Tirupati district (pronunciation) is one of the eight districts of Rayalaseema region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.The district headquarters is located at Tirupati city. This district is known for its numerous historic temples, including the Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and Sri Kalahasteeswara temple. The district is also home to Satish Dhawan Space Centre (formerly Sriharikota Range), a rocket launch centre located in Sriharikota.

Tirupati district
Location of Tirupati district in Andhra Pradesh
Location of Tirupati district in Andhra Pradesh
Map
Coordinates: 13°37′55″N 79°25′23″E / 13.632°N 79.423°E / 13.632; 79.423
Country India
StateAndhra Pradesh
RegionRayalaseema
HeadquartersTirupati
Largest CityTirupati
Formation4 April 2022
Founded byGovernment of Andhra Pradesh
Administrative divisions
Government
 • District collectorDr.S.Venkateswar, IAS
 • SPL.Subbarayudu, IPS
 • Lok Sabha constituenciesTirupati
Lok Sabha list
 • Assembly
Area
 • Total
8,231 km2 (3,178 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2][3]
 • Total
2,196,984
 • Density270/km2 (690/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialTelugu
 • MinorityTamil,Urdu[4]
Demographics
 • Literacy86.97%
 • Sex ratioM-50.00%/F-50.00% /
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Postal Index Number
517XXX, 524XXX
Vehicle registrationAP-03,AP-26,AP-39 (former)
AP–40 (from 4 April 2023)
Coastline75 kilometres (47 mi)
GDP(2022-23)67,487 crore (US$8.1 billion)[5]
Per capita income (2022–23)251,704 (US$3,000) [6]
Websitetirupati.ap.gov.in

The district is an educational hub and has central and state universities and institutes including IIT Tirupati, Sri Venkateswara University, National Sanskrit University, IISER Tirupati, IIIT Sri City. Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical sciences (SVIMS), Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, Sri Venkateswara Vedic University, Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Sri Venkateswara Agriculture College, Sri Padmavati Women's Medical College, Sri Venkateswara Ayurvedic College, Sri Venkateswara College of Physiotherapy, etc The district is home to Sri City, one of the leading special economic zone (SEZ) in India.

Etymology

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The district derived its name from its main city, Tirupati. In Dravidian translation, specifically from the Tamil language[7] tiru means sacred or Lakshmi and pati means abode or husband.[8][9][10]

History

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On 26 January 2022, Balaji district was proposed to be formed from parts of Chittoor, Nellore districts as one of the twenty-six districts.[11] Based on the feedback from public, the name was later changed to Tirupati district. The new district came into existence on 4 April 2022 with Gudur, Sullurupeta revenue divisions from Nellore district and Tirupati revenue division from Chittoor district. Srikalahasti revenue division was newly created.[12][13][14]

Geography

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Tirupati district is located between the northern latitudes of 13°21′54″ and 14°30′40″ and between the eastern longitudes 79°5′42″ and 80°4′10″,this district is located in Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh and also a Tondai Nadu region. It is bordered by SPSR Nellore district to the north, Chittoor and Annamayya districts to the west, Chittoor and Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu to the south and Bay of Bengal to the east.[15]

The river Swarnamukhi flows through Tirupati, Srikalahasti, Naidupeta, Vakadu and join into the Bay of Bengal. The major part of Pulicat Lake is in this district.

Demographics

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Religions in Tirupati district based on 2011 census data[16]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
93.75%
Islam
5.18%
Christianity
0.72%
Other or not stated
0.35%

Based on the 2011 census data, Tirupati district had a population of 21,96,984, of which 850,056 (38.69%) lived in urban areas. Tirupati district had a sex ratio of 1000 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 5,19,388 (23.64%) and 1,70,779 (7.77%) of the population respectively.[2]: 92–96 [3]: 82–87  93.75% of the population follow Hinduism, with a small minority follows Islam and Christianity.

Languages of Tirupati district based on 2011 Census data[4]

  Telugu (78.00%)
  Tamil (16.50%)
  Urdu (3.64%)
  Others (1.86%)

78.00% of the population spoke Telugu, 16.50% Tamil and 3.64% Urdu as their first language.[4]

Politics

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The district is part of two parliamentary constituencies and seven assembly constituencies. The parliamentary constituency are Tirupati (Lok Sabha constituency) and Chittoor(partial). The assembly constituencies are given below.[17]

Constituency number Name Reserved for
(SC/ST/None)
Parliamentary constituency
167 Tirupati None Tirupati
121 Sullurpeta SC
122 Venkatagiri None
120 Guduru SC
168 Srikalahasti None
169 Satyavedu SC
166 Chandragiri None Chittoor

Administrative divisions

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Satellite view of Tirupati district

The district is divided into 4 revenue divisions: Gudur, Srikalahasti, Sullurupeta and Tirupati, which are further subdivided into a total of 34 mandals, each headed by a sub-collector.[1]

Mandals

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The list of 34 mandals in Tirupati district, divided into 4 revenue divisions, is given below.[18]

Cities and towns

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The district has one municipal corporation at Tirupati city, and six municipalities at Srikalahasti, Gudur, Naidupeta, Sullurpeta, Puttur and Venkatagiri. This district also has many census towns, 822 gram panchayats and 1107 villages.[1]

Municipal bodies in Tirupati district
S.No. Name Civic status Revenue
division
Population
(2011 census)
1 Tirupati Municipal Corporation Tirupati 2,95,323
2 Srikalahasti Municipality Grade - 1 Srikalahasti 80,056
3 Gudur Municipality Grade - 1 Gudur 74,047
4 Puttur Municipality Grade - 3 Tirupati 54,092
5 Venkatagiri Municipality Grade - 3 Gudur 52,688
6 Sullurupeta Municipality Grade - 3 Sullurupeta 45,782
7 Naidupeta Municipality Grade - 3 Sullurupeta 45,055

Economy

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STPI, Tirupati with a 10,000 sq.ft. facility for incubation was started in the year 2002. [19] Sri City, a SEZ was started in the year 2008.

50,000-100,000 devotees visit The Sri Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala everyday, contributing to the tourism driven economy of the district.[20]

Transport

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Roadways

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NH 16, NH 71, NH 140, NH 716 and NH 565 pass through the district. Six lane express way connecting Tirupati and Bangalore via Chittoor is operational. [21]

Railways

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Tirupati main railway station

Tirupati railway station is among the busiest railway stations of India. It is on the Renigunta-Katpadi railway line. Renigunta Junction, Srikalahasti railway station, Sullurupeta railway station, Gudur Junction and Pakala Junction are major railway stations.

Airways

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Tirupati Airport View

Tirupati Airport, the second-largest airport in Andhra Pradesh, is located 15 km (9.3 mi) from the Tirupati city centre and has daily flights to several domestic destinations. Tirupati Airport is upgraded to an international airport. The new international terminal was inaugurated on 22 October 2015, but as of March 2023 is not operational. [22] The nearest operational international airport is Chennai International Airport which is 130 km (81 mi) from Tirupati.

Waterways

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Dugarajapatnam Port is a proposed port in the district.[23]

Education

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Sri Venkateswara University, Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, National Sanskrit University,Sri Venkateswara Vedic University, Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University (SVVU) and Krea University are some of the universities in the district.

Several eminent institutes of excellence such as Government Institute of Ceramic Technology, National Institute of Ocean Technology, IIT Tirupati, IISER Tirupati, Indian Culinary Institute, Tirupati, Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS), Sri Venkateswara Institute of Cancer Care and Advanced Research Tata Trusts - SVICCAR Hospital, Institute of Financial Management and Research and Indian Institute of Information Technology, Sri City are present in the district.

The National Atmospheric Research Laboratory of the Department of Space is at village Gadanki in Pakala mandal. The lab is involved in carrying out fundamental and applied research in Atmospheric and Space Sciences.[24]

Tourist attractions

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Tirupati, Tirumala and Srikalahasti have famous Hindu temples. Tiruamala, at a distance of 22 km from Tirupati, is abode of Venkateswara Swamy temple attracting 50000-100000 visitors. Pulicat Lake, a salt water lake spread over 500 Sq.Km, and Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, famous for Spot-billed pelican, at a distance of 80 Km from Tirupati are popular environmental tourist attractions. Chandragiri Fort an 11th century fort, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, a space launch center are other places of interest.

Notable people

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N. Chandrababu Naidu born in Naravaripalle and N. Janardhana Reddy born in Vakadu served as chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh. Roja Selvamani born in Tirupati is a famous film actor turned politician. Madhurantakam Rajaram Sahitya Akademi Award winner was born in Damalacheruvu. Raj Reddy, Computer Scientist and winner of Turing Award was born in Katur village of Buchinaidu kandriga mandal.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Tirupati District: At a glance". tirupati.ap.gov.in. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b "District Census Hand Book – Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore" (PDF). Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  3. ^ a b "District Census Hand Book – Chittoor" (PDF). Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  4. ^ a b c "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Tamil Nadu". Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Cite error: The named reference "language" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ https://des.ap.gov.in/MainPage.do?mode=menuBind&tabname=publications
  6. ^ https://des.ap.gov.in/MainPage.do?mode=menuBind&tabname=publications
  7. ^ Stein, Burton (1980). Peasant State and Society in Medieval South India. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 124. ISBN 978-0195643183.
  8. ^ Oppert, Gustav Salomon (8 June 2017). On the Original Inhabitants of Bharatavarsa or India. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 9789925082193.
  9. ^ "Full text of "On the original inhabitants of Bharatavarsa or India"". archive.org. 1893. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Index of /NASD/4a7f1db4-5792-415c-be79-266f41eef20a/upgrade-archive-06-14-2007/data/upload-allbooks/disk 3/Jan N/ENGLISH/The_Dravidians_/TXT". tera-3.ul.cs.cmu.edu. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  11. ^ Raghavendra, V. (26 January 2022). "With creation of 13 new districts, AP now has 26 districts". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  12. ^ "New districts to come into force on April 4". The Hindu. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  13. ^ Rangarajan, A. d (3 April 2022). "Andhra Pradesh: Govt. agrees to name new district 'Tirupati'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  14. ^ "కొత్త జిల్లా తాజా స్వరూపం". Eenadu.net (in Telugu). 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  15. ^ "District profile". Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Population by Religion - Andhra Pradesh". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  17. ^ "District-wise Assembly-Constituencies". ceoandhra.nic.in.
  18. ^ Sasidhar, B. M. (4 April 2022). "Chittoor, Tirupati, Annamayya districts formed as part of rejig". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  19. ^ "About STPI Tirupati". STPI. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  20. ^ "Sri Venkateshwara Swamy Temple". AP Tourism. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  21. ^ "List of National Highways passing through A.P. State". Roads and Buildings Department. Government of Andhra Pradesh. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  22. ^ "Tirupati International Airport inauguration on Vijaya Dasami". The hindu. 11 October 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  23. ^ "Decks cleared for Dugarajapatnam port". The Times of India. 13 February 2014.
  24. ^ "about us". NARL. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
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