Madanapalle is a town and a municipality located in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh state, India - population 1,76,261 (2001 census). Legend has it that the name of the town was originally "Maryaada Raamanna Pattanam ", which has, over time, changed into " Madanapalle".
It is one of the biggest Revenue Divisions in India (it covers almost half of the Chittoor district). It is a fast-growing city at the center of an agricultural region noted for its fruits and vegetables, especially tomatoes. It has a railway station and is the gateway to Horsley Hills, a big hill station and summer resort. It is the birthplace of the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, who founded the nearby Rishi Valley School.
It is also known for its high-quality silks, which are spun into sarees and other types of clothing. Neeruguttu palle is a place in town where silk sarees are available at the production cost. The famous poet Rabindranath Tagore translated "Jana Gana Mana", India's national anthem, from Bengali to English and also set it to music in Madanapalle. Madanapalle is famous for the Besant Theosophical College named after Dr. Annie Besant
Horsley Hills is situated near Madanpalle in Chittoor District at an altitude of 4400 feet (1314 m) above sea level. Mr. W.D. Horsley, a British member of the civil service and the then District Collector of Cuddapah, who found the climate very hot, selected this area as his summer resort on the top of the hills. He constructed two houses, the Kachari Room and the Milk Bungalow and developed it as a summer resort. There are four engineering colleges in Madanapalli and MITS Engineering college is the famous among them all. MITS is located at the foot of the Horsley Hills. World Health Organization's TB Sanatorium situated at about 8 Km is a well known centre for TB research and cure
