Penukonda
Encyclopedia
Anantapur district
Anantapur District , ) is one of the 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh, India. The district headquarters is Anantapur City. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.- Geography :...
of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India. It is 70 km away from Anantapur town.
Geography
Penukonda is located at 14.0833°N 77.5833°E. It has an average elevation of 769 metres (2526 ft).Demography
According to The Imperial Gazetteer of IndiaThe Imperial Gazetteer of India
The Imperial Gazetteer of India was a gazetteer of the British Indian Empire, and is now a historical reference work. It was first published in 1881...
, Penukonda was a subdivision and taluk of Anantapur district in Madras province. It contains 96 villages covering an area of 677 square miles. The population in 1901 was 92,482, compared with 81,104 in 1891. Penukonda was the headquarters town with a population of 6,806. It is situated at the base of a large Hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
(Konda in Telugu language), from which it takes the name. It is a place of historical importance. It became the capital of fallen Vijayanagar monarch, after he was overthrown in 1565 at the Battle of Talikota
Battle of Talikota
The Battle of Talikota , a watershed battle fought between the Vijayanagara Empire and the Deccan sultanates, resulted in a rout of Vijayanagara, and ended the last great Hindu kingdom in South India...
. The Penner River
Penner River
The Penner is a river of southern India. The Penner rises on the hill of Nandi Hills in Chikballapur District of Karnataka state, and runs north and east through the state of Andhra Pradesh to empty into the Bay of Bengal...
flows along its western and Chitravati river along its eastern boundary.
History
This region was controlled at different points in history by the Hoysalas, Chalukyas, VijayanagarVijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
, Nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
s, Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
chieftain Murari Rao, Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
, Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
and eventually came under British
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
rule after it was ceded to the British by the Nizam of Hyderabad. It was a melting pot of different religions but the town and fort were established by early Hoysala kings, who were practitioners of Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
.
After Krishna Deva Raya, Venkatapathi rayalu, the Emperor of Vijayanagar, took over. He made Raya Dalavayi Koneti Naidu (son of Kasturi Naidu, grandson of Akkappa Naidu, great-grandson of Kanaka Naidu of Chandragiri), as the governor of Penukonda and conferred him the title with Maha-raja-raja-sri and celebrated Koneti Naidu's marriage to Swarna. Koneti Naidu hailed from the Vasarasi family of Balija caste. Koneti Naidu ruled Penukonda, Rayadurga and Kundurpi
Kundurpi
Kundurpi is a village and a mandal in Anantapur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.-Geography:Kundurpi is located at . It has an average elevation of 610 metres .-Demographics:...
Forts for about 17 years (1635-1652AD). After the ruling of Koneti Nayudu his discendants Raya Dalavayi Sri Venkatapathi Nayudu, peda timmappa nayudu, venkatapathi nayudu, koneti nayudu, venkatapathi nayudu, rajagopala nayudu, timmappa nayudu ruled this Penukonda country.
Because of its ancient Jain history and presence of many temples it is one of the most revered places for Jains. The famous Pache Parsvanath Swamy Temple, with idol of Parsvanath containing a single green coloured stone (Pacha) is located here. The famous Babaiah Dargah makes this place venerable to Muslims as well.
Hazrath Baba Fakruddin
Baba Fakruddin
Hazarath Syedna Baba Fakhruddin Suharwardy is a great Sufi saint of 12th century. His Mausoleum is located in a place called Penukonda, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh. This place is located on NH 7 i.e. Bangalore - Hyderabad highway and is around 120 Kilometers from Bangalore and 90 Kilometers...
was a great Sufi Saint of 12th century. Purportedly before coming to Penukonda, he was a king of Sistan
Sistan
Sīstān is a border region in eastern Iran , southwestern Afghanistan and northern tip of Southwestern Pakistan .-Etymology:...
and Shahpur in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Legend says that he was searching for a place to settle and his Guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
gave him a dry twig and said to him: ..wherever this twig will bloom to a big plant stay there... He planted the twig and slept under a tree only to awake and saw it become a beautiful plant and he stayed there. He is called Babaiah by the local people and due to the love and respect he garnered, many men of various faiths have taken his name over centuries.
Assembly constituency
Penukonda is an assembly constituency in Andhra Pradesh.- 1952 - L.N. Reddy (IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
) - 1955 - Chidambara Reddy (Indian National CongressIndian National CongressThe Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
) - 1962 - Narasireddy (IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
) - 1967 - Narayana Reddy (Indian National CongressIndian National CongressThe Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
) - 1972 - S.D. Narayana Reddy (Indian National CongressIndian National CongressThe Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
) - 1978 - G. Narayana Reddy (Indian National CongressIndian National CongressThe Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
I) - 1983 - S. Ramachandra Reddy (Telugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...
) - 1985 - S. Ramachandra Reddy (Telugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...
) - 1989 - S. Chennareddy (Indian National CongressIndian National CongressThe Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
) - 1991 - S.V. Ramana Reddy (Indian National CongressIndian National CongressThe Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
) - 1994 - Paritala RavindraParitala RavindraParitala Ravindra popularly known as Paritala Ravi was a political leader and factionist in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, India. He was a former cabinet minister in Andhra Pradesh and a sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly when he was slain by his political rivals in 2005...
(Telugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...
) - 1999 - Paritala RavindraParitala RavindraParitala Ravindra popularly known as Paritala Ravi was a political leader and factionist in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, India. He was a former cabinet minister in Andhra Pradesh and a sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly when he was slain by his political rivals in 2005...
(Telugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...
) - 2004 - Paritala RavindraParitala RavindraParitala Ravindra popularly known as Paritala Ravi was a political leader and factionist in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, India. He was a former cabinet minister in Andhra Pradesh and a sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly when he was slain by his political rivals in 2005...
(Telugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...
) - 2005 - Paritala Sunitha (Telugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...
) - 2009 - parthasarathy (Telugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam PartyTelugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...
)
Noticeable Names In History - The Penukonda family name was responsible for developing the popular Kadapa stone that is used for granite countertops.