Kurnool
A Tungabhadra city with a fort and a rock garden
A Kurnool tour pairs the 16th-century Konda Reddy Fort and Orvakal Rock Garden with a base for Srisailam, Belum Caves and Yaganti, in Rayalaseema.
Overview
For three years, from 1 October 1953 to 31 October 1956, Kurnool served as the capital of Andhra State. Today it is a Rayalaseema city of about 425,000 people at 274 m above sea level, where the Hundri and Neeva rivers join the Tungabhadra. A Kurnool tour works as a base for the temples and caves of Nandyal district and Mantralayam, and as a short stop of its own for the fort and a rock garden. Winter is the sensible time to go.
The old city's best-known monument is the Konda Reddy Fort, built between 1530 and 1542 under the Vijayanagara ruler Achyuta Deva Raya. Its Konda Reddy Buruju, a two-storey tower, takes its name from a prisoner held there. A local account holds that a passage about 25 km long runs from it to Alampur. Nearby, the Erra Buruju, a red sandstone watchtower, carries carved mythical creatures and religious symbols, and two small temples, Pedda Yellamma and Chinna Yellamma, stand at its base. The city later passed to Nawab Ghulam Rasul Khan, who ruled from 1823 until the British took over in October 1839.
Outside the centre, Orvakal Rock Garden lies about 20 km away and combines igneous rock formations with rock-cut figures, cave temples and walkways. Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary protects the Great Indian Bustard, and the Ketavaram rock paintings and the Kurnool Museum add history. Alampur, in Telangana, is 26 km from the city.
Distances from the city shape most plans. Hyderabad is about 210 km away, Bengaluru about 365 km and Chennai about 487 km. The Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy Airport at Orvakal, about 18 km from the city, has operated since March 2021, and Kurnool City station sits on the Bengaluru to Hyderabad line. National Highways 44, 40 and 340C pass through. Srisailam is about 180 km away, Mahanandi is near 90 km and Ahobilam near 143 km.
Winter temperatures run from roughly 12 C to 31 C, and summer ones from about 26 C to 43 C, with about 840 mm of rain in a year, mostly in August and September. In October, Vijayadashami brings the Banni festival at Devaragattu, in the district, where the main rite takes place at night.
Known for
Vijayanagara fort of 1530 to 1542, with a two-storey tower
Happening soon
Updated Oct 7, 2026Devaragattu Banni Festival (Dussehra)
festivalAn eleven-day Dussehra rite at the Mala Malleswara Swamy shrine in Kurnool district, climaxing on Vijayadashami night with the Bannu Utsavam stick clash.
Quick facts
Winters run from about 12 C to 31 C and summers from about 26 C to 43 C, with about 840 mm of rain a year, mostly in August and September.
Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy Airport at Orvakal, about 18 km (Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is the long-distance option)
Kurnool City (KRNT), in the city
National Highways 44, 40 and 340C pass through; Hyderabad about 210 km, Bengaluru about 365 km, Chennai about 487 km. Drive times (to be supplied).
Make the fort and the Konda Reddy Buruju the first stop, then Orvakal Rock Garden, which is about 20 km out
Treat Kurnool as a base rather than a destination if you are heading to Srisailam, Belum Caves, Yaganti or Mantralayam, and check each distance on a map
Reconfirm flight and train times before travelling, since schedules at Orvakal and on the Bengaluru to Hyderabad line change
Location
Packages that visit Kurnool
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