Chittoor

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

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Chittoor-district-map

Chittoor (चित्तूर) is a city and district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Etymology

The name Chittoor is believed to have originated from a combination of two words: Chitti and Ooru. In Telugu, Chitti means "small" and Ooru means "town" or "village." Thus, Chittoor translates to "small town" or "small village".

Historical records show that Chittoor, due to its strategic location, developed as a trading hub between Telugu and Tamil regions, leading to the use of both languages in the town’s name.

History

After Indian independence in 1947, Chittoor became a part of the erstwhile Madras State. The modern Chittoor district was formerly North Arcot district, which was established by the British in the 19th century and had Chittoor as its headquarters. On 1 April 1911, the district was split into two - Chittoor district and North Arcot district.

Pre-history: The district abounds in several pre-historic sites. The surface finds discovered are assigned to special stages in the progress of civilization. Paleolithic tools were discovered at Tirupathi, Sitarampeta, Ellampalle, Mekalavandlapalle and Piler.

Mesolithic tools were discovered at Chinthaparthi, Moratavandlapalle, Aruvandlapalle and Tirupathi. Remains of Neolithic and ancient tools were unearthed near Bangarupalem. The existence of megalithic culture was revealed by the discovery of graves at Irulabanda, Bapanatham, Valimikipuram (Vayalpadu), Sodum, Velkuru, Nyakaneri and Basinikonda.

Political history: The political history of the district commences with the Mauryas in the 4th century BC. The district of Chittoor was not a homogeneous administrative unit up to 1911. Its component parts were under the control of various principal dynasties at different periods of times, namely,

• Mauryas,
• Satavahanas,
• Pallavas,
• Chalukyas of Badami,
• Rashtrakutas,
• Cholas,
• Pandyas,
• Kakatiyas,
• Hoysalas,
• Royal of Vijayanagara,
• Qutub Shahis,
• Mughals,
• Asof Jahis,
• Marathas,
• Hyder Ali and
• Tipu of Mysore, and the British, besides dynasties such as

• Cholas,
• Banas,
• Vaidumbas,
• Nolambas,
• Western Gangas,
• Yadavas,
• Matlis,
• Uttama Chola,
• Andiyaman,
• Siyaganga rulers,
• Nawabs of Kadapa and Arcot.

The zamindars of

• Karvetinagar,
• Srikalahasthi,
• Punganur and
• Kangundhi

also ruled over this district.

Geography

Chittoor city lies on the banks of Neeva River at the southernmost part of Andhra Pradesh state. It is located on the NH 69 and NH 40 linking major metropolitan cities of Bangalore and Chennai.

It is located between the northern latitudes of 37" and 14°8" and between the eastern longitudes 78°33" and 79°55". It is bounded on the east by Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, on the south by Krishnagiri District , Vellore, Tiruvallur, Thirupattur districts of Tamil Nadu, on the west by Kolar district of Karnataka, and on the north by Annamayya district of Andhra Pradesh. Chennai & Bangalore cities are located in 150 km. and 165 km. respectively from Chittoor Town.Vellore is the nearest city and twin city located 30 kms across the border with Tamil Nadu.

चित्तूर

चित्तूर : (तेलुगु:చిత్తూరు) चित्तूर जिले का जिला केन्द्र है। यह् एक् नगरपालिका शहर है ओर चित्तूर जिले का जिला केंद्र भी है। ये शहर नेशनल हाई-वे 4 पर है जो बेंगलुरू और चेन्नई शहरों को जोडता है।