Happy TravellerWelcome to Kuppam, a beautiful town located in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Known for its granite quarries and factories, Kuppam is also home to the famous Kuppam Green granite variety, which is exported to foreign countries on demand. But there’s more to Kuppam than just its industry. Let’s explore this hidden gem and discover why it should be on every traveler’s bucket list.
Demographics:
As of the 2011 census, Kuppam had a population of 21,963. The town has a sex ratio of 980 females per 1000 males and an average literacy rate of 83.62%, significantly higher than the state average of 67.41%.
Climate:
Kuppam has a tropical climate with much more rainfall in summers than in winters. The average annual temperature is 22.3 °C, and the rainfall here averages 680 mm. The hottest month of the year is May, with an average temperature of 28.0 °C, while December is the coldest month of the year with an average temperature of 18.0 °C.
Languages:
Telugu is the official and most widely spoken language of the place. Tamil is also widely spoken among the natives of this area. People can understand or speak Tamil and Kannada as it is located near to the neighboring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Civic Administration:
The Municipal Administration and Urban Development of the Government of Andhra Pradesh is responsible for planning and execution of programs and civic administration of the town. Kuppam Municipality has 25 Wards.
Industry:
Kuppam is known for its granite quarries and factories. A granite variety, Kuppam Green, is named after the town as this variety is abundantly found in this area and exported to foreign countries on demand. Kuppam has the presence of Hydro Extrusion India Pvt Ltd, a major aluminum extrusions company headquartered in Oslo, Norway, which has now been acquired by Hindalco Industries Ltd.
Transport:
Kuppam is well connected by both roadways (NH42) and railways. Bus services are provided by state corporations APSRTC (Andhra Pradesh), TNSTC (Tamil Nadu), and Karnataka State Transport Corporation (KSRTC). The Chennai Central to K.S.R Bengaluru railway line passes through Kuppam (KPN) and is the only railway station in the route belonging to Andhra Pradesh. Kuppam Railway Station comes under Bangalore Division, South Western Railways (SWR). As Kuppam Railway Station (KPN) is located exactly at the middle of Bangarapet railway junction and Jolarpettai railway junction, it is well connected to Chennai, Vijawada, Coimbatore, Tirupati, Mysuru, Mumbai, Patna, and Bengaluru via train. An exclusive train service is provided for working people between Kuppam and K.S.R Bengaluru that runs from Monday to Saturday. There is an upcoming Kuppam Airport that is very well connected.
Politics:
Kuppam is an assembly constituency (comprising Kuppam, Gudipalle, Shantipuram, Ramakuppam mandals) in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. There are 1,61,872 registered voters in Kuppam constituency as of 1999. N. Chandrababu Naidu (former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh) is the current Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Kuppam.
Education:
Primary and secondary education in Kuppam is offered by various schools which are affiliated to one of the boards of education, such as the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC), Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE). Schools in Kuppam are either government-run or are private (both aided and un-aided by the government). P.E.S. Institute of Medical Sciences and Research was established in 2001 and offers Diploma, Under Graduation, and Post Graduation courses in the field of Medicine. Dravidian University was established in 1997 and offers different Under Graduation, Post Graduation, and Research programs. Kuppam Engineering College was established in 2001 and offers different Under Graduation, Post Graduation, and Research programs related to Engineering, Business Administration, and Technology. Agastya International Foundation has a Campus Creativity Lab located on a 172-acre campus in Kuppam, which houses science and art centers that include an astronomy center and planetarium, center for creative teaching, an innovation hub, a science model-making center, the Ramanujan Math Park, an open-air ecology lab, and many more. The campus receives over 650 children every day and also trains teachers from seven states in India.
Culture:
Sri Tirupati Gangamma Jathara Kuppam is one of the most important and oldest festivals of Kuppam dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Gangamma Devi. It is celebrated annually, over a period of nine days in the month of May. The history of the festival dates back to over a couple of centuries. Local legend has it that Lord Venkateswara was upset with his sister Gangamma for devouring corpses at the burial ground. In order to stop his sister from doing so, the Lord chopped off Gangamma’s cheek, which is believed to have fallen in Kuppam and surrounding areas like Tirupati, Chittoor, Punganur, Vaniyambadi, and Gudiyattam. To mark this event, the annual jatara is celebrated in Kuppam. Peddapuli Gangamma Jatara is one of the important and the oldest festivals of Kuppam dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Peddapuli Gangamma Devi. Aadi Krithika is one of the important and the oldest festivals of Kuppam dedicated to the Tamil Hindu God Subrahmanyaswamy in the month of July or August (Aadi month – Tamil calendar). Other popular festivals in Kuppam are Ugadi, Ram Navami, Eid ul-Fitr, Ganesh Chaturthi, Deepawali, and Christmas.
Notable people from Kuppam:
Notable people from Kuppam include Nara Chandrababu Naidu, V. Nagayya, Adyar K. Lakshman, and B. R. Panthulu.
See also:
List of census towns in Andhra Pradesh
References:
External links:
