Wanaparthi

Wanaparthi వనపర్తి Wanaparthy
—  town  —
Palace of the Wanapathy Maharaja
Wanaparthi Location in Andhra Pradesh, India
Coordinates: 16.361°N 78.0627°E / 16.361; 78.0627
Country	India
State	Andhra Pradesh
District	Mahbubnagar
Population (2001)
• Total	50,262
Languages
• Official	Telugu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)

Wanaparthi is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mahbubnagar district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.It covers an area of about 640 sq.miles. For administrative purposes the it is divided into two taluqas namely "Sugur" and "Kesampet".

==History== Wanaparthi was governed by a feudal ruler, Raja Rameshwar Rao II, who was a vassal of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Raja died on November 22, 1922 and his successor, Krishna Dev was a minor so his estate was managed as a Ward of the Court. Krishna Dev himself expired before attaining majority and the crown passed on to his son Rameshwar Rao III. Thereafter India abolished all regal titles.

The early Raja's maintained an army numbering 2000 infantry and 2000 cavalry. In time the kingdom fell into the ambit of the powerful Hyderabad State, until Wanaparthi's armed forces were absorbed into the Hyderabad Army as the Bison battalion on the orders of Nizam of Hyderabad. The ruler was relegated from commander to the honorary post of Inspector of the Bison battalion. Subsequent to the Hyderabad State’s merger with the Indian Union in 1948, all units of the Hyderabad State Forces were disbanded and volunteers absorbed into the Indian Army. These units, colloquially known as the “Hyderabadis” had, for that time, a unique mixed class composition.

Ram Dev Rao was the youngest son of the Raja of Wanaparthy, He had an older sister, Janamma, and elder brother Krishna Dev. Raja Rameshwar Rao used to say that he didn’t have much interaction with his father – it was quite a formal relationship – and he only replied to him when spoken to.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Wanaparthy had a population of 50,262. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Wanaparthy has an average literacy rate of 63%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 71%, and female literacy is 54%. In Wanaparthy, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Wanaparthy poluation is of diverse cultural and religions backgrounds.

Landmarks

The erstwhile King's Palace which stands at the center of the town now hosts the Krishna Devaraya Polytechnic College. Wanaparthy is a university town, being a educational and business center for the regional population.

Amongst its landmarks is the Venkateshwara Swami Temple located in the heart of the city.