Kuppam
Kuppam is a Municipality in Chittoor district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh located 115.8 kilometers South-West of Bangalore, the Capital City of Karnataka and 243 kilometers East of Chennai the Capital City of Tamil Nadu. It is the Mandal Headquarters of Kuppam Mandal in Kuppam Revenue Division. The name 'Kuppam' Means a meeting place or confluence. Demographics. census of India, Kuppam had a population of 21,963. The total population constitute, 11,091 males and 10,872 females - a sex ratio of 980 females per 1000 males. 2,551 children are in the age group of 0–6 years, of which  1,340 are boys and 1,211 are girls. The average literacy rate stands at 83.62% with 16,232 literates, significantly higher than the state average of 67.41%. Climate. Kuppam's climate is classified as tropical. When compared with winter, the summers have much more rainfall. This location is classified as Aw by Köppen and Geiger. The average annual temperature is 25.3 °C in Kuppam. The rainfall here averages 680 mm. Precipitation is the lowest in February, with an average of 2 mm. In October, the precipitation reaches its peak, with an average of 151 mm. At an average temperature of 29.0  °C, May is the hottest month of the year. At 21.5 °C on average, December is the coldest month of the year. Languages. Telugu is the official language of the state. Tamil is also widely spoken among the natives of this area. People can understand or speak Tamil and Kannada as it is located near to the neighboring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Civic Administration. Municipal Administration and Urban Development of Government of Andhra Pradesh is responsible for planning and execution of programs and civic administration of the town. Administrators:- M.L.A :- Nara Chandrababu Naidu Garu Municipal Commissioner:-  T. Ravi Reddy Garu Municipal Chairman:- Dr. Sudheer Darbha Garu Industry. Kuppam is known for its granite quarries and factories. A granite variety, Kuppam Green, is named after the town as this variety is abundantly found in this area and exported to foreign countries on demand. Kuppam has the presence of hydro Extrusion India Pvt Ltd. Hydro is the World leader in aluminium extrusions headquartered in Oslo, Norway. Transport. Kuppam is well connected by both Roadways (NH42) and Railways (Southern Western Railway)Bus services are provided by state corporations APSRTC (Andhra Pradesh), TNSTC (Tamil Nadu). Chennai Central to K.S.R Bengaluru railway  line passes through Kuppam, and is the only railway station in the route belonging to Andhra Pradesh. As Kuppam Railway Station is located exactly at the middle of Bangarapet railway junction and Jolarpettai railway junction, it is well connected to Chennai, Vijawada, Coimbatore, Tirupati, Mysuru, Mumbai, Patna and Bengaluru via train. An exclusive train service is provided for working people between Kuppam and K.S.R Bengaluru that runs from Monday to Saturday. There is upcoming Kuppam Airport. Its very well connected. Politics. Kuppam is an assembly constituency (comprising Kuppam, Gudipalle, Shantipuram, Ramakuppam mandals) in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. There  are 1,61,872 registered voters in Kuppam constituency as of 1999. N. Chandrababu Naidu (former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh) is the current Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Kuppam. Education. Schools Primary and secondary education in Kuppam is offered by various schools which are affiliated to one of the boards of education, such as the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC), Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE). Schools in Kuppam are either government run or are private (both aided and un-aided by the government). Montfort Centenary School Vikas Public School Kuppam Public School AVR  High School Girls High School Govt Boys High School Govt Pragathi English Medium High School Vivekananda High School Vijayavani English Medium High School Saraswathi High School Gowtham High School AP Model School Pragna English School Taylor High School Vidyanikethan High School Rosa Mystica Kindergarten and school Hawking International School Akshaya School Intermediate College Vikas Junior College Kuppam Junior MFC Junior and Vocational College SV Junior College Degree College Vikas Degree College Kuppam Degree College IRM Degree College GOVT Degree College Kuppam Medical College P.E.S. Institute of Medical Sciences and Research was established in 2001 and offers Diploma, Under Graduation and  Post Graduation courses in the field of Medicine. University Dravidian University was established in 1997 and offers different Under Graduation, Post Graduation and Research programs. Engineering and Technology Kuppam Engineering College was established in 2001 and offers different Under Graduation, Post Graduation and Research programs related to Engineering, Business Administration and Technology. Agastya International Foundation It has a "Campus Creativity Lab" located on a 172-acre campus in Kuppam, which houses science and art centers that includes an astronomy center and planetarium, center for creative teaching, an innovation hub, a science model-making center, the Ramanujan Math Park, an open -air ecology lab and many more. The campus receives over 650 children every day and also trains teachers from seven states in India. Culture. "Tirupati Gangamma Jatara" is one of the most important and oldest festivals of Kuppam dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Gangamma Devi. It is celebrated annually, over a period of nine days in the month of May. The history of the festival dates back to over a couple of centuries. Local legend has it that Lord Venkateswara was upset with his sister Gangamma for devouring corpses at the burial ground. In order to stop his sister from  doing so, the Lord chopped off Gangamma's cheek, which is believed to have fallen in Kuppam and surrounding areas like Tirupati, Chittoor, Punganur, Vaniyambadi and Gudiyattam. To mark this event, the annual jatara is celebrated in Kuppam. "Peddapuli Gangamma Jatara" is one of the important and the oldest festivals of Kuppam dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Peddapuli Gangamma Devi. "Aadi Krithika" is one of the important and the oldest festivals of Kuppam dedicated to the Tamil Hindu God Subrahmanyaswamy in the month of July or August (Aadi month - Tamil calendar). Other popular festivals in Kuppam are Ugadi, Ram Navami , Eid ul-Fitr, Ganesh Chaturthi, Deepawali and Christmas. Tourism. Satyalok Amma Bhagwan - ONENESS temple Kaigal Water Falls, Kotilingeshwara Temple, Kakinada Fort and temple Yelagiri Hills, Andhra Pradesh Government Tourism Resort with peddle boating in lake, Nayanuru Forest for scenic hills (Nature at its best - perfect spot for shooting films), Betarayaswamy temple Sri Prasanna Varadaraja Swamy temple, Lakshmipuram, Kuppam Gudivanka temple Malleshwara temple Mallapa Konda (Local Ooty) Naniyala eco-tourism with elephant ride Kaundinya Bird Sanctuary, The Forest Elephant Camp at Naniayala village Agriculture. Following are the major crops cultivated in and around Kuppam. Rice, Jowar, Raagi, Flowers: marigold, rose, chrysanthemum , crossandra infundibuliformis, Vegetables: tomato, carrot, baby onions, brinjal, chillies, ladies finger, onions, potato, sweet corns, radish, cabbage, sweet potato, green leafy vegetables, ground nuts, coconuts, Fruits: custard apple, green grapes, guava, sapota, mangoes, papaya, Pomegranate. Celebrities from Kuppam. Not many of us know that the following people or celebrities are from Kuppam