CUDDAPAH, a town in lat. 14° 28' 49" N., and long. 78° 51' 47" E. which gives its name to a revenue district of the 'Madras Presidency, lying between lat. 13' 25' and 16° 20' N., and long-. 77° 55' and 79° 40' E.; area, 8367 square miles ; population, 1,351,194. It has the districts of Kurnool and Guntur on the north, and Mysore and North Arcot on the south. The river Pennar enters the district at Tallapodatoor, and, after many windings, passes by Sidhout within nine miles from Cuddapah town, and flows in an easterly coarse to the Bay of Bengal.
There are diamond mines about 7 miles north east of the town of Cuddapah, on both banks of the Penuar. /ron ore is abundant in the bills. Cotton, -wheat, and indigo are the chief crops. This district formed part of the territories of the Bijanagar dynasty. In A.D. 1589 it fell to the armies of the Kutub Shahi dynasty of Golconda, who sacked the city, and broke the idol of the great temple. It was afterwards
under the Adal Shalti rulers of Bijapur, later on ' taken by Hyder Ali about A.D. 1779, and its ruler, Maim Khan, carried captive. In 1800 it was ceded by the Nizam to the British. The chief towns aro Sidhout, Jummul Madagoo, Badwail, Pulgooralupully, Giddalore, and Jungam-raz pillay. In the district are 103,676 Mahomedans and 4973 Christians.
The non-Aryan migratory tribes are the Yanadi, a hill tribe of small stature, determined plunder ers of the shepherd flocks, but are valuable as foresters.
The Yerkala are wholly migratory and pre datory ; steal into houses at night, and wrench the jewels from the ears of the women and children.
The Chenchuwar, a physically flue race of men, but incorrigibly predatory and regardless of human life.
The Sugoli, a wandering, pilfering race, who have a picturesque costume.—Imp.