Surapura, also called Shorapur, is a city and taluka in Yadgir district in the Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

and a historical place. Surapura was the land of the famous prince of Surapura aasthana,

Raja Venkatappa Nayaka Raja Venkatappa Nayaka IV or Nalvadi lakshya (?–1858), was a prominent final ruler from the Nayak Dynasty of Shorapur (or Surapur) in present-day Yadgiri district of Karnataka state. He refused to accept the suzerainty of the British East ...

, the young rebel freedom fighter against British rule.

Demographics

Shorapur Taluk Zilla Panchayat Map - OLD

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

, Surapura had a population of 43,591. Males constituted 51% of the population and females 49%. Surapura has an average literacy rate of 55%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 65% and female literacy is 46%. In Surapura, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age. Surapura is known for the Shree Venugopala Swami Temple. Even today, all the disciplines offered in the Tirumala Temple at Tirupati were started from the contributions of the then Surapura (Shorapur) kings. They never visit the Tirumala temple, but a representative would be sent on their behalf. From 1703 the bedara (tribal) kingdom rose and ruled it up to 1858, with the last king being Raja Nalvadi Venkatappa Naayaka.

Bonal Bird Sanctuary Bonal Bird Sanctuary sometimes spelled Bohnal Bird Sanctuary () is bird sanctuary and wetland near Bonal village in the Shorapur taluk of Yadgir district in Karnataka state, India. It is the second largest bird sanctuary in the state, after Rang ...

is located about 10 km from Surapura. The major occupation of the people in and around Surapura is farming. Surapura is a large producer of cotton, pulses and paddy. Major attractions are the fort (Durbaar), Taylor Manzil, Gopalswami Temple, Jain Temple and Devar Baavi.

Literature

The town has been vividly described in the autobiography of

Philip Meadows Taylor Colonel Philip Meadows Taylor, (25 September 1808 – 13 May 1876), an administrator in British India and a novelist, made notable contributions to public knowledge of South India. Though largely self-taught, he was a polymath, working alternat ...

The story of my life
and also Jamiya Masjid of Timmapur.

References

''The story of my life'', by M. Taylor. Ed. by his daughter (A.M. Taylor)
Oxford University, 1882.

External links

* Cities and towns in Yadgir district Taluks in Yadgiri district {{Yadgir-geo-stub