Current Time in Anantapur, India

Anantapur stands on the dry Deccan plateau in the western part of Andhra Pradesh, in southern India, close to the border with Karnataka and about halfway along the road between Bangalore and Hyderabad. The surrounding country is open and rocky, with granite outcrops, scattered thorn trees and fields of groundnut stretching to the horizon. This is one of the driest districts in India outside the desert, sheltered from both monsoons, and water has always been the central concern of local life.

The city has a population of around three hundred thousand and is the headquarters of Anantapur district. It is the principal market for groundnut, which is grown here on a vast scale and processed into oil, and it also trades in cotton, silk cocoons, pulses and horticultural produce. In recent years the district has become one of India's leading centres of solar and wind power, taking advantage of its constant sun and open plains, and a large industrial and automobile corridor has developed nearby at Penukonda and Hindupur.

The town is said to have been founded in the fourteenth century under the Vijayanagara empire, when a minister created a large tank called Anantasagaram, the boundless lake, from which the name derives. It later passed to the sultans of Bijapur, to the Marathas, and to Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan of Mysore, before coming under British rule as part of the ceded districts. Colonial administrators built the roads, courts and railway that shaped the modern town, and it became known in the twentieth century for tree-planting and water-harvesting movements that fought the district's chronic drought.

The surroundings hold more of interest than the town itself. Lepakshi, an hour away, is one of the finest temple sites in southern India, with astonishing Vijayanagara murals covering its ceilings, a huge monolithic bull carved from a single boulder, and a famous hanging pillar. Puttaparthi, the ashram town that grew around the spiritual teacher Sathya Sai Baba, lies in the same district and draws visitors from around the world. Closer to the city are the Thimmamma Marrimanu, a banyan tree covering several hectares and among the largest in the world, and the ruined forts and temples of Penukonda, once a Vijayanagara capital.

Local culture blends Telugu and Kannada influences, with Rayalaseema cooking known for its fiery chillies, ragi and spicy mutton dishes. Village festivals, temple fairs and the folk arts of the region continue alongside the modern life of a growing district capital.

The city lies on the main railway and national highway between Bangalore and Hyderabad, and Bangalore's international airport is about three hours away by road. Sri Krishnadevaraya University, engineering and medical colleges, and a well-known rural development institute give the city an educational role in the region.

Anantapur is worth attention as the centre of a resilient, sun-drenched region that combines ancient temple art, remarkable natural landmarks and one of India's most ambitious efforts in renewable energy.