Kurnool
Kurnool is a major city situated on the banks of river Tungabhadra. It is also the seat of the Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh. One has to cross Kurnool to get to any town or city in the Rayalseema region.
History
Kurnool was the capital of the erstwhile Andhra state for 3
years from 1953 to 1956.
Population
As per the 2011 census, Kurnool city has a population of
478, 124 of which total number of males are 239,401 and females are 238,723.
Weather
Kurnool experiences tropical climate with hot temperatures
ranging from 25 to 45 degrees Celsius in summers and 12 to 31 degrees Celsius
in winters.
Places to See
There are sights to delight every kind of traveler in
Kurnool from prehistoric caves to natural springs to temples and gardens. Here
are more details on these places:-
Ketavaram Rock Paintings – 18 kms away from Kurnool, these
paintings date back to the Paleolithic age. These are beautiful paintings done
by early man on rocks.
Belum Caves – These caves are the second largest caves in
the Indian sub-continent. Interesting stalactite and stalagmite formations have
earned these caves their fame. These caves are quite big with long passage,
fresh water springs and huge chambers. There are about 106 kms away from Kurnool.
Royal Fort – This fort was built between 14th to
16th centuries and is an interesting place to visit and explore
Oravakallu Rock Garden – This garden contains natural rock
formations and is surrounded by water bodies.
Rollapadu – This is a bird sanctuary for the Great Indian
bustard, situated about 60 kms away from Kurnool
Kalva bugga – This has natural springs.
Mahanandi – A place in Kurnool district with nine Shiva and
Nandi temples
Ahobilam – Has a famous temple
Yaganti - This town of Kurnool district is famous for its
Shiva temple
How to Reach
By Road
Kurnool is one of the major bus centres of Andhra Pradesh.
Buses from both APSTRC and KSTRC ply from Kurnool to several places within and
outside AP like Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur, Anantapur, Chittoor, Nandyal,
Bangalore and Chennai to name some.
By Rail
Trains ply to and from Kurnool to Hyderabad, Chennai,
Bangalore, Delhi, Jaipur, Shirdi, and Tirupati. Passenger trains also ply from
Kurnool to several destinations like Hyderabad and Guntur.
By Air
The nearest airport is the Hyderabad airport. It takes 3.5
hours’ drive to get to Kurnool from Hyderabad.