Anantapur is a city in Ananthapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The city is one of the 13 municipal corporations in the state and also the headquarters of Anantapur mandal. It lies on NH-7. It was the headquarters of the "Datta Mandalam" (Rayalaseema districts of Andhra Pradesh and Bellary district of Karnataka) in 1799 and Sir Thomas Manro was the first collector for ceded districts.