Kurnool is a city in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, on the Tungabhadra River. It was the state capital of Andhra State from 1953 to 1956, before the capital was moved to Hyderabad. Today it is a busy commercial and administrative centre, but for most travellers it serves primarily as a base for exploring the surrounding region — which contains some of the most significant natural and religious sites in Andhra Pradesh.
Within the city, the Konda Reddy Fort is the main historical attraction, a Vijayanagara-era fortification overlooking the Tungabhadra that has been partially restored. The Orvakal Rock Gardens on the city's outskirts offer a different kind of interest — dramatic granite boulder formations in the characteristic Deccan landscape.
The Belum Caves, about 100 kilometres south of Kurnool, are among the largest and longest cave systems in the Indian subcontinent, with stalactites, stalagmites, and a chamber known for its resonant stone formations. The Mahanandi temple, set in the Nallamalai hills of the Eastern Ghats, is one of the most sacred Shiva shrines in the region, notable for its natural spring-fed tank. Srisailam, further afield at 180 kilometres, is a Jyotirlinga of national significance set in a forested gorge above the Krishna River. Jwalapuram, near Nandyal, is an important prehistoric site where stone tools have been found dating from before and after the Toba supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago.