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However in [[1953]], Telugu speakers of [[Madras Presidency]] wanted [[Madras]] as the capital of Andhra state including the famous slogan "Madras Manade" (Madras is ours) before [[Tirupati]] was included in AP. [[Madras]] at that time was an indivisible mixture of Tamil and Telugu cultures. It was difficult to determine who should possess it. [[Panagal Raja]], Chief Minister of the Madras Presidancy in the early [[1920]]s said that the [[Cooum River]] should be kept as a boundary, giving the northern portion to the Andhras and the southern portion to the Tamils. In [[1928]], [[Sir C. Sankaran Nair]] sent a report to the Central Council discussing why [[Madras]] does not belong to the Tamils. Although historically and geographically it is a part of the Andhra region, the greater political dominance of the Tamils in 1953 at both Central and State level politics caused [[Madras]] to remain in the Tamil region. According to the JPC report ([[Jawahar Lal Nehru]], [[Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya]], [[C. Rajagopalachari]]) "[[Telugu people]] should leave [[Madras]] for Tamils if they want a new state".
However in [[1953]], Telugu speakers of [[Madras Presidency]] wanted [[Madras]] as the capital of Andhra state including the famous slogan "Madras Manade" (Madras is ours) before [[Tirupati]] was included in AP. [[Madras]] at that time was an indivisible mixture of Tamil and Telugu cultures. It was difficult to determine who should possess it. [[Panagal Raja]], Chief Minister of the Madras Presidancy in the early [[1920]]s said that the [[Cooum River]] should be kept as a boundary, giving the northern portion to the Andhras and the southern portion to the Tamils. In [[1928]], [[Sir C. Sankaran Nair]] sent a report to the Central Council discussing why [[Madras]] does not belong to the Tamils. Although historically and geographically it is a part of the Andhra region, the greater political dominance of the Tamils in 1953 at both Central and State level politics caused [[Madras]] to remain in the Tamil region. According to the JPC report ([[Jawahar Lal Nehru]], [[Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya]], [[C. Rajagopalachari]]) "[[Telugu people]] should leave [[Madras]] for Tamils if they want a new state".
====Creation of Andhra State====
====Creation of Andhra State====
In an effort to unify the [[Telugu people]], Amarajeevi '''[[Potti Sriramulu]]''' attempted to force the Madras government to listen to public demands for the unification of Andhra based on linguistic lines. He went on a lengthy fast, and only stopped when Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] promised to support unification. However, there was no movement on the issue for a long time. He started fasting again for attaining statehood for Andhra in Maharshi Bulusu Sambamurthy’s house in Madras on [[19 October]], [[1952]]. It started off without fanfare but steadily caught people’s imagination despite the disavowal of the fast by the Andhra [[Congress Party|Congress]] committee.
⚫
On the basis of an agitation, on [[Nov]], [[1]], [[1953]], 11 districts in the Telugu-speaking portion of [[Madras State]] voted to become the new state of Andhra State with [[Kurnool]] as the capital.

The government of the day however did not make a clear statement about the formation of a new state despite several strikes and demonstrations by Telugu people. On the midnight of 15th December (i.e. early [[16 December]], [[1952]]), Potti Sreeramulu died and laid down his life trying to achieve his objective.

In his death procession, people shouted slogans praising his sacrifice. When the procession reached Mount Road, thousands of people joined and raised slogans hailing Sriramulu. Later, they went into a frenzy and resorted to destruction of public property. The news spread like wildfire and created an uproar among the people in far off places like [[Vizianagaram]], [[Visakhapatnam]], [[Vijayawada]], [[Eluru]], [[Guntur]], [[Tenali]], [[Ongole]] and [[Nellore]]. Seven people were killed in police firing in [[Anakapalle]] and [[Vijayawada]]. The popular agitation continued for three to four days disrupting normal life in [[Madras]] and [[Andhra]] regions. On [[19]] [[December]] [[1952]], the [[Prime Minister of India|Prime minister]] of the country [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] made an announcement about formation of a separate state for [[Telugu]] speaking people.


⚫
On the basis of an agitation, on [[Nov]], [[1]], [[1953]], 11 districts in the Telugu-speaking portion of [[Madras State]] voted to become the new state of Andhra State with [[Kurnool]] as the capital.

The formation of [[linguistic]] states is the single most important event in the history of [[Dravidian languages|South Indian languages]], as it provided an opportunity for these languages to develop independently, each of them having a state to support.

House no. 126, Royapettah high road, [[Mylapore]], [[Madras]] is the address of the house where [[Potti Sriramulu]] died and it has been preserved as a monument of importance by the state government of Andhra Pradesh.

====Mereger with Telengana====
====Mereger with Telengana====
On [[Nov]], [[1]], [[1956]] in accordance with the recommendations of the State Reorganization Commission, Andhra State merged with the [[Telangana]] region of erstwhile [[Hyderabad State]]to form a united Telugu-speaking state of Andhra Pradesh, the former capital of the [[Hyderabad State]], was made the capital of the new state Andhra Pradesh.
On [[Nov]], [[1]], [[1956]] in accordance with the recommendations of the State Reorganization Commission, Andhra State merged with the [[Telangana]] region of erstwhile [[Hyderabad State]]to form a united Telugu-speaking state of Andhra Pradesh, the former capital of the [[Hyderabad State]], was made the capital of the new state Andhra Pradesh.

Revision as of 06:22, 12 October 2006

Template:India state infobox Andhra Pradesh pronunciationⓘ: (Telugu: ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్, Urdu: آندھرا پردیش, IPA: [/aːnd̪ʰrə prədeːʃ/]), is a state in South India. It lies between 12°41' and 22°N latitude and 77° and 84°40'E longitude, and is bordered by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Orissa in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the East, Tamil Nadu to the south and Karnataka to the west. Andhra Pradesh is the fourth largest state in India by area and fifth largest by population. It is the largest and most populous state in Southern India. It is also considered the rice bowl of India. The state is crossed by two major rivers, the Godavari and Krishna. Andhra means "leader in battle" and Pradesh means "region" or "state".

Prehistory

Andhra is an ancient society of India. There are several references about Andhras in epics like Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, and Buddhist Jataka Tales. They confirm the ancient existence of Andhra society.

Political History

Ancient Ages

During the Mauryan age there is historical evidence of the existence of Andhras as a political power in the southeastern Deccan. Megasthenes, who visited the Court of Chandragupta Maurya (322-297 BC), mentioned that Andhras had 30 fortified towns and an army of a million infantry, 2000 cavalry and 1000 elephants. Buddhist books reveal that Andhras established their kingdoms in the Godavari Valley at that time. Asoka referred in his 13th rock edict (232 BC) that Andhra was under his rule.

File:MaraAssault.JPG
An aniconic representation of Mara's assault on the Buddha, 2nd century CE, Amaravati.

The continuous political and cultural accounts of Andhra Pradesh begins with the fall of the Mauryan Empire. It commences with the rise of the Satavahanas as a political power. According to Matsya Purana there were 29 rulers of this dynasty. They ruled over the Andhra desa for about 456 years from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD.

The fall of the Satavahana empire left Andhra in political chaos. Local rulers carved out small kingdoms for themselves. From 180-624 AD, Ikshvaku, Brihatpalayana, Salankayana, Vishnukundina, Vakataka, Pallava, Ananda Gotrika, Kalinga and others ruled over parts of Andhra with small kingdoms. Most important among these small dynasties were the Ikshvaku. Nagarjuna Konda was their capital and they patronised Buddhism, though they followed the vedic ritualism.

Andhra Identity

Between 624 AD and 1323 AD a significant change came about in social, religious, linguistic and literary spheres of Andhra society. During this period the indigenous Telugu language, emerged as a literary medium subsuming the predominance of Prakrit and Sanskrit. As a result, Andhra achieved an identity and a distinction of its own. This change was brought by the Eastern and Western Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas and the early Cholas.

The Western Chalukyas consisted of two dynasties. The Early Chalukyas ruled from Badami (550-750) and the later Chalukyas from Kalyani (973-1195). Throughout this period and up to the 13th century, Telugu language was written in old Telugu/Kannada script. The emergence of the Telugu script from the old Telugu/Kannada script started around 13th century and culminated in the 19th century.

The Eastern Chalukyas were a branch of the Chalukyas of Badami. Pulakesin II, the renowned ruler of Chalukyas conquered Vengi (near Eluru) in 624 and built the splendid vesara style Navabrahma temples at Alampur and installed his brother Kubja Vishnuvardhana (624-641) as its ruler. His dynasty, known as the Eastern Chalukyas, ruled for nearly four centuries in all. Vishnuvardhana extended his dominions up to Srikakulam in the north and Nellore in the south.

The Eastern Chalukyas occupied a prominent place in the history of Andhra Pradesh. Since the time of Gunaga Vijayaditya in 848, inscriptions show Telugu stanzas, culminating in the production of literary works in the coming centuries. Later in the 11th century, the Mahabharata was translated partly by the court poet Nannaya under the patronage of the then Eastern Chalukya King Rajaraja Narendra.

After a brief period of sovereignty under Gunaga Vijayaditya, the Vengi region again came under the Rashtrakuta rule and later the Kalyani Chalukya rule from the beginning of 10th century to the 11th century, when the Cholas managed to wrest control from the Chalukyas. However by 1118 AD, with the defeat of the Kulottunga Chola at the hands of Vikramaditya VI of the Kalyani Chalukya dynasty and the victory of Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana over the Cholas at Talakad, Vengi once again came under Chalukya rule. The Kalyani Chalukya power itself went into decline after the death of Vikramaditya VI. By the end of the 12th century, their empire was split into several local kingdoms, namely the Hoysalas, Kakatiyas and Yadavas.

Kakatiya Emergence

The 12th and the 13th centuries saw the emergence of the Kakatiyas. They were at first the feudatories of the Western Chalukyas of Kalyani, ruling over a small territory near Warangal. A ruler of this dynasty, Prola II (1110-1158) extended his sway to the south and declared his independence. His successor Rudra (1158-1195) pushed the kingdom to the north up to the Godavari delta. He built a fort at Warangal to serve as a second capital and faced the invasions of the Yadavas of Devagiri. The next ruler Mahadeva extended the kingdom to the coastal area. In 1199 AD Ganapati succeeded him. He was the greatest of the Kakatiyas and the first after the Satavahanas to bring the entire Telugu area under one rule. He put an end to the rule of the Velanati Cholas in 1210 AD.

Kakatiya period

The Kakatiya period was called one of the brightest periods of the Telugu history. The entire Telugu-speaking area was under the kings who spoke Telugu and encouraged Telugu. They established order throughout the strife torn land and the forts built by them played a dominant role in the defence of the realm. Kakatiya art preserved the balance between art and architecture, that is, while valuing art, they laid emphasis on architecture where due. The Kakatiya temples, dedicated mostly to Siva, reveal in their construction a blending of the styles of North India and South India which influenced the political life of the Deccan. Some of their finest art is seen in the 1000 pillared temple in Hanmakonda and Ramappa Temple near Warangal. Their temple architecture essentially used the Chalukya style of architecture.

The Kakatiya empire faced Muslim onslaughts from 1310 and came under the control of Delhi Sultanate in 1323. A brief period of 50 years of independence was enjoyed under Musunuri Nayaks who rebelled and liberated Telugu land from the rule of Delhi. Eventually, at the fall of the Kakatiya empire in 1370, the Vijayanagar empire, considered the last great Hindu empire, swept across the Telugu region and the present day Karnataka. Most parts of present day Andhra Pradesh formed part of this empire (1336 - 1450). The empire reached its peak under king Krishnadevaraya in the early part of 16th century. Telugu literature reached new heights during this time. Fine Vijayanagar monuments were built across South India including Lepakshi, Tirupathi and Sri Kalahasti in Andhra Pradesh.

Mughal Era

In 1323 the Delhi Sultan Ghiaz-ud-din Tughlaq sent a large army under Ulugh Khan to conquer the Telugu country and lay siege to Warangal. The disastrous fall of the Kakatiya capital in 1323 brought the Andhras, for the first time in their history, under the yoke of alien rulers, the Muslims. In 1347, an independent Muslim state, the Bahmani kingdom, was established in south India by Alla-ud-din Hasan Gangu as a revolt against the Delhi Sultanate. By the end of the 15th century, the Bahmani rule was plagued with faction fights and there came into existence the five Shahi kingdoms. Of these, it was the Qutb Shahi dynasty that played a significant and notable role in the history of Telugu land.

The Qutb Shahi dynasty held sway over the Andhra country for about two hundred years from the early part of the 16th century to the end of the 17th century. Sultan Quli Qutb Shah, the founder of the dynasty, served the Bahmanis faithfully and was appointed governor of Telangana in 1496. He declared independence after the death of his patron king, Mahmud Shah, in 1518. Qutb Shahi rulers adopted religious tolerance and local customs to a great extent. They treated Hindus equal with Muslims and maintained cordial relations between the two communities. They encouraged the local language Telugu besides the Deccani Urdu. The socio-cultural life of the people during the rule of the Qutb Shahis was marked by a spirit of broad-mindedness and Catholicism based on sharing and adopting of mutual traditions and customs. The Deccani architecture, is a combination of Persian, Hindu and Pathan styles. Charminar in Hyderabad, is the most remarkable of all the Qutb Shahi monuments.

Aurangazeb, the Mughal emperor, invaded Golconda in 1687 and annexed it to the Mughal empire. He appointed a Nizam (governor) and thus for about a period of 35 years this region was ruled by Mughal Nizams. Aurangazeb died in 1707 and the administrative machinery of the Mughal imperial regime began to crumble and it gradually lost control over the provinces. It enabled two foreign mercantile companies to consolidate themselves as political powers capable of subsequently playing decisive roles in shaping the destiny of the nation. They were the East India Company of England and the Compagnie de Inde Orientale of France.

Colonial Era

During the 17th century, the British acquired the Coastal Andhra region along the Bay of Bengal, then known as the Northern Circars, from the Nizams, which became part of the British Madras Presidency. The Nizams retained control of the interior provinces as the Princely state of Hyderabad, acknowledging British rule in return for local autonomy.

The provinces were at the time governed in a feudal manner, with Zamindars in areas such as Kulla and other parts of the Godavari acting as lords under the Nizam. The feudal or zamindari system was removed after independence.

The Andhras (or Telugu) were at the forefront of Indian nationalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Post-Independence

India became independent from the United Kingdom in 1947. The Muslim Nizam of Hyderabad wanted to retain his independence from India, but his state of Hyderabad was forced to become part of India in 1948 as the Hyderabad state. Andhra Pradesh is the first state in India that has been formed on a purely linguistic basis. When India became independent, the Telugu-speaking people (although Urdu is widely spoken in Hyderabad and disticts of Telangana) were distributed in about 21 districts, 9 of them in the Nizam's Dominions and 12 in the Madras Presidency.

Madras Manade Movement

However in 1953, Telugu speakers of Madras Presidency wanted Madras as the capital of Andhra state including the famous slogan "Madras Manade" (Madras is ours) before Tirupati was included in AP. Madras at that time was an indivisible mixture of Tamil and Telugu cultures. It was difficult to determine who should possess it. Panagal Raja, Chief Minister of the Madras Presidancy in the early 1920s said that the Cooum River should be kept as a boundary, giving the northern portion to the Andhras and the southern portion to the Tamils. In 1928, Sir C. Sankaran Nair sent a report to the Central Council discussing why Madras does not belong to the Tamils. Although historically and geographically it is a part of the Andhra region, the greater political dominance of the Tamils in 1953 at both Central and State level politics caused Madras to remain in the Tamil region. According to the JPC report (Jawahar Lal Nehru, Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya, C. Rajagopalachari) "Telugu people should leave Madras for Tamils if they want a new state".

Creation of Andhra State

In an effort to unify the Telugu people, Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu attempted to force the Madras government to listen to public demands for the unification of Andhra based on linguistic lines. He went on a lengthy fast, and only stopped when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru promised to support unification. However, there was no movement on the issue for a long time. He started fasting again for attaining statehood for Andhra in Maharshi Bulusu Sambamurthy’s house in Madras on 19 October, 1952. It started off without fanfare but steadily caught people’s imagination despite the disavowal of the fast by the Andhra Congress committee.

The government of the day however did not make a clear statement about the formation of a new state despite several strikes and demonstrations by Telugu people. On the midnight of 15th December (i.e. early 16 December, 1952), Potti Sreeramulu died and laid down his life trying to achieve his objective.

In his death procession, people shouted slogans praising his sacrifice. When the procession reached Mount Road, thousands of people joined and raised slogans hailing Sriramulu. Later, they went into a frenzy and resorted to destruction of public property. The news spread like wildfire and created an uproar among the people in far off places like Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Eluru, Guntur, Tenali, Ongole and Nellore. Seven people were killed in police firing in Anakapalle and Vijayawada. The popular agitation continued for three to four days disrupting normal life in Madras and Andhra regions. On 19 December 1952, the Prime minister of the country Jawaharlal Nehru made an announcement about formation of a separate state for Telugu speaking people.


On the basis of an agitation, on Nov, 1, 1953, 11 districts in the Telugu-speaking portion of Madras State voted to become the new state of Andhra State with Kurnool as the capital.

The formation of linguistic states is the single most important event in the history of South Indian languages, as it provided an opportunity for these languages to develop independently, each of them having a state to support.

House no. 126, Royapettah high road, Mylapore, Madras is the address of the house where Potti Sriramulu died and it has been preserved as a monument of importance by the state government of Andhra Pradesh.

Mereger with Telengana

On Nov, 1, 1956 in accordance with the recommendations of the State Reorganization Commission, Andhra State merged with the Telangana region of erstwhile Hyderabad Stateto form a united Telugu-speaking state of Andhra Pradesh, the former capital of the Hyderabad State, was made the capital of the new state Andhra Pradesh.

(See also History of Hyderabad, Timeline of Guntur)

Dynasties

Regions

Andhra Pradesh can be broadly divided into three regions, namely Kosta (Coastal Andhra),Telangana and Rayalaseema.

Kosta

Kosta occupies the coastal plain between Eastern Ghats ranges, which run the length of the state, and the Bay of Bengal.

Telangana lies west of the Ghats on the Deccan plateau. The Godavari River and Krishna River rise in the Western Ghats of Karnataka and Maharashtra and flow east across Telangana to empty into the Bay of Bengal in a combined river delta.

File:Telengana.png
Telanagana

Rayalaseema lies in the southeast of the state on the Deccan plateau, in the basin of the Penner River. It is separated from Telangana by the low Erramala hills, and from Coastal Andhra by the Eastern Ghats.

Rayalaseema

The Krishna and Godavari rivers together irrigate thousands of square kilometres of land, and create the largest perennial cultivable area in the country. Andhra Pradesh leads in the production of rice (paddy) and is called India's Rice Bowl.

Districts

Districts of Andhra Pradesh.

23 districts of Andhra Pradesh

Important Cities

Listed in the Alphabetical order:

  • Guntur City is the heart of tobacco,cotton industries, and is a textile hub, features many ancient sites nearby: S,A,B.
  • Hyderabad is the capital of the State, and with the adjoining twin city of Secunderabad, is the largest City in the state.
  • Vijayawada is an important trading center and a prominent railway junction.
  • Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh's main port, is home to the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command.
  • Warangal is the oldest city in the State with a history of 800 years, it was the capital of the Kakatiya dynasty.

Languages in Andhra Pradesh

Telugu is the regional and official language of the state, spoken by 70% of the population. Urdu is spoken by 25% and Hindi by 2.65%.

The state government has notified the areas where the population of linguistic minority constitutes 15% or more of the local population. 38% of Urdu speaking population in Andhra Pradesh is bilingual in Telugu as well.

(See also Telugu)

(See also Urdu)

Politics

Andhra Pradesh has a Legislative Assembly of 294 seats. The state has 60 members in the Parliament of India : 18 in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and 42 in the Lok Sabha (Lower House).

Andhra Pradesh had a row of Congress governments till 1982. Kasu Brahmananda Reddy held the record for the longest serving chief minister which was broken by Nara Chandrababu Naidu. P.V. Narasimha Rao also served as the chief minister for the state, who later went on to become the Prime Minister of India. Among the notable chief ministers of the state are Neelam Sanjiva Reddy , Kasu Brahmananda Reddy , Marri Chenna Reddy , Kotla VijayaBhaskara Reddy , N.T. Rama Rao and Nara Chandrababu Naidu.

The Beginning of Multi-Party Politics

1982 saw the rise of N.T. Rama Rao (or NTR) as the chief minister of the state for the first time introducing a formidable second political party to Andhra politics and thus breaking the virtually-single party monopoly on Andhra politics. Nadendla Bhaskar Rao attempted a hijack when NTR was away to the United States for a medical treatment. After coming back, NTR successfully convinced the governor to dissolve the Assembly and call for a fresh election. NTR won by a large majority. His government's policies included investment in education and rural development and in holding corrupt government offices accountable.

1989 assembly elections ended the 7-year rule of NTR with the congress being returned to power and Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy at the helm. He was replaced by N. Janardhan Reddy who was in turn replaced by Kotla Vijaya Bhasker Reddy.

In 1994 Assembly saw NTR becoming the chief minister again, but he was soon thrown out of power by his finance minister and son-in-law N Chandrababu Naidu. NTR passed away from a heart attack before the next elections and thus Naidu was able to win a second term before he was defeated by the Congress-led coalition in the May 2004 polls.

Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy of the Indian National Congress (INC) is the current chief minister of the states. Rajasekhara Reddy fought the 2004 Assembly elections in an alliance with a new party called Telangana Rashtra Samithi (or TRS), which hopes to form a separate state called Telangana.

See List of political parties in the state

See also: Andhra Pradesh Politics and List of Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh

Economy

Major road links of Andhra Pradesh

Agriculture has been the chief source of income for the state's economy. Two important rivers of India, the Godavari and Krishna, flow through the state, providing irrigation. Rice, sugarcane, cotton, mirchi, and tobacco are the local crops.

The state has also started to focus on the fields of information technology and biotechnology. In 2004-2005 Andhra Pradesh is at the fifth position in the list of top IT exporting states of India. The IT exports from the State were Rs.1,800 million in 2004. The service sector of the state already accounts for 43% of the GSDP and employs 20% of the work force.

Andhra Pradesh is a mineral rich state, ranking second in India in terms of mineral wealth. For example, the state has about one third of India's limestone reserves, at about 30 billion tonnes.

The state ranks first nationwide in hydro electricity generation with national market share of over 11%.

Andhra Pradesh's gross state domestic product for 2005 is estimated at $62 billion in current prices. This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Andhra Pradesh at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

Year Gross State Domestic Product
1980 81,910
1985 152,660
1990 333,360
1995 798,540
2000 1,401,190

Education

Andhra Pradesh is served by more than 20 leading institutes of excellence in higher education. All major arts, humanities, science, engineering, law, medicine, business and veterinary science are offered, leading to first degrees as well as postgraduate awards. Advanced research is conducted in all major areas.

Andhra Pradesh has 1330 Arts, Science and Commerce colleges, 238 Engineering colleges and 53 Medical colleges. The student to teacher ratio is 19:1 in the higher education. According to census taken in 2001, Andhra Pradesh has an overall literacy rate of 60.5%. While male literacy rate is at 70.3%, the female literacy rate however is only at 50.4%, a cause for concern.

The state has recently made strides in setting up several institutes of high quality. International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) and Indian School of Business (ISB) are gaining international attention for their standards. National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad (NIFT)[1]is well reputed among those interested in a career in fashion.

Major universities/institutes in Andhra Pradesh:

(See also List of institutions based in Hyderabad India)

Culture

Movies

Main article: Tollywood

Andhra Pradesh is the state with maximum number of cinema halls around 2,500[citation needed] movie theaters in India. The state also produces about 200[citation needed] movies a year. It has almost 50%[citation needed] of the dolby digital theatres in india. Now it also houses IMax theatre with a big 3D screen and also 3-5 multiplexes.

Music

Main article: Music of Andhra Pradesh

The state has a rich musical heritage. All three legends of the Carnatic Music Trinity - Thyagaraju, Shyama Sastri and Muthuswami Dixitar - were of Telugu descent. Other great composers include Annamacharya and Bhadrachala Ramadasu. Mangalampalli Bala Murali Krishna is a contemporary legend.

Literature

Main article: Telugu literature

Nannayya, Tikkana, and Yerrapragada form the trinity who translated the great epic Mahabharatha into Telugu. Bammera Potana is another great writer famous for his great classic SriMadandhra Maha Bhagavatamu, a telugu translation of Sri Baghavatham by Veda Vyasa in Sanskrit. Modern writers include Jnanpith Award winners Sri Viswanatha Satyanarayana and Dr. C.Narayana Reddy.

Dance

Classical dance in Andhra can be performed by both men and women, however women tend to learn it more often. Kuchipudi is the state's best-known and widely practiced classical dance forms of Andhra Pradesh. The various dance forms that existed through the states's history are Chenchu Bhagotham, Kuchipudi, Bhamakalpam, Burrakatha, Veeranatyam, Butta bommalu, Dappu, Tappeta Gullu, Lambadi, Bonalu, Dhimsa, and Kolattam.

State Symbols

Temples in the state

Tirupati: Tirupati the abode for the world famous hindu temple of Lord Venkateswara. It is the richest Hindu religious institution and second richest in the world after Vatican. It records an annual income of about 100 Billion Rupees (2.5 Billion US Dollars), mostly from offerings by the devotees. The traditional "head tonsuring" has entered the records as the record amount of human hair collected from a single place. This hair is auctioned, brinning several million rupees every year from several countries where manufactures use this hair for a variety of purposes.

Vijayawada: Vijayawada houses the second biggest and equally famous temple of Goddess Durga also known as Kanaka Durga.

Srisailam: Abode for Lord Siva worshipped with the name of Mallikarjuna and Goddess Parvathi, worshipped with the name of Bhramaramba. Srisailam has a unique distinction amongst the Hindu temples of the world; it is the only place to be one of 18 Shaktipithas and one of 12 Jyothirlingas. Huge hydro-electric multi-purpose dam has also been constructed at this place on river Krishna.

Bhadrachalam: Abode for Lord Rama. The legend goes back a few hundred years. There was a devotee by name Bhakta Ramadas, who was a tax collector in Taneesha(a muslim ruler of Golkonda)'s government. Apparently he spent all the tax collection money on building a temple for lord Rama, eventually was put in prison by the Taneesha. Bhakta Ramdas has offered his prayers to lord Rama in the form of Kirtanas, and one fine day, lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana come in disguise to re-pay the money to Taneesha. Taneesha finally realized his mistake and from that day, not only freed Bhakta Ramadas, but also agreed to supply the required alms for the temple at Bhadrachalam. Till date, in independent India, the state administration maintains the ritual.

Srikalahasti: Adobe for the holy shrine of Lord Siva, worshipped in the name of Kalahastiswara, one of the 12 Jyothirlingas.

Ahobilam: Ahobilam or Ahobala is a complex of 9 temples of Lord Narasimha.

Mangalagiri: A temple town between Vijayawada & Guntur. Adobe of Lord Narasimha. The unique distinction at this shrine is that, the deity is offered payers in the form of 'Panakam' or Jaggery Water.

Annavaram: The holy shrine is the sanctum sanctorum of Lord "Satyadeva" or "Satyanarayana".

Simhachalam:This holy shrine is the adobe of Lord Narasimha, worshipped in the name of "Narasimha".

Srikakulam: There are two places with the same name in the state. A district and town by the same name on the north east corner of the state as well as a small village on the bank of river Krishna in Krishna district. The village Srikakulam houses the "Andhra Mahavishnu" temple. Legend says that this temple was constructed by the great Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Kingdom.

Ramappa Temple: a beautiful Shiva temple in the temple town of Palampet, near Warangal.

Veerabhadra temple in the temple town of Lepakshi is a wonderful example of the Vijayanagar architecural style and art.

Cultural Institutions

Andhra Pradesh has many museums, including the Archaeological Museum at Amaravati near Guntur City that features relics of nearby ancient sites, the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, which features a varied collection of sculptures, paintings, and religious artifacts, and the Visakha Museum in Vizag (Visakhapatnam), which displays the history of the pre-Independence Madras Presidency in a rehabilitated Dutch bungalow.

Newspapers

Andhra Pradesh has several newspapers. Prominent among them are:

Other elements of Culture

Bapu's paintings, Nanduri Subbarao's Yenki Paatalu (Songs on/by a washerwoman called Yenki), mischievous Budugu (a character by Mullapudi), Annamayya's songs, Aavakaaya (a variant of mango pickle in which the kernel of mango is retained), Gongura (a chutney from Roselle plant), Atla taddi (a seasonal festival predominantly for teenage girls), banks of river Godavari, Dudu basavanna (The ceremonial ox decorated for door-to-door exhibition during the harvest festival Sankranti) have long defined Telugu culture. The village of Durgi is known for origninating stone craft, carvings of idols in soft stone that must be exhibited in the shade because they are prone to weathering.

Festivals

Cuisine

The cuisine of coastal Andhra is reputedly the spiciest of all Indian cuisine. Pickles and chutneys, called patchadi in Telugu are particularly popular in Andhra Pradesh and many varieties of pickles and chutneys are unique to the state. Chutneys are made from practically every vegetable including tomatoes, brinjals, and roselle (gongura, otherwise called Andhra maatha, meaning mother dish for the people of Andhra). A mango pickle, aavakaaya, is probably the best known of the Andhra pickles.

Rice is the staple food and is used in a wide variety of ways. Typically, rice is either boiled and eaten with curry, or made into a batter for use in a crepe-like dish called attu or dosas, or rice cakes called idlis.

Meat, vegetables, and greens are prepared with different masalas into a variety of strongly flavoured dishes.

Hyderabadi cuisine is influenced by the Muslim population, which arrived in Telangana centuries ago. Much of the cuisine revolves around meat. It is rich and aromatic, with a liberal use of exotic spices and ghee, not to speak of nuts and dry fruits. Lamb, chicken and fish are the most widely used meats in the non-vegetarian dishes. The biryanis are perhaps the most distinctive and popular of Hyderabadi dishes. Other items like Haleem, Osmania biscuit, Irani Chai are also world famous.

Nellore 'Chepala Pulusu' (Fish in tamarind sauce) is one of the popular dishes among the varieties prepared from fish.

Tourism

The temple town Tirumala lit during the night

Andhra Pradesh is the home of many religious pilgrim centers. Tirupati, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, has the richest and most visited Hindu temple in India. Srisailam, the abode of Sri Mallikarjuna, is one of twelve Jyothirlingalu in India and Yadagirigutta, the abode of an avatara of Vishnu, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. Puttaparthi hosts the ashram of popular guru Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The Ramappa temple at Warangal is famous for some fine temple carvings. The state has numerous Buddhist centers at Amaravati, Bhattiprolu, Nagarjuna Konda, and Phanigiri.

The golden beaches at Visakhapatnam, the one-million-year old limestone caves at Borra, picturesque Araku Valley, hill resorts of Horsley Hills, Godavari racing through a narrow gorge at Papi Kondalu, waterfalls and rich bio-diversity at Talakona, the beaches of Vizag are some of the natural attractions of the state.

Charminar, Golconda Fort, Chandragiri Fort, and Falaknuma Palace are some of the monuments in the state.

(See also Guntur Tourism)

Famous People from Andhra Pradesh

See Telugu people

See also



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