Kadapa district

Overview

Kadapa district (also spelt Cuddapah) is an administrative district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It lies in the Rayalaseema region of the state, with the city of Kadapa serving as its administrative headquarters. The district is known for its rugged terrain dominated by the Erramala and Nallamala hill ranges, its barite and mineral reserves, and its association with the Cuddapah Basin, a geological formation of considerable scientific interest.

Key facts

Geography

The district is situated in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh and is bordered by Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, Annamayya, Tirupati and Nellore districts following the 2022 reorganisation of districts in the state. Its landscape is shaped by the Eastern Ghats, with the Nallamala range running along the eastern flank and the Palkonda and Erramala hills traversing other parts. The Penna river is the principal watercourse, joined by tributaries such as the Cheyyeru, Papagni and Sagileru.

The Cuddapah Basin, a Proterozoic sedimentary basin extending across the district and adjoining areas, has yielded important deposits of limestone, barytes, asbestos, steatite and uranium. The Mangampeta barytes deposit, located in the district, is among the largest of its kind in the world.

History

The region has a long recorded history, having been part of the territories of the Cholas, Kakatiyas, the Vijayanagara Empire, the Qutb Shahis, and later the Mughal subah of the Deccan. Under the Vijayanagara rulers, several temples and forts in the region, including those at Gandikota and Pushpagiri, attained importance.

The name "Cuddapah" is generally traced to the Telugu word gadapa (threshold), referring to the town's role as a gateway to the holy hill of Tirumala. After the decline of Vijayanagara, the area passed to the Nawabs of Cuddapah in the 18th century, and subsequently came under the control of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan of Mysore. Following the fall of Tipu Sultan in 1799, the territory was ceded to the British East India Company as part of the Ceded Districts in 1800, after which it was administered as Cuddapah district of the Madras Presidency.

On the linguistic reorganisation of states in 1953 and 1956, the district became part of Andhra State and then Andhra Pradesh. The official spelling of the district was changed from "Cuddapah" to "Kadapa" in 2005. In 2022, the Government of Andhra Pradesh reorganised the state's districts, and parts of the erstwhile Kadapa district were carved out to form the new Annamayya district.

Administration

The district is administered by a District Collector and Magistrate, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service. For revenue administration, it is divided into revenue divisions and mandals, with mandal-level offices handling land records, revenue collection and rural administration. Law and order is overseen by a Superintendent of Police.

The district sends representatives to the Lok Sabha through the Kadapa parliamentary constituency and contributes several Members of the Legislative Assembly to the Andhra Pradesh state legislature.

Economy

The economy of Kadapa district is based on a combination of agriculture, mining and industry. Major crops include paddy, groundnut, cotton, sunflower, pulses and horticultural produce such as banana, mango and citrus. The district is well known for its production of high-quality turmeric in certain pockets.

Mineral-based industries are significant, supported by deposits of barytes, limestone, dolomite and uranium. Cement plants operate in the district, drawing on local limestone reserves. The Rayalaseema Thermal Power Station at Muddanur is one of the major power generation facilities of Andhra Pradesh, contributing substantially to the state grid. The Tummalapalle uranium mine, operated by the Uranium Corporation of India Limited, is located in the district and is one of the country's notable uranium projects.

Culture and heritage

Kadapa is closely associated with several pil