Kurnool Kandanavōlu (Kandanōlu) | |
|---|---|
City | |
     Clockwise from top: Skyline of Kurnool fromTungabhadra River Bridge, Pumphouse road in Kurnool, Kurnool Railway station, Kurnool City from Jagannatha Gattu and Kondareddy Buruju | |
| Nickname: The Gateway of Rayalaseema | |
 Interactive map of Kurnool | |
.svg)  Kurnool Location in Andhra Pradesh and in India Show map of Andhra Pradesh Kurnool Kurnool (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:15°50′N78°03′E / 15.83°N 78.05°E /15.83; 78.05 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Andhra Pradesh |
| Region | Rayalaseema |
| District | Kurnool |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal corporation |
| • Body | Kurnool Municipal Corporation |
| • Mayor | B Y Ramaiah (YSRCP) |
| • MLA | T. G. Bharath |
| • MP | Bastipati Nagaraju Panchalingala |
| Area | |
• Total | 129.2 km2 (49.9 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 107 |
| Elevation | 274 m (899 ft) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 425,214 |
| • Rank | 109th (India) 5th (Andhra Pradesh) |
| • Density | 3,291/km2 (8,524/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Kurnoolian |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Telugu |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 518001, 518002, 518003, 518004, 518005, 518006, 518007 |
| Vehicle registration | AP-21[4] |
| Website | Kurnool Municipal Corporation |
Kurnool is a city in the state ofAndhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital ofAndhra State (1953–1956).[5][6][7] The city is often referred to as "The Gateway ofRayalaseema". Kurnool is also famous for Diamond hunting as diamonds can be found in the barren land of Kurnool after the top layers of soil are washed away by the monsoon rains.[8] It also serves as the district headquarters of itsKurnool district. As of 2011[update]census, it is thefifth most populous city in thestate with a population of 425,214.[3][9] It is located on the banks of theTungabhadra river. Although the area has been inhabited for thousands of years, modern Kurnool was founded in the 16th century CE with the construction of theKonda Reddy Fort.
The original name of Kurnool is found in historical records asKandanavōlu orKandanōlu.[10] It used to be a crossing on theTungabhadra River, where the bullock cart caravans are believed to have greased their wheels ("kandana" being a reference to grease).[11] The city is often referred to as "The Gateway ofRayalaseema".[12]
The Ketavaram[13]rock paintings from the Palaeolithic era and are 18 kilometres from Kurnool. Also the Jurreru Valley, Katavani Kunta[14] andYaganti inKurnool District have some importantrock art and paintings in the vicinity that may be dated from 35,000 to 40,000 years ago.
Ashoka's rock edicts were inscribed in the 3rd century BCE. The inscription is inPrakrit language andBrahmi script. Both the major and minor edits are found at Erragudi (also called the Yerragudi or Jonnagiri site). These are among the oldest discovered inscriptions in India. The site is close to the Andhra-Karnataka border, in Kurnool district. It is an ASI protected site under Indian law.
Belum Caves are geologically and historically important caves in the district. There are indications that Jain and Buddhist monks were occupying these caves centuries ago. Many Buddhists relics were found inside the caves. These relics are now housed in the Museum atAnanthapur. TheArchaeological Survey of India (ASI) found remnants of vessels and other artifacts of the pre-Buddhist era and has dated the remnants of vessels found in the caves to 4500 BC.[15]
Kurnool town was Ruled by Chalukyas of Badami and Rashtrakutas before the 11th century. The earliest knowledge of this settlement dates from the 11th century. It has developed as a transit place on the southern banks of the riverTungabhadra.
Ruled by theChalukya in the 12th century and later taken over by theKakatiya dynasty in the 13th century, Kurnool developed into a transit point on the southern banks of theTungabhadra River. It eventually fell under the rule of ajaghirdar before becoming a part of theVijayanagar dynasty.King Achyuta Raya, successor of Sri Krishnadeva Raya constructed theKurnool Fort during the 16th century.
The Abyssinian, Abdul Wahab Khan, defeated King Gopal Raja of theVijayanagar Kingdom in the 17th century and went on to rule the land for 16 years until his death.
In 1686, Kurnool fell under the influence of the Mughals who were ruled by Emperor Aurangzeb. Later on in Kurnool's history, it wasruled by the Nawabs until the British Government took over in 1839.[16]
Ghulam Rasul Khan Bahadur (died on 12 July 1840) was the lastNawab of Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.[17] He ruled from 1823 to 1839 until the kingdom was defeated by theEast India Company.[18] On 12 October 1839, a war broke out between theBritish Indian Army and the kingdom and continued for six days until the king was detained on 18 October. He was subsequently sent toTiruchirappalli Central Prison where he died on 12 July 1840.[19]
Kurnool was the capital of erstwhileAndhra State between 1 October 1953 and 31 October 1956.[20][21] The state was later merged with theTelugu-speaking districts of Hyderabad State to formAndhra Pradesh withHyderabad as the state's capital on 1 November 1956.[22][23] Currently Kurnool is in the divided Andhra Pradesh state.
Kurnool is located at15°50′00″N78°03′00″E / 15.8333°N 78.05°E /15.8333; 78.05.[24] It has an average elevation of 273 metres (898 feet). Kurnool lies on the banks of theTungabhadra River. The Hundri and Neeva rivers also flow through the city. TheK.C.Canal (Kurnool–Cuddapah) was built by the Dutch for transportation, but later used for irrigation.
Landmarks in and around the city includeKonda Reddy Fort Formerly calledKondareddy Burj is the historical monument and major tourist attraction of Kurnool located at the northeast part of the city.[25]Orvakal rock Garderns is the sculpture garden with an ancient cave lying on the southeast of the city.[26]Jagannatha Gattu Temple is a popular tourist site of Kurnool. It is famous for its Lord Shiva Temple and is located in B. Thandrapadu, in Kurnool. The history behind the Linga makes it a popular destination.
Kurnool has a tropical savanna climate bordering on hotsemi arid climate (KöppenBSh) with temperatures ranging from 26 °C (78.8 °F) to 45 °C (113.0 °F) in the summer and 12 °C (53.6 °F) to 31 °C (87.8 °F) in the winter. The average annual rainfall is about 840 millimetres (33 in).Kurnool city gets good share of rains from pre-monsoon to monsoon seasons. City locations is influenced by the orography effect of Nallamala hills on east. August and September are the rainiest months and February is the driest month. The highest amount of rainfall ever recorded in 24 hours is 386mm in the month of June 1989 and marking the rainiest month of all time with 527mm.
| Climate data for Kurnool (1991–2020, extremes 1901–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.3 (99.1) | 39.9 (103.8) | 43.3 (109.9) | 45.6 (114.1) | 45.9 (114.6) | 45.6 (114.1) | 39.9 (103.8) | 39.3 (102.7) | 38.7 (101.7) | 38.4 (101.1) | 36.8 (98.2) | 35.5 (95.9) | 45.9 (114.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.5 (90.5) | 34.9 (94.8) | 38.1 (100.6) | 40.5 (104.9) | 39.8 (103.6) | 35.8 (96.4) | 33.7 (92.7) | 32.8 (91.0) | 32.8 (91.0) | 32.8 (91.0) | 31.5 (88.7) | 30.5 (86.9) | 34.7 (94.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.8 (76.6) | 27.4 (81.3) | 31.0 (87.8) | 34.0 (93.2) | 33.6 (92.5) | 30.6 (87.1) | 28.6 (83.5) | 28.2 (82.8) | 28.0 (82.4) | 27.6 (81.7) | 26.1 (79.0) | 24.2 (75.6) | 28.7 (83.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) | 19.8 (67.6) | 24.0 (75.2) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.9 (80.4) | 25.6 (78.1) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.9 (75.0) | 22.9 (73.2) | 20.0 (68.0) | 17.9 (64.2) | 22.9 (73.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6.2 (43.2) | 9.8 (49.6) | 12.8 (55.0) | 15.5 (59.9) | 19.4 (66.9) | 17.6 (63.7) | 19.2 (66.6) | 19.9 (67.8) | 17.0 (62.6) | 12.8 (55.0) | 9.3 (48.7) | 6.7 (44.1) | 6.2 (43.2) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 4.7 (0.19) | 2.5 (0.10) | 9.8 (0.39) | 31.2 (1.23) | 61.0 (2.40) | 99.6 (3.92) | 131.9 (5.19) | 162.4 (6.39) | 161.0 (6.34) | 140.7 (5.54) | 41.1 (1.62) | 3.9 (0.15) | 849.8 (33.46) |
| Average rainy days | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 5.4 | 8.0 | 8.8 | 7.7 | 5.1 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 43.9 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 17:30IST) | 41 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 39 | 50 | 60 | 64 | 63 | 58 | 52 | 46 | 49 |
| Source 1:India Meteorological Department[27][28][29] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Tokyo Climate Center (mean temperatures 1991–2020)[30] | |||||||||||||
Kurnool has been ranked 21st best “National Clean Air City” under (Category 2 3-10L Population cities) in India.[31]
As per final data of the 2011 census, the Kurnool City had a population of 425,214, making it the fifth largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh.[32] The literacy rate of Kurnool was 77.37 per cent at the time of the 2011 census.
| All | 77.37% | |||
| Male | 83.01% | |||
| Female | 71.24% | |||
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 67.20% | |||
| Islam | 29.20% | |||
| Christianity | 2.50% | |||
| Other or not stated | 1.10% | |||
| Distribution of religions | ||||
As per final data of 2011 census, Hindus formed the majority in the Kurnool urban agglomeration. Other religious groups found in Kurnool areMuslims,Christians, and Jains.[33]
Telugu (67.91%) is the official and most spoken language.Urdu (28.17%) andHindi (1.02%) are also spoken.[34]
Kurnool serves as the district headquarters of itsKurnool district.[35][36] The city is administered by Kurnool Municipal Corporation. State level Government institutions located in the city include:
The primary and secondary school education is imparted by Government, aided and private schools of theSchool Education Department of the state.[37][38]Notable institutions located in the city include:
National Highway 44 (India) which runs from Srinagar to Kanyakumari and also highway ofBangalore toHyderabad. passes through Kurnool.
National highway 340C [ Kurnool-Dornala ] which connects toSrisailam,Vinukonda,Guntur,Vijayawada.
National Highway 40, [ Rayalaseema Expressway ] which runs from Kurnool toChittoor, are the major highways passing through the city.
Surat–Chennai Expressway which is under construction also passes through the city outskirts.
The city also has an Outer Ring Road which is under construction connecting from GargeyapuramNational Highway 340C (India) and connectsNational Highway 40 (India),National Highway 44 (India), under constructionSurat–Chennai Expressway and Kurnool - Bellari State Highway.
The city has a total road length of 519.22 km[39] State owned bus transport system,APSRTC, operates buses from Kurnool bus station to other parts of the state.[40][41]
Kurnool City railway station lies on the Bengaluru – Hyderabad railway line. It is classified as anA–category station in theHyderabad railway division ofSouth Central Railway zone. Another railway station name Kotla lies in the middle of the city.
Kurnool Airport, officially known as Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy Airport, is located atOrvakal and is situated on theNational Highway 40, about 18 km (11 mi) from Kurnool and 54 km (34 mi) fromNandyal. Commercial operations of thegreenfield airport were started in March 2021.
TheGDP of Kurnool City is $3.266 Billion.[42]
Kurnool is endowed with good mineral resources. The important minerals are iron ore, dolomite, limestone, ochre, quartz and silica.[43]
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Kurnool travel guide from Wikivoyage| District headquarters |  | |
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