Location: Anantapur
Top Things to do in Anantapur
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10 Things to Do in Anantapur That You Shouldn't Miss
Anantapur (officially:Anantapuramu) is a city in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Anantapuramu mandal and also the divisional headquarters of Anantapur revenue division. The city is located on National Highway 44. It was also the headquarters of the Datta Mandalam (Rayalaseema districts of Andhra Pradesh and Bellary district of Karnataka) in 1799. It was also a position of strategic importance for the British Indian Army during the Second World War.
Restaurants in Anantapur
1. Lepakshi
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 315 reviews
Lepakshi, in the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh, is easily accessible from Bangalore. The beautiful Veerabhadraswamy Temple and India’s largest monolithic granite Nandi (a bearlike creature) make for a great day-trip option.
Reviewed By drvineet13 - Mumbai, India
I had seen some images of Lepakshi circulating on facebook talking about a hanging pillar and decided to check it out. It was not too far from Bangalore so we planned a day trip and trust me if you're even remotely interested in history and architecture you would love it. It is a grand temple carved out of a mountain of rock and is almost surreal in the way it has multiple carved pillars scattered all over the place. The parikrama is beautiful and gives an awesome view of the temple from different angles but the highlight of the place is the massive NAGALINGAM! There are many other things as well such as a giant carved Ganesha, a footprint of Lord Hanuman and of course the pillar but the massive Nandi at some distance to the temple is worth admiring as well.
2. ISKCON Anantapur Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 24 reviews
Reviewed By JAGDISHJAGDISH - Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Isckon Temple, Anantpur is newly made temple on highway in outskirt of Aanantpur. We visited this temple at evening between rainy atmospheres. There is only one idol in temple and that is of Venketshwara Swami, (Balaji Bhagwan). Photography is not allowed in side temple. A nice Hindu temple which you must visit when you are in Anantpur
3. Thimmamma Marrimanu
Overall Ratings
4 based on 13 reviews
Reviewed By nima8 - Pune, Maharashtra, India
A tree that has survived due to the sacrifice of a lady and because she died with him on his pyre. This is what made the banyan sapling plant near the pyre so scared that it has survived 400 years and spread over 8 acres. Glad to see that the local have pitched in for its conservation. I would have loved to go closer and explore the area but it has been fenced to avoid further damage besides the one caused by a cyclone and also soil erosion because of people plucking the shrubs around it. Spend some peaceful time there.
4. Ravadurg Gooty Fort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By maaz_nawaz - Bangalore
The Gooty fort is around 50 Kms from Anantapur, situated at a height of 300 meters above the sea level in Gooty. The fort was built during the Chalukyan times. Major part of this fort was fortified and strengthened during the Vijayanagara era.
The Fort has been granted the title of ’World Heritage Site’ by UNESCO. The exact construction date of the fort is not known, according to the historical records the earliest inscriptions found in the structure date back to the 7th century. The fort was captured by Mir Jumla and then came under the sway of Qutub Shahi chiefs. In 1773, it was captured by Haider Ali & Tippu Sultan and later fell into the British hands. About 10 Km away from Gooty Fort, archeologists have discovered a stone on which constitution belonging to Ashoka is written.
The Fort was build primarily from Security point of view. No structure inside the fort has any architectural magnitude & has not withstood the ravages of times. The fort is built in the shape of a shell and has 15 inner forts with 15 main doors in an area of approximately 25 acres. The fort of Gooty is an amalgamation of Hindu-Islamic architecture. The fort has numerous temples, including Nageswara Swamy Temple, Lakshminarasimhaswamy Temple and Ramaswamy Temple.
On the top of the fort a small pavilion made in polished lime stone is known as Morari Rao’s seat. It offers a panoramic view of the town below and is believed to be the favorite resort of Maratha ruler Morari Rao. Sitting on the top of the fort & watching the sunset, beautiful landscape & a walk in the evening is probably the best activity to do. It takes approximately thirty minutes to climb the fort but for photography enthusiast it may take little more time to climb the fort as there’s lots of stuff to be photographed.
Gooty Fort is one of the must visit attractions of Anantapur, Visit this place to see its beauty which it offers through its forts & temples. In fact this is the only place where one can see the panoramic view of nearby villages. People visiting Gooty Fort near Anantapur for study tour, picnic or a social event, they will surely discover the unusual blend of culture and natural beauty that makes Gooty so special.
5. Samadhi Shrine
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By akhilchandu
This temple contain father and mother samadhi of god satya baba.very peaceful environment and everything is well maintained in this temple.infront of the temple contain idol ganesh.i spend in this temple 2 hours,because very beautiful atmosphere i have ever seen.i visit again.so everyone go there to see the memories of god satya baba.
6. Mounagiri Hanuman Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By akhilchandu
The temple is located in a peaceful environment out side of the city with any disturbance occurring.it is located 7 km from rapthadu mandal,Bangalore highway road,anantapur city.this temple is nice for everyone.the god hanumam statue is nearly 36 feet,that's why this temple famous in the city.i enjoyed a lo in the temple with my friends.there is no long walk to see the god.food available in this temple.so everyone must visit this temple.
7. Penukonda Fort
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 14 reviews
Reviewed By kumarkvs - Bangalore
When we talk about Vijayanagara Empire, we all remember popular and great king, Sri Krishnadevaraya and the capital city of his kingdom, Hampi. Many people do not know about the second capital and summer capital of Vijayanagara Empire, Penukonda.
Penukonda means “Big Hill” (in Telugu language).A fort was constructed in the middle of the big hills to provide a natural defence system. Penukonda fort was one of the best defences of the Vijayanagar Empire. It was also known as defence capital of Vijayanagara Empire.
Penukonda is situated in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh state. It is just around 70 km from Anantapur and ~ 100 Km from Bengaluru’s outskirts (Devanahalli).
There is a historical connection between Bengaluru and Penukonda. Kempe Gowda, who built Bengaluru, was a feudatory ruler under the Vijayanagara Empire. Kempe Gowda was imprisoned in Penukonda by Vijayanagara emperors for minting his own coins without the emperor's prior approval and for fear of Kempe Gowda’s rise in power.
There is one more historical place, Lepakshi near Penukonda. After little bit of study and search, we planned to cover both Lepakshi and Penukonda. We booked accommodation at APTDC’s Harita Hotel in Lepakshi.
We started around 7:30 AM from Whitefield, Bengaluru and reached Lepkashi by 10:30 AM with half an hour break for breakfast at Pranav Restaurant at Chikkaballapur Junction.The route to Lepakshi is: Bengaluru-Devanahalli-Chikkaballapura-Bagepalli-Lepakshi. It is Bengaluru-Anantapur national highway route (NH-44).After Bagepalli, we need to take left turn and drive for ~ 16 Km to reach Lepakshi.
We saw famous Nandi (biggest in India) in Lepakshi. We had buffet lunch at Harita Hotel and then went to Penukonda. Penukonda is about 35 km from Lepkashi junction on NH-44.
In Penukonda, we have seen ruined fort with grand entrances, Hanuman Temples at fort entrances, Gagan Mahal, Viswanathan temple, Maha Mantri Thimmarasu jail, Basavanna Well, Pasiri Okkiri well, Bhogasamudram(huge and natural drinking water lake/tank).We missed to see Kumbha Karna Statue,Timmarusu Samadhi and other temples. Penukonda is also known as temple city as many temples (~365 as per locals) are there. We recollected Maha Mantri Thimmarasu’s contribution to great Vijayanagara Empire and felt very sad to see the building where has was jailed.
We returned to Lepakshi and stayed there for a night. Next day morning, we leisurely explored architectural features of Veerabhadra temple.
One can plan a day trip from Bengaluru to cover both Lepakshi and Penukonda and can opt for a night stay at Lepkashi to explore these places leisurely.
8. Sri Sathya Sai University
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By VikramandEmily - A P, India
While the campus of the University is down below along the Mainroad of Puttaparthi, the Administrative Building (picture) is above on the hill. A steep walk towards the Museum also leads to this building. The road is opposite the Policestation going up the hill along the ashram wall and also passes the MeditationTree. It is a beautiful little outing to go there.
9. Rayadurg Fort
Overall Ratings
4 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By maaz_nawaz - Bangalore
This magnificent fort is situated on the foothills of the Rayadurg Town. This unique hill fort was constructed by Junga Nayak. A part of this fort wall has disintegrated. There are four caves placed beneath the slope which has small doors of stone with sculptors of Siddhas. The area of the fort comprises of many village temples like Elamma, Narashimhaswamy and Hanuman
10. Madhavaraya Temple
Overall Ratings
4 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By akhilchandu
It was nice temple i have ever seen.the surrounding environment is peaceful and everyone spend some time in that temple because beautiful trees in the surrounding of the temple.this temple is nice for everyone.it is located for away from the city.everyone visit this temple otherwise we miss a lot.
