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Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 16, p. 31.

KURNOOL DISTRICT 31 CUMBUM, formed by an embankment across the GUNDLAKAMMA river, is the most magnificent instance of this enterprise. Two passes, the Mantralamma, or Dornal, and the Nandikanama, lead across the Nallamalais into the central section of the District, and the Southern Mahratta Railway is carried through the latter. This central section, the Nandyal valley, is for the most part a flat open valley, between qoo and 8oo feet above sea-level and covered with black cotton soil. It is crossed from east to west by the great watershed between the Kistna and Penner river systems; and it is drained to the south by the Kunderu, a tributary of the latter river, and to the north by the Bavanasi and other minor streams which fall into the former. From the east, the Nallamalais run down to meet it, while on the west the Erramalas rise up gradually into a series of flat-topped plateaux. In the dry season the valley presents a most arid appearance, but the Nallamalais on the east of it are always green. It includes the tdluks of Nandikotkūr, Nandyal, Sirvel, and Koilkuntla, and the Native State of Banganapalle. The Kurnool-Cuddapah irrigation canal passes down the centre and commands a large area. Passing westwards over the Erramalas, which from the west present a clear and well-defined scarp gradually diminishing- in height from south to north, the western section of the District, consisting of the two tāluks of Pattikonda and Rāmalla- kota, is reached. This section forms the north-eastern extremity of the Mysore plateau and is drained towards the north by the Hindri, a tributary of the Tungabhadra. The southern portion (except where it opens out into the Bellary black cotton soil plain) is much broken by rocky hills and long ridges of granitoid gneiss, and is covered with thin, poor, gravelly land. Northwards and westwards the country opens out, until near Kurnool it becomes an almost unbroken plain of black cotton soil. The chief rivers of Kurnool are the Tungabhadra and Kistna already mentioned, while several smaller streams drain the three sections referred to above. The chief of those in the eastern section are the Gundlakamma and its tributaries, the Ralla Vāgu, Tigaleru, Kandleru, and Duvvaleru, all rising in the Nallamalais. The Gundlakamma has its source near Gundlabrahmeswaram and enters the plains through the gorge of Cumbum, where it is held up by a dam 57 feet in height to form the Cumbum tank, about 15 square miles in extent. The river carries away the surplus escape of the tank, receives several tributaries, and runs in a north-easterly direction, forming the north- eastern boundary of the District. The Sagileru, also rising in the Nallamalais, flows south and drains the country towards the Penner in Cuddapah District. The chief rivers in the central section of the District are the Kunderu and Bavanāsi. The former rises in the Erramalas, and after receiving its most important tributary, the Galeru