# Annamayya district

Annamayya district is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, established in 2022. Rayachoti serves as the district's administrative headquarters, while Madanapalle is the most populous city in the district.

## Etymology

The district is named after Annamacharya, a 15th-century Hindu saint from Tallapaka, Rajampeta, and the earliest known Indian musician to compose songs called sankirtanas in praise of the Hindu deity Venkateswara.

## History

Annamayya district was formed on 4 April 2022 from parts of the former Chittoor and YSR districts as part of the reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh districts, using parliamentary constituencies as the basis for the new boundaries.
Rayachoti is home to many megalithic sites and stone circles. Devandlapalli, located in the T. Sundupalle mandal of the district, is a well-known megalithic site.
Nandalur is an important Buddhist site in the district, along with Tallapaka, Rajampeta, Konduru, and Khazipeta.

## Geography

Annamayya district is located in the extreme southwestern part of Andhra Pradesh, within the geographical coordinates of 13° 19’ 55” to 14° 42’ 32” northern latitude and 78° 18’ 55” to 79° 20’ 26” eastern longitude. It is part of the Rayalaseema region. The district is bordered to the north by Kadapa District, to the west by Sri Sathya Sai district, and to the south by Chikballapur and Kolar districts of Karnataka and Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. To the east, it is bordered by Nellore and Tirupati districts of Andhra Pradesh.

### Natural resources

The Palakonda Hills, also known as the Seshachalam Hills, Nallamalais, and Lankamalais, are the major hill ranges in the district. The Cheyyeru River is the main river of the district, joining the Penneru River at Gundlamada in Vontimitta Mandal. The bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata) and Madras langur are commonly found in the area. Tigers, leopards, and other wild animals can still be seen in the hill ranges. The grey partridge (kamju in Telugu) and quail are commonly seen in the forests and countryside. Black soil occupies 23.7% of the district's area. Barytes, limestone, and asbestos are the major minerals found here. The average annual rainfall is 743.7 mm, generally increasing from the northwest to the southeast of the district.

## Demographics

Religions in Annamayya district based on the 2011 census :
| Religion | Religion | Percent | Percent |
| Hinduism | Hinduism | 81.97% | 81.97% |
| Islam | Islam | 17.25% | 17.25% |
| Other or not stated | Other or not stated | 0.78% | 0.78% |
According to the 2011 census, Annamayya District had a population of 1,697,308, of which 391,511 (23.07%) lived in urban areas. The district has a sex ratio of 989 females for every 1,000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes account for 228,501 (13.46%) and 62,475 (3.68%) of the population, respectively.$^{:80–84}$$^{:82–87}$
* Telugu (81.91%)
* Urdu (16.4%)
* Lambadi (1.04%)
* Others (0.65%)
According to the 2011 census, 81.91% of the population spoke Telugu, 16.40% spoke Urdu, and 1.04% spoke Lambadi as their first language.

## Administrative divisions
### Mandals

The district is divided into three revenue divisions: Madanapalle, Rajampeta, and Rayachoti. These are further subdivided into a total of 30 mandals, each headed by a sub-collector. The mandals are:
* Madanapalle revenue division
** Beerangi Kothakota
** Kalikiri
** Kurabalakota
** Madanapalle
** Mulakalacheruvu
** Nimmanapalle
** Peddamandyam
** Peddathippasamudram
** Ramasamudram
** Thamballapalle
** Valmikipuram
* Rajampeta revenue division
** Chitvel
** Nandalur
** Obulavaripalle
** Penagalur
** Pullampeta
** Railway Koduru
** Rajampet
** T. Sundupalle
** Veeraballi
* Rayachoti revenue division
** Chinnamandyam
** Galiveedu
** Gurramkonda
** Kalakada
** Kambhamvaripalle
** Lakkireddypalli
** Pileru
** Ramapuram
** Rayachoti
** Sambepalli

## Politics

There is one Lok Sabha constituency named Rajampet, along with six assembly constituencies in the district.
The assembly constituencies are given below.
| Constituency number | Name | Reserved for (SC/ST/None) | Parliamentary constituency |
| 125 | Rajampet | None | Rajampet |
| 127 | Kodur | SC | Rajampet |
| 128 | Rayachoti | None | Rajampet |
| 162 | Thamballapalle | None | Rajampet |
| 163 | Pileru | None | Rajampet |
| 164 | Madanapalle | None | Rajampet |

## Cities and towns

There are three municipalities and one nagar panchayat in the district.
Municipal Bodies in Annamayya District :
| Ciy/Town | Civil status | Revenue Division | Population(2011) |
| Madanapalle | Municipality | Madanapalle | 180,180 |
| Rayachoti | Municipality | Rayachoti | 98,299 |
| Pileru | Major Panchayath | Rayachoti | 60,253 |
| Rajampeta | Municipality | Rajampeta | 57,277 |

## Economy

Agriculture is the main economic activity in the district. The major crops include paddy, groundnut, sunflower, cotton, and betel leaves. The main horticultural crops are mango, papaya, banana, lemon, and sweet orange. As of the fiscal year 2019–20, the gross cropped area is 171,617 hectares, while the gross irrigated area is 66,281 hectares. The Pincha and Annamayya irrigation projects are the major irrigation initiatives in the district.

## Transport
### Roadways

The road network of the district consists of 301.59 km of National Highways, 330.46 km of State Highways, 831.91 km of major district roads, and 4,131.43 km of Panchayat Raj roads. National Highways NH 716, NH 40, and NH 71 pass through the district. Additionally, the proposed NH 370, which will connect Nellore to Ananthapuram (Nellore–Rapur–chitvel-Rajampet–Rayachoti–Kadiri–Ananthapuram), is currently under planning and will also pass through the district.

### Railways

As of 2019–20, the district is served by a broad-gauge railway line measuring 195.13 km in length, with 24 railway stations that are part of the Guntakal railway division of South Central Railway Zone. The Madanapalle Road railway station, located 12 km from Madanapalle, is on the Guntakal-Pakala-Tirupati line that passes through the district and rajampet it has own railway station chennai-mumbai which south central railway under Guntakal division. Kadapa railway station is the nearest major railway station, situated 51 km from Rayachoti.

### Airways

The nearest small airport is Kadapa Airport, located 54 kilometres (34 mi) from Rayachoti. The nearest major airport is Tirupati International Airport, which is 130 kilometres (81 mi) away from Rayachoti.

## Education

According to the 2011 census, the district has a literacy rate of 64.63%, which is lower than the state literacy rate of 67.35%. As of 2019–20, the district has 1,975 primary schools, 391 upper primary schools, 553 high schools, 128 junior colleges, 59 degree colleges, and 82 professional and postgraduate colleges.
Rishi Valley School, founded by Jiddu Krishnamurti, is known for developing the popular multi-grade teaching methodology. Besant Theosophical College, founded by Annie Besant, is another notable educational institution in Madanapalle.
The district has several institutions for engineering, including Annamacharya University (AITSPU), Narayanadri Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), Madanapalle Institute of Technology and Science (MITS), and Sri Sai Institute of Science (SSITS).

## Tourism

The prominent religious sites in the district include the Sri Parasurameshwara Temple in Attirala and the Sowmyanadha Swamy Temple in Nandalur. Horsley Hills is a major hill station in the region.

### Volcanogenic bedded Barytes

Volcanogenic bedded barytes located at Mangampet in the Obulavaripalle mandal have been declared a geo-heritage site by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) for their protection, maintenance, promotion, and enhancement of geotourism.

## Notable people

1.Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy, former Chief Minister United Andhra Pradesh
2.Kiran Abbavaram, Tollywood actor
3.Harishankar Reddy, played for CSK in the IPL
4.Bindu Madhavi, Tamil actress
5.Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Indian philosopher
6.Penchal Das Singer-songwriter and poet at Telugu film industry