Madakasira is a town with a population 19,432 in 2001 and also a

mandal A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

in Sri Satya Sai district in the state of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is located near the state border with

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. The Madakasira Hill Fort in the town is a centrally protected

monument of national importance This article contains lists of Monuments of National Importance in India. An Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 defines an "Ancient Monument" as follows: A "Monument of National Importance" is designated by the Archaeological Survey o ...

History

According to a mythological tradition mentioned in the medieval ''kaifiyat'' (bureaucratic record), the site of the village was once a hermitage of the sage

Mandavya Mandavya (), also called Aṇi Māṇḍavya, is a sage in Hinduism. He is best known for a legend where he is wrongfully punished by a king by impalement. Legend Impalement According to the Mahabharata, Mandavya was once performing a tapa ...

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

installed a

shivalinga A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional ...

, called ''Rameshvara'', on the local hill after defeating

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He a ...

. A

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...

king later built a

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

temple and tank to the south-west of the present-day town centre, to atone for his sin of killing a

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

. A village called Mandavya-palle developed around the temple. It came to be known as ''Madakasira'', because the majority of the inhabitants were potters who manufactured '' madakas'' (earthen pots). In the 17th century, the area was under the suzerainty of the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...

and the

Bijapur Sultanate The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi, was a Shia,Salma Ahmed Farooqui, ''A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century'', (Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd., 2011), 174. and later Sunni Muslim,Muhammad Qasim Firishta's T ...

. The members of the family that established present-day Madakasira, near the former village of Madakapalle, were apparently chiefs of Sira. After defeating Vijayanagara and capturing Sira, the Bijapur rulers granted Madakapalle and the nearby

Ratnagiri Ratnagiri (IAST:Ratnāgirī ; �ət̪n̪aːɡiɾiː is a port city on the Arabian Sea coast in Ratnagiri District in the southwestern part of Maharashtra, India. The district is a part of Konkan division of Maharashtra. The city is known for ...

to these chiefs. The rulers of Bijapur revoked and restored the grant several times. In the 18th century, the

Madakasira Fort Madakasira Fort, also known as Simhagiri, is a hill fort located in the Madakasira town of Sri Sathya Sai district, in Andhra Pradesh, India. The Government of India has designated it as a Monument of National Importance. History According to t ...

was held by multiple powers, including the

Maratha The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...

noble

Murari Rao Murari Rao Ghorpade (1699-1779), known simply as Murari Rao, was an army general in the Maratha Army from Gooty who administered the fort of Tiruchirappalli and surrounding areas from 1741 to 1743. His administration marks the only period of Marat ...

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...

and

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

, and the

Nizam of Hyderabad The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

. In 1800, the Nizam surrendered the fort to the British. In various historical records, the name of the village appears as "Marke Sira", "Merg Sera", "Marcassira", and "Madaksira".

Geography

Madakasira is located at . It has an average elevation of 676 metres (2221 ft). The height of the Madakasira hill is 2936 feet from the Sea Level.Formerly Madakasira is called as SIMHAGIRI because hill from one side looks like a sleeping lion. Around Madakasira there are numerous isolated Peaks and Rocky Clusters which are devoid of any vegetation. Madakasira town is cooler compared to the climate of elsewhere in Sri Sathya Sai District, hence aptly known as Ooty of Sri Sathya Sai District. There are more than 20 villages in the Madakasira Mandal, they are Halukur, Amidalagondi, Eguva Ramagiri, Maruvapalli, E Achampalli, Kothalam, Chandakacherela, Gowdanahalli, R Anantapuram, Chatram, Mallinayakkanahalli, Cheepuleti, Madakasira, Melavoi, Govindapuram, Jadrahalli, Karesankanahalli, Yerrabommanahalli, Upperlahalli, Haresamudram, Bullasamudram, Manur, Kallumarri, C Kodigapalle and Thirumaladevarahalli. Mandals in this Assembly region are Madakasira, Amarapuram, Rolla, Gudibanda and Agali.

Historical places

Besides the

, there are many historical places in and around Madakasira, including

temples and inscriptions. The hill on which the fort is located has a temple built during the

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () was the capital city of the historic Vijayanagara Empire. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, it spread over a large area and included the modern era Group of Monuments at Hampi site in Vijayanagara district, Bellary ...

rule. The town has recently constructed a large

Shirdi Sai Baba Sai Baba of Shirdi (c. 1838? - died 15 October 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master and fakir, considered to be a saint, revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime. According to a ...

Temple. File:MadakasiraFort-Top-View.jpg, Madakasira Fort File:Madakasira Fort - Large bastion -1.jpg, Madakasira Fort -Large bastion File:Madakasira Fort - Old gateway.jpg, Madakasira Fort - Old gateway

Education

The medium of education is Telugu, Kannada and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University's College of Agricultural Engineering is there in Madakasira town Near Tulasidaama vruddasramam Village, Penukonda Road.

Demographics

Majority of the Madakasira population belongs to Kunchitiga community of Gowdas which is more than 60% of the total population. There are 120

Yadav Yadav refers to a grouping of traditionally non-elite, Quote: "The Yadavs were traditionally a low-to-middle-ranking cluster of pastoral-peasant castes that have become a significant political force in Uttar Pradesh (and other northern state ...

dominated villages in the Madakasira assembly constituency.

Indian census The decennial Census of India has been conducted 16 times, as of 2021. While it has been undertaken every 10 years, beginning in 1872 under British Viceroy Lord Mayo, the first complete census was taken in 1881. Post 1949, it has been conducted by ...

, 2001, the demographic details of Madakasira mandal is as follows:Madakasira mandal at Our Village India.org
/ref> * Total Population: 73,222 in 15,413 Households. * Male Population: 37,344 and Female Population: 35,878 * Children Under 6-years of age: 9,709 (Boys - 4,972 and Girls – 4,739) * Total Literates: 34,125

References

{{reflist Cities and towns in Sri Sathya Sai district Archaeological sites in Andhra Pradesh Mandal headquarters in Sri Sathya Sai district