Water-colour drawing of the south face of Cuddapah Fort with an elephant in the foreground by Thomas Fraser (1776-1823) c.1802. Inscribed on the front in ink is: 'View of the South Face of Cudapah, shewing the Nature & State of what remains of that Ancient Fortress. T. Fraser. Engr.'

Cuddapah is located in Andhra Pradesh state, south Central India, surrounded by the Nallamalai and Palkonda Hills and situated 8km north of the river Pennar. It is said that the name Cuddapah is derived from the Telgu word 'kadapa' meaning gate as the city acts as the gateway from the north to the sacred hill-temple of Sri Venkateswara of Tirupati. From the 11th to 15th centuries the city was part of the Chola empire. The Muslims conquered it in 1565 and the British took control in 1800.

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