| Puttaparthi | |
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| Country |  India |
| State | Andhra Pradesh |
| District(s) | Anantapur |
| Population | 9,000 |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 800 m (2,625 ft) |
Coordinates: 14°09′55″N 77°48′42″E / 14.1651671°N 77.811667°E
Puttaparthi (14°9.91′N 77°48.70′E / 14.16517°N 77.81167°E) is a town situated in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, South India. It is also the residence of the notable spiritual teacher Sathya Sai Baba.
The town's main attraction is the Baba's Prasanthi Nilayam ashram, the presence of which has given a huge fill-up to the local economy, in the form of lodges, restaurants and shops which are largely frequented by visitors to Prashanthi Nilayam.
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Transportation
Road
Puttaparthi is well connected by road to Ananthapur (84 km)Hindupur (65), Hyderabad (472 km), and Bangalore (156 km) by State run APSRTC buses. KSRTC buses also ply from Bangalore which is a 3 hours away on road.
To travel on your own from Bangalore, one has to take National Highway 7 till Koduru village on the Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border and then turn right on the Puttaparthi road.
Rail
Puttaparthi has a railway station (Sri Satya Sai Prasanthi Nilayam) which started functioning from 23 November 2000. It is about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the ashram. It is connected to Chennai,Bangalore, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Bubhaneshwar, Mumbai and New Delhi directly. The nearest major railway station is 45 kilometres (28 mi) away at Dharmavaram, where one can board a train to anywhere in India. The Dharmavaram railway station itself is connected to Puttaparthi by APSRTC buses.
Air
Puttaparthi has an airport which is connected to Mumbai and Chennai by Indian Airlines as a stopover for their Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam services. It is located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the ashram and 110 kilometres (68 mi) from the Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli.[1] It is owned by the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust and is spread over 450 acres (1.8 km2) of land, housing a runway that is 2,230 metres long.[2]
The airport's future is currently in doubt as several news sources report a proposed sale for a price of 600 crores.[1]
Other features
Apart from the main Ashram, Puttaparthi has other places of interest like HanumanTemple, a Village Mosque and Sathyabhama Temple.
Other important institutions include Sri Sathya Sai Space Theatre, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences (Super Speciality Hospital) designed by the English architect Dr. Keith Critchlow, Chaitanya Jyothi Museum, Sri Sathya Sai University, Sri Sathya Sai Mirpuri Music College and Sri Sathya Sai Hill View Stadium. The then President of India, A.P.J.Abdul Kalam inaugurated a newly-constructed Indoor Sports stadium - with International standards -in November 2006.
Whilst the main attraction at Puttaparthi is Sathya Sai Baba, visitors can get a good idea of Indian village life by hiring an auto-rickshaw and touring the lake, surrounding villages and by interacting with the villagers.
Useful Telephone Numbers
APSRTC Bus Stand ==> 08555-287210 KSRTC Booking counter ==> 08555-288938
References
- ^ a b Ramanathan, S. Kalyana (2007-10-31). "Sri Sathya Sai Baba's airport up for sale". Business Standard. http://www.business-standard.com/economy/storypage.php?leftnm=lmnu2&subLeft=1&autono=302786&tab=r. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
- ^ Ramanathan, S. Kalyana (2007-10-31). "Sai Baba's airport up for sale". Rediff. http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/oct/31sai.htm. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
External links
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