Anantapur offers some vivid
glimpses of the prehistoric past. It is generally held that the place
got its name from 'Anaatasagaram' , a big tank, which means "Endless
Ocean". The villages of Anaantasagaram and Bukkarayasamudram
were constructed by Chilkkavodeya, the minister of Bukka-I, a Vijayanagar
ruler. Some authorities assert that Anaantasagaram was named after
Bukka's queen, while some contend that it must have been known after
Anantarasa Chikkavodeya himself, as Bukka had no queen by that name.
Anantapur is familiarly known as "Hande
Anantapuram" . ' Hande ' means chief of the Vijayanagar period.
Anantapur and a few other places were gifted by the Vijayanagar rulers
to Hanumappa Naidu of the Hande family.
The place subsequently came under the
Qutub Shahis, Mughals, and the Nawabs of Cuddapah, although the Hande
chiefs continued to rule as their subordinates. It was occupied by
the Palergar of Bellary during the time of Ramappa but was eventually
won back by his son, Siddappa. Morari Rao Ghorpade attacked Anantapur
in 1757. Though the army resisted for some time, Siddappa ultimately
bought off the enemy for Rs.50,000.
It then came into the possession of
Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. Tipu hanged all the male members of the
Siddappa family except Siddappa who escaped from his confinement
at Srirangapatnam. After Tipu's death, it was once again taken back
by Siddappa. Siddappa submitted himself to Nizam because of the treaty
of 1799, who took the total control of the area. He was later pensioned
off when British occupied the territory.