Puttaparthi (IAST: Puṭṭaparthy) is a municipality and district headquarters of Sri Sathya Sai district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Puttaparthi mandal of Puttaparthi revenue division. The original name of Puttaparthi was Gollapalli.[2] The town is located on the banks of Chitravathi River which is a tributary of Penna River, and is surrounded by undulating hills.[3] It is widely known for the birthplace and deathplace of the Indian spiritual leader and guru Sathya Sai Baba and his ashram, Prasanthi Nilayam.
Puttaparthi | |
|---|---|
 Prasanthi Nilayam and surrounding areas | |
.svg)  Puttaparthi  Puttaparthi | |
| Coordinates: 14°09′58″N 77°48′40″E / 14.166°N 77.811°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Andhra Pradesh |
| District | Sri Sathya Sai |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipality |
| Elevation | 475 m (1,558 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 56,789(2,011 census) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Telugu |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 515133, 515134 |
| Telephone code | 91-8555 |
| Vehicle registration | AP–02 |
| Website | www |
Etymology
editPuttaparthi means "village of anthills." A local legend says that a cobra snake cursed the village after being hit by a cowherder, which caused the proliferation of anthills in this area.[4]
Demographics
editResiding in the state of Andhra Pradesh, the official language in Puttaparthi is Telugu. Other common languages spoken in Puttaparthi are Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and English. Various national and international languages are understood and spoken due to the presence of national and international devotees.[5]
According to the 2011 India census, Puttaparthi has a "total of 4368 residing families. The Puttaparthi village has population of 15088, of which 7370 are males, while 7718 are females... Puttaparthi village has higher literacy rate compared to Andhra Pradesh. In 2011, the literacy rate of Puttaparthi village was 70.43 % compared to 67.02 % of Andhra Pradesh. In Puttaparthi, male literacy stands at 78.12 % while female literacy rate was 63.20 %."[6]
Geography
editClimate
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The climate is generally hot and dry throughout the year,[5] summer temperatures ranging from 34–42 °C (93–108 °F) and winter 22–27 °C (72–81 °F).[7] The hotter months are from March until July and the milder months are from November until January.[5]
The southwest monsoons play a major role in determining the climate. The northeast monsoons are responsible for about one-third of the total rainfall. Some rainfall may be expected during the months of July and August and again from October to December."[7]
Puttaparthi is 475 meters (1558 feet) above sea level.[8]
Transport
edit
Road
editThe Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) operates bus services from Puttaparthi bus station.[9] People visit Puttaparthi from all over India, and most State transport services also supply buses to Puttaparthi.[citation needed]
Puttaparthi is well connected by road to Anantapur (84 km), Bangalore (154 km), Vijayawada (507 km), Tirupati (227 km), Chennai (529 km) and all parts of Anantapur district.[citation needed]
Rail
edit
Puttaparthi has a railway station named as Sri Sathya Sai Prasanthi Nilayam.[10] The Railway station was inaugurated and became functional on November 23, 2000; Sathya Sai Baba's 74th birthday. It is about 8.6 km to the west of the ashram and 4 kms south of the neighboring village of Kothacheruvu. This station falls under the Bangalore Division of the South Western Railway and lies on the Bangalore–Guntakal railway line. Travel time between the Rail station and Puttaparthi is approximately 15-25 minutes through various modes of transportion; cabs, autorickshaws and APSRTC buses. The town is connected directly by train to Bangalore, Secunderabad, Chennai, Vishakapatnam, Vijayawada, Coimbatore, Mumbai, New Delhi, Bhuvaneshwar and Kolkata.[11] and Sri Sathya Sai Prasanthi Nilayam railway station is the 5th busiest station in Bangalore division of SWR.
Air
editPuttaparthi Airport (IATA: PUT, ICAO: VOPN) is a domestic airport situated outside the village, 1 km from the Sathya Sai Baba Super Specialty Hospital. "It is a small airport with facilities for chartered flights rather than commercial aircraft. The airport was inaugurated on November 24, 1990 to serve the Super Speciality Hospital for emergency situations. The airstrip was constructed by L&T ECC. It was later extended to enable the operation of jet aircraft."[12] It is owned by the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust and is spread over 450 acres (1.8 km2) of land, housing a runway that is 2,230 metres long.[13]
The nearest International airport is the Kempegowda International Airport at Devanahalli, a suburb of Bangalore which is about 119 km from Puttaparthi.[14]
Sports
editSri Sathya Sai International Centre for Sports and Sri Sathya Sai Hill View Stadium are two sporting facilities in Puttaparthi. Hill View Stadium was established in 1985 and is mainly used for cricket with a capacity of 50,000 people. The International Centre for Sports was established in 2006 with indoor facilities for Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis, Squash, Table Tennis, Badminton, Gymnastics and Yoga/Aerobics.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Municipalities, Municipal Corporations & UDAs" (PDF). Directorate of Town and Country Planning. Government of Andhra Pradesh. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ Gollapalli
- ^ "Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam". www.srisathyasai.org.in.
- ^ Srinivas, Smriti (31 January 2008). In the Presence of Sai Baba: Body, City, and Memory in a Global Religious Movement. BRILL. p. 167. ISBN 978-90-474-3300-2.
- ^ a b c "Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam". www.srisathyasai.org.in. Archived from the original on 24 April 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
- ^ "Puttaparthi Population - Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh". www.census2011.co.in. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Prasanthi climate". www.sathyasai.org.
- ^ "World Aero Data: SRI SATHYA SAI -- VOPN". worldaerodata.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Bus Stations in Districts". Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ "Sri Sathya Sai Prasanthinilayam". www.Traintrackers.com. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ "Sri Sathya Sai Prashanti Nilayam/SSPN to Kolkata Howrah/HWH". India Rail Info. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
- ^ "Sri Sathya Sai Airport". www.indiaairport.com. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Ramanathan, S. Kalyana (31 October 2007). "Sai Baba's airport up for sale". Rediff. Retrieved 28 November 2007.
- ^ "Vijayawada Airport Upgraded As International Airport; To Improve Connectivity, Cargo Movement". www.india.com. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
- ^ "Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam". www.srisathyasai.org.in. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
External links
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