyal district have some important rock arts and paintings in their vicinity, which are dated back to 35,000 to 40,000 years ago.
The earliest rulers of this region were Nandas, as suggested by place names such as Nandavaram, Nandyal, Mahanandi. They were defeated by Mauryas around 323 A.D. After that the region passed into the hands of Satavahanas, Pallavas, Cholas, Rashtrakutas during the course of time till 973 A.D. It was ruled by Velanadu Cholas andKakatiyas till 1323 A.D. When Muhammad-Bin-Tughlaq defeated Kakatiyas, the region became part of the Mughal empire. The Mughal rule became weak, leading to the formation of Reddy,Vijayanagar and Bahamani kingdoms. Reddy and Vijayanagar kingdoms fought several wars for the control of this region, with Vijayanagara kings succeeding finally.
During the reign of Vijayanagar kingAchyuta Deva Raya in 1530 A.D. the fort of Kurnool was built. Parts of this region were ruled by the chiefs of Velugodu, Nandyal, Araveedu and Owk. The Vijayanagar kingdom was defeated in the battle of Tallikota in 1565 A.D. As a result, part of this region was given over toBijapur sultanate. The region witnessed battles byQutub Sahis for control. Qutub Sahi empire was annexed by Mughals during the last decade of the 17th century. In 1724 A.D.,Nizam-ul-Mulk defeatedMubariz Khan, the governor of Hyderabad and Ibrahim Khan, the Jagirdar of Kurnool and founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty. During the hegemony of the Mughals and the Asaf Jahis, the Nawabs of Kurnool ruled this region as their Jagir. Daud Khan, Ibrahim Khan, Aluf Khan and Himmat Bahadur Khan were the successive rulers. This region came under the sovereignty of Hyder Ali in 1767 following a treaty with Nizam.,[6]: 3–6 but it was transferred back to Nizam by thetreaty of Srirangapatnam.
Nizam of Hyderabadceded this region to the British in 1800.[9]Munro was appointed as principal collector over the ceded districts. Munro subjugated over 80 Palegars, instituted revenue collection system through which he secured the finances. This district along with the other Telugu speaking districts of Madras province were separated to formAndhra State in 1953, with Kurnool as its capital.
Talukas of Adoni, Alur, Yemmiganur were merged with Kurnool District fromBellary District in 1953. In 1970,Prakasam district was formed carving out Markapuram, Giddalur, Yerragondapalem talukas from the district. In 2022, the district was split to formNandyal district.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 950,655 | — |
| 1911 | 1,035,333 | +0.86% |
| 1921 | 987,117 | −0.48% |
| 1931 | 1,120,650 | +1.28% |
| 1941 | 1,222,993 | +0.88% |
| 1951 | 1,315,499 | +0.73% |
| 1961 | 1,570,955 | +1.79% |
| 1971 | 1,982,090 | +2.35% |
| 1981 | 2,407,299 | +1.96% |
| 1991 | 2,973,024 | +2.13% |
| 2001 | 3,529,494 | +1.73% |
| 2011 | 4,053,463 | +1.39% |
| source:[10] | ||
According to the2011 census Kurnool district has apopulation of 4,053,463,[6] roughly equal to the nation ofLiberia[11] or the US state ofOregon.[12] This gives it a ranking of 54th in India (out of a total of640). The district has a population density of 229 inhabitants per square kilometre (590/sq mi). Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 14.65%. The district had asex ratio of 984females for every 1000 males, and aliteracy rate of 59.97%.[6]
The gross district domestic product (GDDP) of the district for the FY 2013-14 is₹34,359 crore (US$4.1 billion) and it contributes 6.5% to theGross State Domestic Product (GSDP). For the FY 2013–14, theper capita income at current prices was₹68,197 (US$810). Theprimary,secondary andtertiary sectors of the district contribute₹12,035 crore (US$1.4 billion),₹6,055 crore (US$720 million) and₹16,269 crore (US$1.9 billion) respectively.[13]
The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools, under theSchool Education Department of the state.[14][15] As per the school information report for the academic year 2015–16, in the undivided district, there are a total of 4,179 schools. They include, 78 government, 2,398 mandal and zilla parishads, 1 residential, 1,355 private, 33 model, 53 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), 140 municipal and 121 other types of schools.[16] The total number of students enrolled in primary, upper primary and high schools of the district are 631,740.[17]
Kurnool district occupies an area of approximately 7,977 square kilometres (3,080 sq mi).[2] Kurnool is surrounded by districts ofAnantapur district, to south,Nandyal district to east andBellary ofKarnataka to the west,Raichur ofKarnataka andJogulamba Gadwal district to the north. The district includes theSrisailam Dam and a part of theNallamala Hills, the rest of it lying inPrakasam district,Nandyal district,Kadapa district, andNellore district.
The black cotton soils are predominant in Pattikonda and Adoni mandals. Regur soil of superior quality is available in Kurnool and Pattikonda mandals. Paddy, bengal gram, korra (Italian millets), jowar and cotton are grown.[6]: 15–30
Most of the district does not have much vegetation, due to lack of adequate rainfall.[6]: 15–30
Krishna,Tungabhadra,Handri, Bhavanasi are the main rivers in the district. These feed into reservoirs like Srisailam, Gajuladinne, Velugodu and canals like K.C.(Kurnool Cuddapah) canal, T.B (Tungabhadra) low level canal, Gajuladinne canal, Telugu Ganga canal and S.R.B.C. canal.[6]: 15–30
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 83.82% | |||
| Islam | 14.74% | |||
| Christianity | 0.83% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.61% | |||
After bifurcation the district had a population of 22,71,686, of which 764,101 (33.64%) lived in urban areas. Kurnool district has a sex ratio of 990 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 4,15,120 (18.27%) and 30,047 (1.32%) of the population respectively.[6]: 77–81 Hinduism is the majority religion with 83.8% of population, followed by Islam with 14.74% of population.
Based on the 2011 census, 79.39% of the population spokeTelugu, 13.62%Urdu and 4.77%Kannada as their first language.[19]
The district is divided into 3 revenue divisions:Adoni,Kurnool andPattikonda, which are further subdivided into a total of 26mandals, each headed by a sub-collector.[20]
The list of 26 mandals in Kurnool district, divided into 3 revenue divisions, is given below.[2]
The district has 1 Municipal Corporation 2 Municipalities and 1 Nagar Panchayats as per the district reorganisation in 2022.[21]
| Ciy/Town | Civil status | Revenue Division | Population (2011) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kurnool | Municipal Corporation | Kurnool | 484,327 |
| Adoni | Municipality Special grade | Adoni | 184,625 |
| Yemmiganur | Municipality Grade - 1 | Adoni | 95,149 |
| Gudur | Nagar Panchayat | Kurnool | 22,270 |
There are two parliamentary and eight assembly constituencies in the district. The parliamentary constituencies areKurnool andNandyal(partial).[22]
The assembly constituencies are given below.[23]
| Constituency number | Name | Reserved for (SC/ST/None) | Parliamentary constituency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 137 | Kurnool | None | Kurnool |
| 143 | Kodumur | SC | |
| 144 | Yemmiganur | None | |
| 145 | Mantralayam | None | |
| 146 | Adoni | None | |
| 147 | Alur | None | |
| 142 | Pattikonda | None |
Groundnut oil, granites, and handloom goods are produced in the district.[6]: 147
NH - 44,NH - 40,NH - 167 andNH - 340C national highways pass through the district.[24] Dhone to Somayajulapalli highway has been categorized as NH - 340B in 2021.[25]
Vijayawada–Hubli, Secunderabad–Bengaluru, and Chennai–Mumbai railway lines pass through the district.Kurnool andAdoni are major railway stations. These are part of Hyderabad, Guntakal divisions respectively ofSouth Central Railway[26]
Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy Airport is the domestic airport near Kurnool serving the district, which started operations in 2021.[27] Nearest International Airports from Kurnool isRajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad at a distance of 195 km.
Rayalaseema University with Kurnool as its headquarters was established in 2008. An engineering college as part of the university was started in 2019.[28]Kurnool medical college was started in 1956.[29] Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing, Kurnool (IIITDMK) fully funded by Ministry of Education commenced academic activities from 2015, as per the provisions of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation act of 2014. This was accorded the status of Institute of National Importance in 2017.[30]
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Achyutaraya who succeeded Krishnadevaraya built the initialKonda Reddy Fort between 1530 and 1542. The fort has different gateways and bastions. The fort is named after Konda Reddy, the last ruler of Alampur who was imprisoned in the fort by the Kurnool Nawab in the 17th century.[31]Mantralayam on the banks of theTungabhadra River is famous for the devotees ofRaghavendra Swamy, a saint who lived in the 17th century.[32]
Orvakal rock garden, at about 25 km from Kurnool is a natural landscape of regal rock formations.[33]Sanjeevaiah Sagar also known as The Gajuladinne Project is a dam on the Handri river situated about 20 km from Yemmiganur.[34]
Many attractions in adjacentNandyal district such asBelum caves,Srisailam,Yaganti can be explored with Kurnool as base.
Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy fought against British East India company rule in India in 1847.[35]Damodaram Sanjivayya served as the first Dalit Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh. He also served as central minister later.[36]Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy represented several assembly constituencies of the undivided district during his political career. He rose to the position of Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and also became central minister.[37]P. S. Ramakrishna Rao directed and produced several Telugu films.[38]
Liberia 3,786,764 July 2011 est.
Oregon 3,831,074
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Places adjacent to Kurnool district | |
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Capital:Amaravati | |
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