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Chittoor is a city and district headquarters in Chittoor district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is also the mandal and divisional headquarters of Chittoor mandal and Chittoor revenue division respectively. The city has a population of 189,332.

Etymology

The name Chittoor is believed to have originated from a combination of two words: Chitti and Ooru. In Telugu, Chitti means "small" and Ooru means "town" or "village." Thus, Chittoor translates to "small town" or "small village".

Historical records show that Chittoor, due to its strategic location, developed as a trading hub between Telugu and Tamil regions, leading to the use of both languages in the town.

History

After Indian independence in 1947, Chittoor became a part of the erstwhile Madras State. The modern Chittoor district was formerly North Arcot district, which was established by the British in the 19th century and had Chittoor as its headquarters. On 1 April 1911, the district was split into two - Chittoor district and North Arcot district.

Pre-history

The district abounds in several pre-historic sites. The surface finds discovered are assigned to special stages in the progress of civilization. Paleolithic tools were discovered at Tirupathi, Sitarampeta, Ellampalle, Mekalavandlapalle and Piler. Mesolithic tools were discovered at Chinthaparthi, Moratavandlapalle, Aruvandlapalle and Tirupathi.Remains of Neolithic and ancient tools were unearthed near Bangarupalem. The existence of megalithic culture was revealed by the discovery of graves at Irulabanda, Bapanatham, Valimikipuram (Vayalpadu), Sodum, Velkuru, Nyakaneri and Basinikonda.

Political history

The political history of the district commences with the Mauryas in the 4th century BC. The district of Chittoor was not a homogeneous administrative unit up to 1911. Its component parts were under the control of various principal dynasties at different periods of times, namely,

  • the Mauryas,
  • Satavahanas,
  • Pallavas,
  • Chalukyas of Badami,
  • Rashtrakutas,
  • Cholas,
  • Pandyas,
  • Kakatiyas,
  • Hoysalas,
  • Royal of Vijayanagara,
  • Qutub Shahis,
  • Mughals,
  • Asof Jahis,
  • Marathas,
  • Hyder Ali and
  • Tipu of Mysore, and
  • the British,

besides dynasties such as

  • Banas,
  • Vaidumbas,
  • Nolambas,
  • Western Gangas,
  • Yadavas,
  • Matlis,
  • Andiyaman,
  • Siyaganga rulers,
  • Nawabs of Kadapa and
  • Arcot.

The zamindars of

  • Karvetinagar,
  • Srikalahasthi(Present Tirupati),
  • Punganur(Present Annamayya) and
  • Kangundhi
  • Jerrimadugu

also ruled over this district.

Geography

Chittoor city lies on the banks of Neeva River at the southernmost part of Andhra Pradesh state. It is located on the NH 69 and NH 40 linking major metropolitan cities of Bangalore and Chennai. This district headquarters is 150&nbsp;km from Chennai, 165&nbsp;km from Bangalore.

It is located between the northern latitudes of 37" and 14°8" and between the eastern longitudes 78°33" and 79°55". It is bounded on the east by Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, on the south by Krishnagiri District, Vellore, Tiruvallur, Thirupattur districts of Tamil Nadu, on the west by Kolar district of Karnataka, and on the north by Annamayya district of Andhra Pradesh. In respect of area it takes the eighth place with an area of 15,150 square kilometers which accounts for 5.51 percent of the total area of the state. The general elevation of the mountainous part of the district is 2500 feet above sea level. Chennai & Bangalore cities are located in 150&nbsp;km. and 165&nbsp;km. respectively from Chittoor Town. Vellore is the nearest city and twin city located 30 kms across the border with Tamil Nadu.

Climate

Demographics

Telugu is the official and most widely spoken language. Chittoor has a population of 212,816 and has a sex ratio of 1,002 females per 1,000 males compared to the state average of 992 females, as of 2011 census. The literacy rate of the city is 90.60%. Chittoor was upgraded to municipal corporation in 2011. A large minority of Tamil people also live here.