Claim: The Kadapa district is located within Andhra Pradesh.

Kadapa -LRB- formerly known as Cuddapah -RRB- is a city in the Rayalseema region of the south-central part of the Andhra Pradesh , India . It is the district headquarters of YSR Kadapa district . As of 2011 Census of India , the city had a population of 344,078 . It is located 8 km south of the Penna River . The city is surrounded on three sides by the Nallamala and Palkonda Hills lying on the tectonic landscape between the Eastern and Western ghats . Black and Red ferrous soils occupy the region . The city is nicknamed `` Gadapa '' -LRB- ` threshold ' -RRB- since it is the gateway from the west to the sacred hills of Tirumala .   Kadapa has been under the rule of different kingdoms , including the Nizams and Cholas , the Vijayanagara Empire and Kingdom of Mysore . It is also well known for its spicy and culinary food .