Telugu Historyతెలుగు చరిత్ర

Kurnool (old district)

The old Kurnool district lay in western Rayalaseema in undivided Andhra Pradesh, south of the Tungabhadra and the Krishna. The Nawab's territory was annexed in 1839 and became a full district in 1858. Kurnool town was the capital of Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. This dry district was known for cholam, cotton and forests, with the Kurnool-Cuddapah canal running through it. In 2022 its territory was divided between Kurnool and Nandyal districts.

The old Kurnool district lay in western Rayalaseema, with the Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers on its northern border.1 It became a full district in 1858.23 In 2022 Andhra Pradesh divided its territory between two districts.23 Its headquarters, Kurnool, was the capital of the Nawabs and later, from 1953 to 1956, of Andhra State.4

Early history and kingdoms

The 1961 census handbook says the name Kurnool comes from Kandenavolu.1 By tradition, carters hauling stone for a temple in the eleventh century greased their cart wheels (kandena, grease) at the site, and a town grew up there.1 The 1908 gazetteer thinks the area was held in turn by the Chalukyas, the Cholas and the Ganpatis of Warangal, the Kakatiyas.5

In the sixteenth century Krishna Raya of Vijayanagara annexed the whole area.5 After the defeat at Talikota in 1565, the Qutb Shahis of Golconda overran it.5 The great temples of the district are at Srisailam and Ahobilam on the Nallamalai hills.2

The Nawabs of Kurnool

In 1687 Aurangzeb conquered the country south of the Krishna, and his general Ghiyas-ud-din took Kurnool.5 Soon after, the district was given as a jagir to Daud Khan, a Pathan general of the Mughals.5 His successors became the Nawabs of Kurnool.5 The Marathas raided the district in 1741, and their raids are still told in ballads.5

Salabat Jang and the French general Bussy stormed Kurnool in March 1751.5 In 1755 Haidar Ali took tribute from it.5 After Tipu’s death in 1799 the district fell to the Nizam, who ceded it to the British in 1800 to pay for troops stationed in his state.2 The Nawab kept his jagir, paying a tribute of a lakh of rupees.2

In 1838 the last Nawab, Ghulam Rasul Khan, was found preparing for war on a large scale.2 The next year he was sent to Trichinopoly, and his lands were annexed.2 From 1839 to 1858 a British Commissioner and Agent ran the four taluks taken from him.2 For the small state of Banganapalle, see its page.

Formation, 1858

In 1858 the British added three taluks of Cuddapah (Koilkuntla, Cumbum and Markapur) and the Pattikonda taluk of Bellary to Kurnool proper.2 Together, these areas became a full Collectorate (district).2 In 1901 it had eight taluks, and it was the most thinly peopled district of the Madras Presidency.2

The 1876–78 famine hit the district very hard.2 Its population fell from 9,14,432 in 1871 to 6,78,551 in 1881.2 Even in 1901 the population had not recovered to its earlier level.26

1953–2014

When Andhra State was formed in 1953, Kurnool was one of its eleven districts.7 It gained Adoni and Alur taluks from Bellary district.1 The 2001 census handbook says Kurnool town was the capital of the new state from 1 October 1953 to 1 November 1956.4

In 1961 the district covered 9,210 square miles, with eleven taluks and two sub-taluks.1 Revenue divisional officers were based at Kurnool, Adoni and Markapur, and a Sub-Collector at Nandyal.1 The census of 1981 counted Kurnool among the 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh.8

In 1970 part of the district went to the new Prakasam district.9 In 1985 the 13 taluks were reorganised into 54 mandals.10 A mandal parishad (local council) was formed for each mandal.10 After the division of 2014 the district stayed in Andhra Pradesh.11

Division, 2022

On 4 April 2022 its territory was divided between two districts:3

Administration

In 1901 the eight taluks were Markapur, Cumbum, Nandikotkur, Ramallakota, Pattikonda, Nandyal, Sirvel and Koilkuntla.6 They were grouped in four subdivisions, with headquarters at Nandyal, Markapur, Kurnool and the district headquarters.12 Kurnool was the headquarters of the district and of Ramallakota taluk.2

In 1961 the taluks were Kurnool, Dhone, Nandikotkur, Adoni, Alur, Pattikonda, Nandyal, Allagadda, Koilkuntla, Markapur and Giddalur.1 Banganapalle and Atmakur were sub-taluks.1

Land, farming and water

In 1903–04 cholam and korra were the main food crops, and cotton came next, mostly in the black soil taluks.13 Forests covered 34 per cent of the district, and the Nallamalai forests alone 2,000 square miles.1314 Only about 4½ per cent of the cultivated land was irrigated.15 Tanks watered about half of it, more than a third of that in Markapur and Cumbum, where the great Cumbum tank stood.1514

The 1961 handbook says many of the old tanks were built by private donors.16 It names the Nandyal tank, built in the thirteenth century, as the oldest.16 Hot springs at Mahanandi, Kalwa, Dhone and Brahmagundam watered fields all year.1714

The Madras Irrigation Canal Company was formed in 1857 to build canals with private money.16 It began the Kurnool-Cuddapah canal in 1860, and the anicut (weir) at Sunkesula was sanctioned in 1861.17 The money ran out by 1866, but the canal was practically finished in 1871.17 In 1903–04 it watered 25,000 acres.14

By the late 1990s the district had 11,634 tanks and 1,19,371 wells.18 The Tungabhadra, the Krishna and the Kunderu were its main rivers.18

Crafts and industries

In 1904 the only important industries were cotton weaving and cotton carpets, made at Kurnool and Cumbum.19 Nandyal and Nosam made lacquer ware and paintings on leather.19 Iron was smelted at Rudravaram, and diamond mines had once been worked at Banganapalle and elsewhere.19 Four steam cotton presses worked at Nandyal and Kurnool.19

By 1961 the district led the State in large-scale oil milling, the census handbook says, quoting a survey of 1962.20 Tungabhadra Industries at Kurnool, set up in 1947, made vanaspati, refined oil and soap.20 The Rayalaseema Mills at Adoni had spun cotton yarn since 1951.20

By 2001 the district was known for its cement-grade limestone and other minerals.21 It had 36 large and medium industries, of which 26 were working, with 11,335 workers.21

People

The 2001 census handbook lists the district’s population within its 2001 boundaries, from 1901 onward.22 The 2011 figure is from the 2011 handbook.23

Census yearPopulation
19019,50,655
195113,15,499
196115,70,955
198124,07,299
200135,29,494
201140,53,463

In 1901, 95 per cent of the people of the district lived in villages.6 Muslims made up 12 per cent, a higher share than in any other Madras district except Malabar.6

For an overview of district changes, see How the map changed.

Footnotes

  1. A. Chandra Sekhar, Census of India 1961, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Kurnool District (1964), p. i (PDF p. 21) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  2. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 407, s.v. Kurnool District (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15

  3. Government of Andhra Pradesh, Revenue (Lands-IV) Department, G.O.Ms. No. 191 (Kurnool; Gazette No. 490) and No. 192 (Nandyal; Gazette No. 491), 2 April 2022, final notifications printed in the Andhra Pradesh Gazette, Part I Extraordinary, 3 April 2022: notification PDF p. 1, Schedule-I PDF p. 2 (archive.org copies: 191 (opens in a new tab), 192 (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  4. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Kurnool District (2006), p. 9 (PDF p. 50) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  5. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 406 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  6. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 408 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  7. “Prime Minister’s Statement on Andhra”, 25 March 1953, printed in Madras Legislative Assembly Debates, 2 April 1953, appendix, pp. 823–825 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)); The History of the Andhra Pradesh Police (1861–1961) (1961), pp. 249–250 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  8. Ch. Purnachandra Rao, Census of India 1981, Andhra Pradesh: Portrait of Population (1981), p. 13 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  9. Purnachandra Rao, Portrait of Population (1981), p. 16 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  10. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Kurnool District (2006), p. 7 (PDF p. 48) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  11. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (Act No. 6 of 2014), ss. 2–4, pp. 1–2 (Gazette copy (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  12. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 416 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  13. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 410 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  14. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 412 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  15. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 411 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  16. A. Chandra Sekhar, Census of India 1961, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Kurnool District (1964), p. l (PDF p. 71) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  17. A. Chandra Sekhar, Census of India 1961, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Kurnool District (1964), p. li (PDF p. 72) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  18. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Kurnool District (2006), p. 14 (PDF p. 55) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  19. Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 413 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  20. A. Chandra Sekhar, Census of India 1961, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Kurnool District (1964), p. lxvi (PDF p. 87) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  21. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Kurnool District (2006), p. 17 (PDF p. 58) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  22. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Kurnool District (2006), p. xxxi (PDF p. 23) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  23. Directorate of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2011, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Kurnool District, Part XII-A (Village and Town Directory) (2014), p. 9 (PDF p. 27) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

Places in this district (7)

Monuments in this district (3)

Inscriptions found in this district (3)

References

Sources (9)
  1. Ch. Purnachandra Rao (Census of India 1981), Census of India 1981, Andhra Pradesh: Portrait of Population (opens in a new tab), Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, 1981, pp. 13; 16. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  2. Government of Andhra Pradesh, Revenue (Lands-IV) Department, Restructuring / formation of districts: final notifications, G.O.Ms. Nos. 173 to 198 (2 April 2022) (opens in a new tab), Andhra Pradesh Gazette, Part I Extraordinary, Nos. 472 to 497 (3 April 2022), 2022, PDF pp. 1–2 of each notification. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  3. Government of India, Imperial Gazetteer of India, Provincial Series: Madras, Vol. I (opens in a new tab), Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta, 1908, pp. 404–413, 416. [Public domain]
  4. A. Chandra Sekhar (Census of India), Census of India 1961, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Kurnool District (opens in a new tab), Census of India, 1964, i–ii, l–li, lxvi. [Public domain in India]
  5. Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2001, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Kurnool District (Parts A and B) (opens in a new tab), Census of India, 2006, xxxi, 7, 9, 14, 17. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  6. Directorate of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2011, Andhra Pradesh (Series 29): District Census Handbook, Kurnool District, Part XII-A (Village and Town Directory) (opens in a new tab), Census of India, 2014, pp. 9. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  7. Madras Legislative Assembly, Prime Minister's Statement on the Establishment of Andhra State (Assembly debates, 2 April 1953) (opens in a new tab), Madras Legislative Assembly, 1953, pp. 823–825. [Public domain in India]
  8. Inspector-General of Police, Andhra Pradesh, The History of the Andhra Pradesh Police (1861-1961) (opens in a new tab), Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, 1961, pp. 249–250. [Public domain in India]
  9. Parliament of India, The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (Act No. 6 of 2014) (opens in a new tab), Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 1 (1 March 2014), 2014, pp. 1–2 (ss. 2–4). [Public domain (Indian enactment; Copyright Act 1957, s. 52(1)(q))]

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