Kurnool

Kurnool కర్నూలు کرنول Kandanavolu
City
View of Rajvihar Center, one of the busiest centres in Kurnool City
Nickname(s): The Gateway of Rayalaseema
Kurnool Location in Andhra Pradesh
Coordinates: 15°50′N 78°03′E / 15.83°N 78.05°E / 15.83; 78.05Coordinates: 15°50′N 78°03′E / 15.83°N 78.05°E / 15.83; 78.05
Country	India
State	Andhra Pradesh
District	Kurnool
Government
• Type	Municipal corporation
• Body	Kurnool Municipal corporation
Area
• City	65.91 km2 (25.45 sq mi)
Area rank	105
Elevation	274 m (899 ft)
Population (2011)//
• City	430,214
• Rank	106th (India) 5th (Andhra Pradesh)
• Density	6,500/km2 (17,000/sq mi)
• Metro	484,327
Languages
• Official	Telugu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	518001,518002,518003,518004
Vehicle registration	AP 21
Website	Kurnool Municipal Corporation

Kurnool is a city, former princely state and the headquarters of Kurnool district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The city is often referred as The Gateway of Rayalaseema. It was the capital of Andhra State from 1 October 1953 to 31 October 1956. As of 2011^[update]census, it is the fifth most populous city in the state with a population of 460,184.

The name Kurnool is derived from Kandanavolu.

The Ketavaram rock paintings from the Paleolithic era and are (18 kilometres from Kurnool). Also the Jurreru Valley, Katavani Kunta and Yaganti in Kurnool District have some important rock art's and painting's in the vicinity, may be dated from 35,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Little was known about Kurnool town before the 11th century. The earliest knowledge of this settlement dates from the 11th century. It has developed as transit place on the southern banks of the river Tungabhadra. It was ruled by Cholas and later by Kakatiya kings in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Later on it became a jagir (autonomous feudal estate of the country under Jagirdars). Late it came under the influence of Vijayanagar kings and it was during the 16th century that Achyuta Raya built the Kurnool Fort.