Madanapalle
Encyclopedia
Madanapalle is a town and a Municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 located in the Chittoor district
Chittoor district
Chittoor District , also known as Chittur, is a district of India's Andhra Pradesh state. The district headquarters is Chittoor City. The district has a population of 4,170,468 according to 2011 census of India. Chittoor district is famous for the Tirupati, Kanipakam and Sri Kalahasti temples...

 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...

 state, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 - population 107,512 (2001 census). Legend has it that the name of the town was originally " Maryaada raamanna puram" which has over time, changed into " Madanapalle".

It is one of the biggest Revenue Divisions in India (it covers almost half of the Chittoor district). It is a fast-growing city at the center of an agricultural region noted for its fruits and vegetables, especially tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...

es. It has a railway station and is the gateway to Horsley Hills
Horsley Hills
Horsley Hills , elevation 1,769 m, is a famous summer hill resort in Andhra Pradesh, about 160 km from Bangalore, India and 144 km from Tirupathi. Madanapalle is the closest town near the hills. The major tourist attractions here include the Mallamma temple and the Rishi Valley School...

, a small hill station
Hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...

 and summer resort. It is the birth place of the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti or J. Krishnamurti or , was a renowned writer and speaker on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His subject matter included: psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, meditation, human relationships, and bringing about positive change in society...

, who founded the nearby Rishi Valley School
Rishi Valley School
Rishi Valley School is a boarding school in India, founded by the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. It is located close to the town of Madanapalle, Krishnamurti's birthplace, in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Rishi Valley is a three hour drive from the city of Bangalore.- Founder's...

.

It is also known for its high quality silks, which are spun into sarees and other types of clothing. Neeruguttu palle is a place in town where silk sarees are available at the production cost. The famous poet Rabindranath Tagore translated "Jana Gana Mana", India's national anthem, from Bengali to English and also set it to music in Madanapalle. Madanapalle is famous for the Besant Theosophical College
Besant Theosophical College
Besant Theosophical College is one of the oldest colleges in the Rayalaseema Region of Andhra Pradesh. It was established much before Sri Venkateswara University was established. The college started on 19 July 1915. Initially it was affiliated to Madras University. After that, it got disassociated...

 named after Dr. Annie Besant
Annie Besant
Annie Besant was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.She was married at 19 to Frank Besant but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society ...



Horsley Hills
Horsley Hills
Horsley Hills , elevation 1,769 m, is a famous summer hill resort in Andhra Pradesh, about 160 km from Bangalore, India and 144 km from Tirupathi. Madanapalle is the closest town near the hills. The major tourist attractions here include the Mallamma temple and the Rishi Valley School...

 is situated near Madanpalle in Chittoor District at an altitude of 4400 feet (1314 m) above sea level. Mr. W.D. Horsley, a British member of the civil service and the then District Collector of Cuddapah, who found the climate very hot, selected this area as his summer resort on the top of the hills. He constructed two houses, the Kachari Room and the Milk Bungalow and developed it as a summer resort.
There are four engineering colleges in Madanapalli and MITS Engineering college is the famous among them all. MITS is located at the foot of the Horsley Hills.

Religious

The important religious places are Sri Lord Venkateswara temple, Shiridi Saibaba temple (One of the oldest temples of Saibaba in India), Swamy Ayyappa Temple, Yoga Bogeswara (Madikayalu) Temple, Sivalayam, Church, Arogyamatha Catholic Church, Jama Masjid, Indiranagar Masjid and Chamberlain Church,Krishna nagar Vinayaka temple, Society colony Ramalayam Temple,Neerugattuvari palle The Famous Sri Chowdeswari Devi Temple,Ramireddy Layout Vinayaka Temple

Culture

Madanapalle is a centre of vernacular culture. The literary languages are Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

 and Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

. Many organisations are serving the literary fields of both Telugu and Urdu. Telugu Rachayitala Sangham (Telugu Poets' Association), Telugu Nataka Kala Parishad and Anjuman Taraqui Urdu are important. Madanapalle people are quite fond of movies and there are more than 12 cinema halls in the town, which are considered many, for the town of this size.

Transport

There are three Bustands in Madanapalle.

RTC bustand- where the state owned RTC buses run to different parts of the district and state.
Chittoor bustand - private buses bound for Chittoor and Nimmanapalle start there. Quite a busy place, where you can buy fruit, flowers, etc.
Bengaluru bustand - private buses bound for Bangalore, Chintamani and other villages start here. Govt. buses do stop here.

Madanapalli ( CTM Railway staion ) is situated on the Tirupati - Guntakal BG line. It has trains to Guntakal & Secunderabad.
Buses to Chennai, Bangalore , Hyderabad & Tirupati ply continously.

Distances

It is situated at a distance of 115 kilometres from the temple city of Tirupati
Tirumala - Tirupati
Tirupati is a major pilgrimage city located in the Chittoor district and seventh biggest city of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located at the foothills of the Eastern Ghats at a distance of south of Hyderabad, the capital of the state, east of Bangalore, and north of Chennai.Tirupati is famous...

 and 122 kilometres from Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

 and is 91 km north-west of Chittoor. The nearest airports are Tirupati (150 km), Bangalore (122 km) & Chennai (240 km). The nearest railway station is Madanapalle Road (MPL)(13 km).

Distances by road from Madanapalle to Major destinations:
  • Tirupati 115 km,
  • Chittoor
    Chittoor
    Chittoor also known as Chittur, is a City and municipal corporation located in the Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is conveniently located on major highways linking the cities of Bangalore and Chennai....

     93 km,
  • Bangalore
    Bangalore
    Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

     125 km,
  • Puttaparthi
    Puttaparthi
    Puttaparthi is a town situated in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It was also the residence of the notable spiritual teacher Sathya Sai Baba....

     120 km,
  • Hindupur
    Hindupur
    Hindupur is the second biggest town and Mandal headquarters located in Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh, India. Hindupur was given its name by a Maratha Chieftain called Murari Rao, who named this town after his father Hindoji Rao, or after a king named Hindurao. The Hindupur Parliamentary...

     160 km,
  • Kadapa
    Kadapa
    Kadapa , formerly Cuddapah, is a city in the south-central part of Andhra Pradesh, India . The city's name originated from the Telugu word "Gadapa" meaning threshold or gate...

     122 km,
  • Chennai
    Chennai
    Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

     250 km,
  • Hyderabad 533 km.
  • Yellareddy  655 km.

Climate

Madanapalle has pleasantly mild, to warm summers with average high temperatures of 30 to 35 degrees Celsius (86 F to 95 F). Temperatures do not exceed 40 degrees celsius (104 F)and winters are cold with temperatures between 7 to 15 degrees Celsius ( 44.6 F to 59 F). Usually summer lasts from March to June, with the advent of rainy season in June, followed by winter which lasts till the end of February. It has an extreme type of climate. Rainy season remains pleasant.

Products

Madanapalle is famous for agricultural products such as tomato, mango, groundnut, tamarind etc., Famous for silk and silk products like sarees and other casuals. The quality of silk product is recognisable. Madanapalle surroundings have enormous reserves of granite.

Historical

The history of Madanapalle was dated back to 907 during Chola Kingdom. Previously the town was located to west of Sri Yogabhogeswara Swami Temple. The vastu sastra revealed that there would not be any development of town as it is located in that area. Then the Palegar Sriman Ahobilanayani thought to change the place of town. They left the cow to gaze the grass. The cow started gazing the grass along the forest and stopped at a particular place. That was the place decided for initiation of construction of new town. Ahobilanayani varu constructed fort around the town. Later on it destroyed with the age. The present streets in Madanapalle like Kota Street, Agarthala street, sepia street are the reminiscences of previous establishments.

Madanapalle was ruled by Vijayanagara Palegars namely Basanna and Madanna. In memory of their names, the two hills on the east of Madanapalle were named as “Madanna Hill” and “Basavanna Hill” which gradually transformed to Madigakonda and Basinikonda.

During 907 – 955, Yadavanayikas and Hoyasalas ruled by Vijayanagara kingdom. After its downfall, it went under the rule of Golkonda nawabs during 1565.
During 1713, the Kadapa Nawab, Abdul Nabi Khan captured Madanapalle. Madanapalle was transformed from Karnataka provinson to Kadapa division.
There was war between Kadapa Nawabs and Maharastra rulers for the sake of Madanapalle and Pungnaoor provision. Kadapa Nawab was defeated by Balajirao Peshi and captured Madanapalle. Later, Mysore Maharaja occupied Gurram Konda. Tippu Sultan defeated Hyder ali and took great care of Madanapalle and Punganoor divisions.
Sir Thomas Munro was first collector of Cuddapah. He constructed a small thatched house at the present Collector’s bunglow and visited Madanapalle every summer. In 1850, Madanapalle was developed as subdivision and F.B.Manoly was the first Sub Collector.
The town experienced several natural calamities like floods, famines and epidemics.
Rabindranath Tagore translated "Jana Gana Mana
Jana Gana Mana
Jana Gana Mana is the national anthem of India. Written in highly Sanskritized Bengali, it is the first of five stanzas of a Brahmo hymn composed and scored by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. It was first sung at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress on 27 December 1911...

" from Bengali to English and also set it to music in Madanapalle, a town in Chittoor District, 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...

.

Though the Bengali song had been written in 1911 itself, it had remained largely confined to the pages of the Brahmo Samaj journal, "Tatva Bodha Prakasika", of which Tagore was the editor.

During 1918-19, Tagore accepted an invitation from a friend and controversial Irish poet James H. Cousins, to spend a few days at the Besant Theosophical College
Besant Theosophical College
Besant Theosophical College is one of the oldest colleges in the Rayalaseema Region of Andhra Pradesh. It was established much before Sri Venkateswara University was established. The college started on 19 July 1915. Initially it was affiliated to Madras University. After that, it got disassociated...

, of which Cousins was the principal. On the evening of February 28, he joined a gathering of students and upon Cousins' request, sang the "Jana Gana Mana" in Bengali. In the days that followed, enchanted by the dreamy hills of Madanapalle, Tagore wrote down the English translation of the song and along with Cousins' wife, Margaret (an expert in western music), set down the notation which is followed till this day.

Today, in the library of the Besant Theosophical College in Madanapalle, the framed original English translation is displayed. The other historical places include the Chennakesava Swamy Temple at a distance of 47 km from Madanapalle which was built in the 14th century by Krishna Devarayalu. The other place to visit is the Mallaya Konda temple built by Chola raja in the 14th century. The Kolabailu water falls is just 15 km from the town.
Venugopalaswami temple located in Thettu is just 15 km from the town

Assembly constituency

Madanapalle is an assembly constituency in Andhra Pradesh.
  • 1952 - Dodda Seetharamaiah (Communist Party of India
    Communist Party of India
    The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...

     (CPI))
  • 1955 - T.G.K. Gupta (Indian National Congress
    Indian National Congress
    The 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 - Dodda Seetharamaiah (CPI)
  • 1967 - A. Narasingarao (Indian National Congress
    Indian National Congress
    The 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 - A. Narasingarao (Indian National Congress
    Indian National Congress
    The 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.V. Narayana Reddy (Indian National Congress
    Indian National Congress
    The 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 - R. Narayana Reddy (Telugu Desam Party
    Telugu Desam Party
    Telugu 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 - R. Narayana Reddy (Telugu Desam Party
    Telugu Desam Party
    Telugu 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 - A. Mohan Reddy (Indian National Congress
    Indian National Congress
    The 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 - R. Sagar Reddy (Telugu Desam Party
    Telugu Desam Party
    Telugu 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 - R. Shobha rani (Telugu Desam Party
    Telugu Desam Party
    Telugu 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 - Dommalapati Ramesh (Telugu Desam Party
    Telugu Desam Party
    Telugu 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 - Mohammed Shahjahan Basha (Indian National Congress
    Indian National Congress
    The 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...

    )
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