Wiki Info of NANDYAL

Nandyal is a city in Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a major centre of trade and commerce in the region and is also important because of its religious significance. The town derives its name from Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva, whose temple here draws pilgrims from afar. It had a population of 151,771 at the time of the 2001 Census.

^{Nandyal is located at 15.48°N 78.48°E[2] and has an average elevation of 203 metres (666 feet). It is surrounded on all sides by hills while the Kunderu River flows to its west. The Nallamala Hills to the east are extensively forested while the ones to the south have been mined for granite.}

Geography

The city is rich in water resources owing to its many tanks and reservoirs. These give it an equitable climate throughout the year. However summers can be particularly hot. The average temperature is around 28 C.

Demographics

Nandyal has a population of 151,771.Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Nandyal has an average literacy rate of 63%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 55%. In Nandyal, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Most of the population is Hindu.

History

Nandyal has been an important pilgrimage site since the days of the Vijayanagar Kingdom owing to its nine Nandi temples. It was the introduction of railways however in 1890 that led to its rapid development. It became a municipality in 1900 and was visited, among others, by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Tourism

Nandyal is surrounded by nine temples of Lord Shiva, called Nava Nandi). Nine Temples includes Mahanandi, Shivanandi, Vishnunandi, Somanandi, PradhamaNandi, Garudanandi, Suryanandi,Krishnanandi,Omkaram. They attract a large numbers of devotees throughout the year. Nandyal is also the gateway to Belum Caves and Srisailam.

Economy

The city is a major hub of industry and agriculture. The main exports are cement, PVC pipes, mangoes and rice.

Politics

A Lok Sabha constituency is named after the city. P.V Narasimha Rao registered his record breaking victory in 1992 from this very place. The current MP is S.P.Y Reddy.

Transportation

The city is well connected both by roads and railways. There are frequent buses from Nandyal to Tirumala - Tirupati, Hyderabad, Kurnool,Vijayawada, Chittor, Anantapur and Kadapa. Buses also ply to parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu such as Bellary and Chennai.

It is a major station on the Guntur division of South Central Railway and has direct trains to Bengaluru, Secunderabad and Howrah. A new line to Yerraguntla is under construction.

The nearest airport is the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad (Shamshabad), some 240 km away.

Within the city, auto rickshaws and rented cars are a common means of commutation.