Cuddapah Railway Station

Kadapa (also known as Cuddapah) is a city (municipal corporation) in Rayalseema, a region of the south-central part of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the district head quarters of YSR district.

It is located 412 kilometres (256 mi) south of the state capital, Hyderabad and is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of the Penna River. The city is surrounded on three sides by the Nallamala and Palakonda hills. The city is nicknamed "Gadapa" (which means 'Threshold') because it is the gateway from the west to the sacred hills of Tirumala, which is known for its connections to Venkateswara Swamy.

Kishkindakanda, one of the seven kandas of the Ramayanam, is believed to have happened in Vontimitta, Kadapa District. Vontimitta is 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the city. The Anjaneya Swamy temple in Gandi was also believed to be a part of the Ramayanam. It is believed that the statue of Anjaneya Swamy in Gandi was made by Rama on a hill stone with the tip of his arrow to acknowledge his help in finding Sita.

The city's name originated from the Telugu word "Gadapa " meaning threshold or gate. It was spelled "Cuddapah" but was changed to "Kadapa" on 19 August 2005 to reflect the local pronunciation of the name.

Kadapa was a part of the Chola Empire between the 11th and 14th centuries AD. It became part of the Vijayanagar Empire in the latter part of 14th century. The region was under the control of Gandikota Nayaks, governors of the Vijayanagara empire for about two centuries. The most illustrious ruler during this time was Pemmasani Thimma Nayudu (1422 CE) (Pemmasani Nayaks) who developed the region and constructed many tanks and temples here. Muslims of Golkonda conquered the region in 1594 when Mir Jumla II raidedGandikota fort and defeated Chinna Thimma Nayudu by treachery. Later the British took control of Kadapa District in 1800 CE. Although the town is an ancient one, it was probably extended by Neknam Khan, the Qutb Shahi commander, who called the extension "Neknamabad". The name "Neknamabad" was used for the town for some time but slowly fell into disuse and the records of the 18th century refer to the rulers not as Nawabs of Nekanamabad but Nawabsof Kadapa. Except for some years in the beginning, Kadapa District was the seat of the Mayana Nawabs in the 18th century.With the British occupation of the tract in 1800 CE it became the headquarters of one of the four subordinate collectorates under the principal collector Sir Thomas Munro.Monuments from the rule of the Kadapa District Nawabs are still found in the town. Most prominent among these are two towers and the dargahs In 2004, Kadapa was recognized as a municipal corporation

Kadapa is located at 14.47°N 78.82°E.It has an average elevation of 138 metres (452 ft). The District of Kadapa has an area of 8723 m². It is in shape an irregular parallelogram, divided into two nearly equal parts by the range of the Eastern Ghats, which intersects it throughout its entire length. The two tracts thus formed possess totally different features. The first, which constitutes the north, east and south-east of the district, is a low-lying plain; while the other, which comprises the southern and southwestern portion, forms a high table-land from 1500 to 2,500 ft (760 m) above sea-level. The chief river is the Penna, which enters the district from Bellary on the west, and flows eastwards into Nellore. Though a large and broad river, and in the rains containing a great volume of water, in the hot weather months it dwindles down to an inconsiderable stream. Its principal tributaries are the Kundu, Saglair, Cheyair and Papagni rivers.