Srikalahasti | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Srikalahasti townscape with Durgammakonda,Srikalahasteeswara temple andSwarnamukhi river | |
.svg)  Srikalahasti Location in Andhra Pradesh, India | |
| Coordinates:13°46′N79°42′E / 13.76°N 79.70°E /13.76; 79.70 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Andhra Pradesh |
| District | Tirupati |
| Region | Rayalaseema |
| Revenue division | Srikalahasti |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Srikalahasti municipality |
| • MLAs | Bojjala Sudhir Reddy (TDP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 74.46 km2 (28.75 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 100,000 |
| • Density | 1,300/km2 (3,500/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Telugu |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Postal code | 517644 |
| Website | srikalahasthitemple |
Srikalahasti is a town inTirupati district located in the Indian state ofAndhra Pradesh. It is amunicipality and the revenue division of Srikalahasti mandal andSrikalahasti revenue division.[3][4] It is a part of theTirupati Urban Development Authority, which is located on the banks of theRiver Swarnamukhi.[5]
Srikalahasti, derives its name from the combination of theSanskrit words Sri (spider), Kala (snake) and Hasti (elephant), which once worshipped theShiva lingam here and attainedmoksha.[6]
As per another legend,Vayu andAdishesha had a dispute to find out who is superior. To prove their superiority, Adishesha encircledMount Kailash, Vayu tried to disentangle him by creating a vortex. The vortex resulted in eight parts from Kailash fell into eight different places which areTrincomalee, Srikalahasti,Tiruchirappalli,Thiruenkoimalai,Rajathagiri,Neerthagiri,Ratnagiri, and SwethagiriThirupangeeli.[7]
Srikalahasti is located at13°45′N79°42′E / 13.750°N 79.700°E /13.750; 79.700 (Srikalahasti) on the bank of river Swarnamukhi. It is located 38 km north ofTirupati central.[8]
As of 2011[update]Census of India, the town had a population of 80,056. The total population constitute, 38,995 males and 41,061 females – a sex ratio of 1053 females per 1000 males, higher than the national average of 940 per 1000.[2][9] 8,224 children are in the age group of 0–6 years, of which 4,227 are boys and 3,997 are girls – a ratio of 946 per 1000. The average literacy rate stands at 78.66% (male 85.15%; female 72.57%) with 56,501 literates, significantly higher than the national average of 73.00%.[2][10]
The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government-aided and private schools, under the School Education Department of the state.[11][12] The medium of instruction followed by different schools are English and Telugu.
Srikalahasti has educational institutions ranging from elementary schools to engineering and degree colleges.Sri Kalahastheeswara Institute of Technology is an engineered by Sri Kalahasteeswara Trust board.
Srikalahasti railway station is located on theGudur–Katpadi branch line section of Guntakal (GTL) Division of the South Central Railway (SCR). Andhra Pradesh state-owned bus services APSRTC operates buses fromTirupati,Chittoor andNellore.
Tirupati Airport is located 25 km from the town.
