Guntakal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Guntakal
Guntakal
State - District(s)	Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur
Coordinates	15.17° N 77.38° E
Area - Elevation	- 432 m
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Population (2001) - Density	117,403 -

Guntakal is a town in Anantapur district in the western part of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It has a population of 117,403 (2001 census).

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Places of Interest
5 Hotels to Stay in Guntakal
6 Budget Lodges
7 References

[edit] History

Guntakal developed as a railway town on the 1283km Great Indian Peninsular Railway line between Bombay(now Mumbai) and Madras(now Chennai). Guntakal Junction is now one of the most important junctions on the South Central Railway. Five main lines radiate out to:-

Pune and Mumbai (NW)
Hyderabad, Guntur-Vijayawada and northern India (NE)
Bangalore (S)
Chennai (SE)
Hubli and Goa (W)

Guntakal is of strategic importance as far as Indian Railways is concerned. It used to house a Metre Gauge (MG - 1000 mm) steam locomotive shed and a diesel locomotive shed. Diesel locomotives from the Guntakal shed (of the ALCO YDM4 class) used to service passenger and freight services all over South Central Railway, covering areas as far as Bangalore, Mangalore and Tirupati. With the subsequent gauge conversion from Metre Gauge to Broad Gauge (1576 mm), Guntakal now hosts a BG Diesel locomotive shed in addition to the MG locomotive shed.

Guntakal has a sizeable railway population and is a self contained, well-planned township having many amenities for the benefit of the railwaymen. Guntakal also acts as a film distribution center in the region. It also has an oil storage depot. Railway tanker wagons tranship petrol and diesel from the nearby refineries to Guntakal. From here the fuel is transhipped to gasoline/fuel stations in the surrounding areas by road tankers.

Being one among the important railway junctions, as well as a railway divisional headquarter, it has drawn people from various states in India resulting in a cosmopolitan culture.

[edit] Geography

Guntakal is located at 15.17° N 77.38° E^[1]. It has an average elevation of 432 metres (1417 feet).

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^GRIndia, Guntakal had a population of 117,403. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Guntakal has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 55%. In Guntakal, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

[edit] Places of Interest

Lord Anjaneya Swamy Temple (referred to as 'Nettikanti' Anjaneya Swami Temple) is located very near to Guntakal Town (about 4kms away from Railway Station, at a place called as 'Kasapuram'). People from remote areas of Andhra Pradesh and South India come for Darshan. The temple is maintained by the Endowments Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh. Not only as a railway station, it also has a relic of the jainese religion. At a distance of 6kms. from Guntakal Konakondla has JAMBUDWEEPACHAKRA known to be sculptured by Jainese priests. In Guntakal, there is a tomb of a great Sufi saint named Mastan Vali, for which many people irrespective of their religion come there and take blessings from one of the greatest saints.

[edit] Hotels to Stay in Guntakal

1. Hotel Ashoka Paradise (Reffered as Best 3 Star Hotel in Guntakal), Mahendra Street, Guntakal 2. Hotel Lepskshi, Main Road, Near Old Bus Stand, Guntakal