Tel: అనంతపురం anantapuraṁ(u)
‘Boundless Ocean’ [Anantapuramu] – City/District, Andhra Pradesh
From Skt: ananta, ‘endless’, ‘infinite’; and pur, ‘town’, ‘city’.
Anantapur was named after a big tank/reservoir called Anantasagara [Skt: sāgara, ‘sea’, ‘ocean’].
The reservoir, originally 8.5 km2, was constructed by Chikka Vedaya, a Minister to Bukka Raya I, a 14thC Vijayanagara king. It was named after Ananthamma, Chikka Vedaya’s wife.
A memorial stone at the tank commemorates the remarkable Musalamma:
“(and) records the heroism of this woman who sacrificed herself to close a breach in the dam. She is still worshipped with animal sacrifice on the day when the waters are released for irrigation” [Storm (2015)].
Anantapur Clock Tower Maheshrig
