Nellore City is picturesquely situated on the north bank of Pennar River. It lies in the southern part of the Andhra Pradesh State. It is at a distance of 173-km from Chennai and is the headquarters of the district. It is believed that it derived its name, as paddy is extensively cultivated in and around the other neighbouring areas of Nellore, where 'Nellu' means paddy and 'Ur' means a town.

Nellore was also known as Vikramasimhapuri. Historically, the place is very important. Culturally, Nellore town stands unique among the other towns of Andhra Pradesh as it is supposed to be the place where the greatest of the Telugu poets, Tikkana Somayaji, who translated the Mahabharata into Telugu, lived.

Prime Attractions:

The most important religious and tourist interest in the city include the temples of Talpagiri Ranganathaswami also known as 'Ranganayakulu', 'Mulaathanesvaraswami', 'Venugopalswami' and 'Dharmaraja'.

Ranganatha Temple

It is the most famous temple and the most frequented by tourists. It stands just on the southern bank of the river Pennar. The first entrance to the temple has a Galigopuram which is 29m high having seven gold Kalasams. The most important and attractive aspect in the temple is the Addalamantapam (mirror parlour). It is walled with high-class mirrors arranged at proper angles with an elevated and decorated seat for the Lord in the centre. When the deity is placed on the seat, hundreds of images are reflected and re-reflected presenting a panoramic view.

How to Get There

Air:
The nearest airport is at Chennai.

Rail:
Nellore has a railway station on the Waltair-Chennai broad gauge line.

Road:
Nellore is well connected by road with all the places in the state. Tourists can take buses from any major city to this place. For local transportation taxis, autos and rickshaws are available.