Anantapur is a city in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Anantapuramu mandal and also the divisional headquarters of Anantapur revenue division. The city is located on National Highway. It was also the headquarters of the Datta Mandalam (Rayalaseema districts of Andhra Pradesh and Bellary district of Karnataka) in 1799. It was also a position of strategic importance for the British Indian Army during the Second World War.
Anantapur is home to many ancient temples, monuments and forts that give a glimpse into the rich history of the region. Lepakshi is renowned for grand architecture and repository of mural paintings of the Vijayanagar Kings. Puttaparthi, Kadiri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple famous for the idol sweating, Chintala Venkataramana Swamy Temple and Bugga Ramalingheswara Swamy Temple in Tadipatri some of the well known tourist spots in the district. The region is also well-known for its booming silk and cotton weaving industry in Dharmavaram. Penukonda Fort, Hemavathi, Rayadurgam fort and Gooty fort are the other attractions here.
Bangalore airport is the nearest airport, located 198 km from Anantapur. Anantapur has direct train connectivity with Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Pune, Vishakhapatnam, etc. It is well connected with major cities in India by the National Highways 7 and 205. Anantapur is also well connected by buses with Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Kurnool, Tirupati, Kadapa, Bangalore, Chennai, Hosur and Chitradurg.
