Nandyal

నంద్యాల Nandyal
—  city  —
నంద్యాల Nandyal Location of నంద్యాల Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh and India
Coordinates	15°29′N 78°29′E / 15.48°N 78.48°E / 15.48; 78.48Coordinates: 15°29′N 78°29′E / 15.48°N 78.48°E / 15.48; 78.48
Country	India
State	Andhra Pradesh
District(s)	Kurnool
Population	151,772 area_magnitude= sq. km
Sex ratio	0.52 ♂/♀
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 203 metres (666 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 5185XX • Vehicle • AP21X XXXX

Nandyal or Nandyala (Telugu: నంద్యాల) is a town in Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a major centre of trade, commerce, education and industries in the region and is also important because of its religious significance and Rich water resources. The town derives its name from Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva, whose temple here draws pilgrims from faraway places. It had a population of 151,771 at the time of the 2001 Census.^[1]

Geography

Nandyal is surrounded on all sides by hills while the Kundu 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.

The town 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.

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. These nine temples are Mahanandi, Shivanandi, Vinayakanandi, Somanandi, Prathamanandi, Garudanandi, Suryanandi, Krishnanandi (also called Vishnunandi) and Naganandi. Omkaram is another famous Siva temple very close to Nandyal. They attract a large numbers of devotees throughout the year. Nandyal is also the gateway to Belum Caves and Srisailam.^[2] Nandyal is a diocese under church of south India and it has a beautiful cathedral which was constructed and dedicated in the year 1905.

Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary

Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary is located about 30 km from Nandyal railway station and is on the border between Kurnool and Prakasam districts.

Gundla Brahmeswaram Sanctuary occupies an area of over 1194 km² and is covered by mixed deciduous forests. It is situated on Gundla Brahmeshwaram plateau running south to north of the Nallamala Hills range. The perennial Gundlakamma River flows through the sanctuary is the life-line of the wildlife sanctuary as it presents a varied habitat for wild life. One remarkable fact about Gundla Brahmeswara Sanctuary is that it is the last surviving tract of pristine forests of Nallamala Hills. The wildlife include Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Sloth Bear, Wild Dog, Striped Hyena, Jungle Cat, Tufted Gray Langur, Bonnet Macaque, Indian Pangolin, Sambar Deer, Nilgai, Four-horned Antelope, Chinkara, Mouse Deer, Monitor Lizard, Indian Rock Python and Marsh Crocodile.

The main attractions of the Gundla Brahmeswara Wildlife Sanctuary are Mouse deer and Tufted Gray Langur and you may also catch a glimpse of the elusive Cheetah in its natural habitat. The sanctuary abounds in plants that have immense ethno-botanical value. In fact, the sanctuary is renowned as one of the most picturesque forest areas in India. The sanctuary boasts of a rich and diverse flora that comprises trees like Teak, Shisham, Boswellia, Terminalia, Dalbergia and Bamboo.

Animal lovers can look forward to a close encounters. The Gundla Brahmeswara Wildlife Sanctuary is marked by dense forests, abundant flora and fauna and picturesque spots.

The climate of the Gundla Brahmeswara Wildlife Sanctuary region is usually hot round the year with most of the precipitation occurring during the monsoon. Maximum temperatures in summer soars in the range of 40-45° Celsius while winters in the Gundla Brahmeswara Wildlife Sanctuary are usually mild and pleasant.

The best time to visit is from October to March. Tourists can stay at the inspection bungalow at Nandyal and a Forest Rest House at Diguvametta.

The major town Kurnool is 70 km northwest of Nandyal.

Economy

The city is a major hub of industry and agriculture.
The city is rich of natural resources which got abundant natural wealth like Granites Marble.The main exports are cement, sugar, PVC pipes, ethanol, oil, cotton, mangoes and rice. The seed industry has been flourishing for 30 years. It's major compiines are nandipipes,panyamcement,spyagro and etc
It's also hub for major educational institutions like KesavaReddy Group Of Institutions, RGM Engineering College, Dental & Medical colleges.
Nandi group is the major exporter of PVC Pipes along with other players in the sector.
Nandyal Region is fully floursihed with agriculture and commercial crops like Cotton,Jowar,Rice are main along with the other crops.

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.

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, the sixth President of India, serving from 1977 to 1982, and the only person to be elected President of India unopposed, fought the Lok Sabha election from Nandyal constituency as a Janata Party candidate. He was the only non-Congress candidate to get elected from Andhra Pradesh. He was unanimously elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha on 26 March 1977. This is only constituency which has given a President and a Prime Minister to India.

The current Member of Parliament is Mr. S.P.Y. Reddy representing the Congress Party and MLA is Shilpa Mohan Reddy

Transportation

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

The city is the major hub/junction for Railways / Roadways because of its geographic location.

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 270 km away.

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

References

1. ^ http://www.mapsofindia.com/parliamentaryconstituencies/andhrapradesh/nandyal.htm
2. ^ http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V18_369.gif