SOURCE : Department of Panchayati Raj-ANDHRA PRADESH
Coordinates16.50°N 80.64°ECoordinates: 16.50°N 80.64°E
Country : India
Region : South India:
Nickname(s): Rice Bowl of India , Egg bowl of Asia
Established
1. October 1953; 61 years
ago (first established)
2. November 1956; 58 years
ago (re-organised for 1st time).
3. 2nd June 2014; re-organised
for 2nd time)
Capital
city : Hyderabad – 2024 Amaravati
Largest
city - Visakhapatnam
Government
- Governor - E. S. L. Narasimhan
- Chief Minister - Nara Chandrababu Naidu(TDP)
- Legislature - Bicameral (175 + 58 seats)
- Lok sabha constituencies - 25
Area Total
- 160,205 km2 (61,855 sq mi)
Area
rank – 8th
Population (2011) Total - 49,386,799
Population
Rank – 10th
Density
- 308/km2 (800/sq mi)
Demonym - Andhrite
UN/LOCODE - AP
Vehicle
registration - AP
Coastline - 972 kilometres (604 mi)
Literacy Rate - 67.41%
Website
- AP State Portal
Symbols
of Andhra Pradesh
Song - Maa Telugu
Talliki
Dance - Kuchipudi
Fruit - Maamidi
Kaaya
River - Godavari, Krishna, Pennaand Thungabhadra
Sport - Kabbaddi
Andhra
Pradesh is one of the 29 states
of India, situated on the country's southeastern
coast. The state is the eighth largest
state inIndia covering
an area of 160,205 km2 (61,855 sq mi). As
per 2011 census of India,
the state is tenth largest by population with 49,386,799
inhabitants. In accordance with the Andhra
Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, Hyderabad will remain
the de jure capital of
both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states for a period of time
not exceeding 10 years. The new riverfront Andhra Pradesh Capital City,
also known as Amaravati is
developed by the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) in
between Vijayawada city
and Guntur City.
The state has the second longest coastline of
972 km (604 mi) among all the states of India,
second only to Gujarat. It borders Telangana in the northwest, Chhattisgarh in the
north, Odisha in the northeast, Karnataka in the
west, Tamil Nadu in the south
and the water body of Bay of Bengal in the east.
A small enclave of 30 km2 (12 sq mi) of Yanam, a district ofPunducherry, lies south
of Kakinada in the Godavari delta to the northeast of the state.
There are two regions in the state
namely Coastal Andhra andRayalaseema. These two regions
comprises 13 districts, with 9 in Coastal Andhra and 4 in Rayalaseema. Visakhapatnam is the
largest city and a commercial hub of the state with a GDP of $26 billion
followed byVijayawada with a GDP
of $3 billion. There are a total of 28
cities with a population of one lakh and
above. While, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada are the million
plus cities.
History
The Andhras trace their history to
the vedic age. Andhra was mentioned in the Sanskrit epics such as Aitareya Brahmana (800 BCE). According toAitareya Brahmana of the Rig
veda.
The
roots of the Telugu language have been
seen on inscriptions found near the Guntur district and
from others dating to the rule of Renati Cholas in the fifth century CE.
Early History
Satavahana empire
The Early Satavahanas ruled Andhra. The puranas refer
to Satavahanas as Andhra
Bhrityas. The Purāṇas list 30 Andhra
rulers. Many are known from their coins and inscriptions as well. Satavahanas
made Amaravati as their capital.
Simuka (c.
230–207 BCE) After
becoming independent around 230 BCE,Simuka, the founder of
the dynasty, conquered the present-dayMaharashtra and parts
of Madhya Pradesh (including Malwa). He was succeeded
by his brother Kanha (or
Krishna) (r. 207–189 BCE), who further
extended his state to the present day Andhra Pradesh. Later, Simuka madeSrikakulam his capital.
Satakarni (c. 180–124 BCE)
His successor Sātakarnī I was the sixth ruler of the Satavahana. He is said to
have ruled for 56 years. The Mauryans extended
their rule over Andhra in the fourth century BCE. With the fall of the Maurya
Empire in the third century BCE, the Satavahanas became independent.
After the
decline of the Satavahanas in 220 CE, the Ikshvaku dynasty,Pallavas, Ananda Gotrikas, Rashtrakutas, Vishnukundinas, Eastern Chalukyas, and Cholas ruled the
land
Ikshvakus
Andhra Ikshvakus (Sanskrit इक्ष्वाकु, Telugu ఇక్ష్వాకులు) were one of the earliest recorded
ruling dynasties of the Guntur-Krishna regions of Andhra Pradesh.They ruled the
eastern Andhra country along the Krishna river during the
later half of the second century CE. Puranas called Andhra Ikshvakus Shri
Parvatiya Andhras. Their capital was Vijayapuri (Nagarjunakonda). It is a strong common belief among
some historians that Andhra Ikshvakus were related to the mythological Ikshvakus, while some believe Andhra Ikshvakus
seem to be a local tribe who adopted the title.
Archaeological evidence has suggested that the Andhra Ikshvakus
immediately succeeded the Satavahanas in the Krishna river valley. Ikshvakus have left inscriptions at Nagarjunakonda, Jaggayyapeta, Amaravati and Bhattiprolu.
Pallavas
During
third century AD, there was utter
political and military confusion in the coastal Andhra due to the invasion of
the Abhiras and their allies on the last Ikshvaku remnants and the rise of the
Brihatphalayanas, the Anandagotras and the Salankayanas on the other. Simha
Varma of the Manchikallu stone inscription establishes the independent rule of
the Pallavas in parts of the Krishna valley of Andhra Pradesh.
During the reign of Maharaja Sivaskanda Varma of the Mayidavolu,
Hirahadagalli, the early Pallavas became dominant power in the first quarter of
the fourth century AD Sivaskanda Varma was the first great ruler of the early
Pallavas. He extended his dominions from the Krishna in the north
to the south Pennar in the south and to theBellary district in the West.
He performed the Aswamedha and other Vedic sacrifices.
Most of
the Pallava Prakrit and Sanskrit charters from the southern Andhra country
intimately connects them with the history of southern Andhra. The influence of
the Pallavas was still felt by Andhra till it was swept by the Western
Chalukyan invasion led by Pulakesin II in the first quarter of the seventh
century AD. The Pallavas were not a recognized political power before the 2nd
century AD. Pallavas were originally executive officers under the Satavahana
kings.
Vishnukundins
Since the fall of the Ikshvakus, the
Vishnukundins were the first great dynasty, which held sway way over the entire
Andhra country including Kalinga and parts of Telangana and played an important
and imperial role in the history of Deccan during the fifth and sixth century
AD.
Salankayanas
The Salankayanas were an ancient dynasty that
ruled the Andhra region
between Godavari and Krishna with their capital as Vengi, modern Pedavegi 12 km
from Eluru in West Godavari district of Andhra
Pradesh, India's from 300 to 440
AD. They were Brahmins and their
name is derived from their symbol and gotra name, which
stood for Nandi (the bull ofShiva).
Chola Dynasty
The Chola dynasty ruled
Andhra during the period of 1010–1200. The Chola territories stretched from the
islands of the Maldives in the south to as far north as the banks of the
Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh.
Reddy Dynasty
The Reddy Kingdom (1325–1448
CE) was established in present day coastal Andhra Pradesh by Prolaya Vema
Reddi in the early fourteenth century. The region that was ruled by this
dynasty spanned present day coastal andhra from Vishakapatnam in the north to
Kanchipuram in the south. Prolaya Vema Reddi was part of the confederation of
states that started a movement against the invading Turkic Muslim armies
of the Delhi Sultanate in 1323 CE
and succeeded in repulsing them from Warangal. Today Reddys is a social
group or caste of India, predominantly inhabiting the states ofTelangana and Andhra
Pradesh.
Vijayanagara Empire
The
Vijayanagara Empire was an empire originated South India, in the Deccan Plateau region in the
early fourteenth century. It was established in 1336 by Harihara Raya I and
his brother Bukka Raya I of Sangama Dynasty. The
empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts by the southern powers
to ward off Islamic invasions by the end of
the thirteenth century. It lasted until 1646 although its power declined
after a major military defeat in 1565 to theDeccan sultanates. The empire is
named after its capital city of Vijayanagara,
whose ruins surround present day Hampi, now a World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India. The writings
of medieval European travelers such as Domingo Paes,Fernão Nunes and Niccolò Da Conti, and the literature in local
languages provide crucial information about its history. Archaeological
excavations at Vijayanagara have revealed the empire's power and wealth. The
region of Rayalaseema in the present day Andhra Pradesh got
its name from the rulers of this dynasty whose name generally ended with raya,
meaning raya ruled region (seema).
The
empire's legacy includes many monuments spread over South India, the best known
of which is the group at Hampi. The Vijayanagara emipre's time is considered as the
golden era of South India in many aspects by historian be it prosperity,
welfare, wealth, military might and nurturing of arts. The previous temple
building traditions in South India came together in the Vijayanagara Architecture style. The
mingling of all faiths and vernaculars inspired architectural innovation
of Hindutemple
construction, first in the Deccan and later in the Dravidian idioms using the local granite. Efficient
administration and vigorous overseas trade brought new technologies such as
water management systems for irrigation. The empire's patronage enabled fine
arts and literature to reach new heights in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Sanskrit, while Carnatic music evolved into
its current form. The Vijayanagara Empire created an epoch in South Indian
history that transcended regionalism by promoting Hinduism as a unifying
factor.
Modern history
Inspired by their success, the Vijayanagara Empire, one of the greatest
empires in the history of Andhra Pradesh and India, was founded by Harihara and Bukka, who served as
treasury officers of the Kakatiyas of Warangal. In 1347 CE, an independent
Muslim state, the Bahmani Sultanate, was established in south India by Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah in a revolt against
the Delhi Sultanate. The Qutb Shahi dynasty held sway over the
Andhra country for about two hundred years from the early part of the sixteenth
century to the end of the seventeenth century.
In Colonial India, Northern Circars became part
of the British Madras Presidency. Eventually this
region emerged as theCoastal Andhra region. Later
the Nizam rulers
of Hyderabad ceded five territories to the British which eventually emerged
as Rayalaseema region.
The Nizams retained control of the interior provinces as the princely state of Hyderabad, acknowledging British
rule in return for local autonomy. However, Komaram Bheem,
a tribal leader, started his fight against the erstwhile Asaf Jahi
Dynasty for the liberation of Hyderabad State. Meanwhile,
the French occupied Yanam,
in the Godavari delta, and (save for periods of British control) would hold it
until 1954.In 1947 Vizianagaram was the largest Hindu Princely state in Andhra
Pradesh.
India became independent from the
United Kingdom in 1947. The Nizam wanted to retain the independence of the
Princely Hyderabad State from India, but the people of the region launched a
movement to join the Indian Union. The state of Hyderabad was forcibly joined
to the Republic of India with Operation Polo in 1948.
Post independence
In an effort to
gain an independent state based on linguistic differences and to protect the
interests of the Telugu-speaking people of Madras State, Potti Sreeramulu fasted until death in 1952. As
Madras became a bone of contention, in 1949 a JVP committee report stated
"Andhra Province could be formed provided the Andhras give up their claim
on the city of Madras (now Chennai)". After Potti Sreeramulu's death, the
Telugu-speaking areas, i.e. Andhra State, was carved out
of Madras State on
1 October 1953, with Kurnool as its
capital city.
On
the basis of a gentlemen's agreement of 1 November 1956, the States Reorganisation Act formed Andhra
Pradesh by merging Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking areas of the already
existing Hyderabad State. Hyderabad
was made the capital of the new state. The Marathi-speaking areas of Hyderabad
State merged withBombay State and the
Kannada-speaking areas were merged with Mysore State.
Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act,
2014
In
February 2014, the Andhra Pradesh
Reorganisation Act, 2014 bill was passed by theParliament of India for the
formation of Telangana state comprising ten districts.]Hyderabad will remain
as a joint capital for 10 years for both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The
new state of Telangana came into existence on 2 June 2014 after approval
from the President of India.[51] The formation
of a new state namedTelangana from Andhra Pradesh is
not considered an amendment to the Constitution of India per article 3 and 4 of
that document.
Administrative divisions
Andhra Pradesh is
administratively divided into twenty-three districts,which are further
subdivided into mandals and
municipalities. The largest municipalities are municipal corporations (nagar
nigam) and there are sixteen such municipalities in Andhra Pradesh. Second
in size are regular municipalities or nagar
palika, as of 2001 there were fifty-two nagar palika in Andhra
Pradesh.
Geography
and climate
Geographically, Andhra
Pradesh is composed of most of the eastern half of the Deccan
plateau and the plains to the east of the Eastern
Ghats. Andhra Pradesh is divided into three regions. The northern
part of the plateau is the Telangana region
and the southern part is known as Rayalaseema. These
two regions are separated by the River
Krishna. The third region is Coastal
Andhra.The plains to the east of Eastern Ghats form the Eastern coastal plains. The
Eastern Ghats are discontinuous and individual sections have local names. The
Kadapa Basin formed by two arching branches of the Eastern Ghats is a
mineral-rich area. The coastal plains are for the most part delta regions
formed by the Godavari, Krishna, and Penner
rivers. The Eastern Ghats are a major dividing line in the state's geography.
The Ghats become more pronounced towards the south and extreme north of the
coast. The Eastern Ghat region is home to dense tropical forests, while the
vegetation becomes sparse as the Ghats give way to the Deccan Plateau, where
shrub vegetation is more common. Most of the coastal plains are put to intense
agricultural use. The west and southwest parts of Andhra Pradesh have semi-arid
conditions.It is the Buckingham
Canalwhich connects Andhra Pradesh with Tamilnadu.
Indian Space Research Organisation's Satish Dhawan Space Centre is
located at the Barrier
Island of Sriharikota, in Nellore
district of Andhra Pradesh.
The climate of Andhra
Pradesh varies considerably, depending on the geographical region. Monsoons
play a major role in determining the climate of the state. Summers last from
March to June. In the coastal plain, the summer temperatures are generally
higher than the rest of the state, with temperature ranging between 20 to 41 °C
(68 to 106 °F).
July to September is the
seasons for tropical rains in Andhra Pradesh. The state receives heavy rainfall
from Southwest Monsoon during these months. About one third of the total
rainfall in Andhra Pradesh is brought by the Northeast
Monsoon. October and November see low-pressure systems and tropical
cyclones form in the Bay of Bengal which, along with the Northeast Monsoon,
bring rains to the southern and coastal regions of the state. November,
December, January, and February are the winter months in Andhra Pradesh. Since
the state has a long coastal belt the winters are not very cold. The range of
winter temperature is generally 12 to 30 °C (54 to 86 °F).
Hyderabad is the
capital and, along with the adjoining twin city Secunderabad, is
the largest city in the state.Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh's main seaport, is the second largest city and is home to the Indian
Navy's Eastern Naval Command. Due to its location and proximity to
major rail and road routes, Vijayawada is a
major trading center and is the third largest city of the state, Tirupati is the
fourth largest city of the state, followed by Rajamundry, Guntur, Nellore, Warangal, and Kakinada. Other
important places of the state are Kadapa, Srikakulam, and Kurnool.
Demographics
Population statistics
Telugu is the official language of the state
and is spoken by 83.88% of the population, followed by Urdu (8.63%) and Banjara (8.5%). Other linguistic minority
groups are speakers of Hindi (3.23%) and Tamil (1.01%). Languages spoken in Andhra
Pradesh by less than 1% of the population are Kannada (0.80%), Marathi (0.74%), and Oriya (0.44%). Languages spoken by less
than 0.2% of the population include Malayalam (0.08%), Gujarati (0.06%), Bengali (0.05%), Gorkhali/Nepali (0.03%), Punjabi (0.01%) and Sindhi (0.01%).
The main ethnic group of Andhra Pradesh is the Telugu people, who represent the confluence of
Indo-aryan and Dravidian cultures as the land is a melting pot for millenniums].
Andhra Pradesh ranks tenth compared to all Indian states in
the Human Development Index scoreS with a score of 0.416. The National Council
of Applied Economic Research district analysis in 2001 reveals that Khammam, Krishna, West Godavari, Chittoor, and Medak are the five districts in rural AP
with the highest Human Development Index scores in ascending order.
The data show that the poor make up 16.3% of the total
population in rural AP, and expenditure on consumption is around 13.5% of the
total consumption expenditure. The female literacy rate is 0.66 compared to
male literacy rate in rural AP. The district-wise variations for poverty ratio
are high and low for the ratio of female/male literacy rate. The gender gap in
illiteracy is one of the issues being addressed by the Asmita Resource Centre for Women, an Indian NGO based in Andhra Pradesh that works to better the
socio-economic status of women and communities in India.
Religions
Hinduism is the dominant religion with about nearly 90% of
the population identifying as Hindu.The state is home to Hindu saints of all
castes. An important figure is Saint Yogi Sri Potuluri Virabrahmendra Swami. He was born in the Vishwabrahmin (goldsmith) caste and had Brahmin and Dalit disciples. Fisherman Raghu was a Shudra saint. Saint Kakkayya was a chura (sweeper) Harijan saint.
Several important Hindu modern-day saints are from Andhra
Pradesh. These include Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Sri Sivabala Yogi Maharaj who advocates religious unity
in worship; Swami Sundara Chaitanyanandaji of the Aurobindo Mission; and Brahmarshi Subhash Patri, founder of the pyramid spiritual
societies movement.
Islam in Hyderabad, with historical patronizing by the rulers,
has a strong Sufi influence, with various moments active in the last two
decades. Hyderabad has produced many renowned religious scholars of
representing different Islamic sects and trends, including Abul Ala Maududi,
Turab-ul-Haq Qadri, and Allamah Rasheed Turabi.Telugu Christians are mostly Protestant. Other religions include Buddhism,
Jainism and Sikhism.
Economy
|
Year
|
GSDP
|
State Rank
|
|
2008
|
3,364,813
|
3
|
|
2009
|
4,267,850
|
3
|
|
2010
|
4,904,110
|
3
|
|
2011
|
5,889,630
|
3
|
|
2012
|
6,762,340
|
2
|
Andhra Pradesh's GDP for 2011 was approximately
5,67,636 crore, placing it second among the states. The state
ranks second in terms of overall Gross State Product among all the states of
the Indian Union. In terms of per capita GSDP the state compares very favorably
with other large states. In the 2010 list by, there are seven from Andhra
Pradesh among the top 100 richest Indians.
Agriculture has been the chief source of income for the
state's economy. Andhra Pradesh is an exporter of many agricultural products.
Four important rivers of India, the Godavari, Krishna, Penna, and Thungabhadra flow through the state, providing
irrigation. Rice, sugarcane, cotton, Chili pepper, mango, and tobacco are the local crops.
Recently, crops used for vegetable oil production such as sunflower and peanuts have gained favour. There are many
multi-state irrigation projects in development, including Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects and Nagarjuna Sagar Dam.
The service sector of the state accounts for 43% of the
gross state domestic product (GSDP) and employs 20% of the work force. Andhra
Pradesh economy has registered over 5.5% annual economic growth rate during the
last two decades. The state is ranked fifth industrially developed states in
India.
Andhra Pradesh ranks second in India in terms of mineral
wealth. The state has about one third of India's limestone reserves, estimated at about
30 billion tonnes. The Tumalappalli Uranium mine in Andhra has confirmed
49,000 tonnes of ore and there are indications that it could hold reserves
totalling three times its current size, The Times of India quoted Srikumar Banerjee
as saying. The mine's proven reserve is enough to support a 8,000 mega watts
nuclear power plant for 40 years, the report added. The Krishna Godavari Basin has huge reserves of natural gas and petroleum. The state
has a large amount of coal reserves.The state ranks first nationwide in hydro electricity generation, with a national market share of
over 11%. Andhra Pradesh has the fourth largest power generating utility in the
country, with an installed capacity of around 10,650 MW. The two cheapest
sources of thermal power generation – coal and natural gas – are in abundance.
In 2004–2005, Andhra Pradesh was at the second position in
the list of top information technology exporting states of India. The IT sector is expanding at a
rate of 52.3% every year. The IT exports reached
19,000 crores in 2006–2007, contributed to 14 per cent of
total IT exports of the nation and ranked fourth in India. Other key sectors
include, Biopharmaceuticals, Power, Automobile, Tourism, Textiles, Retail,
Leather, Mining and Religious tourism
Administration
Andhra Pradesh has a Vidhan Sabha (legislative assembly, lower house)
of 294 seats, and a Vidhan Parishad (legislative council, upper house)
of 90 members. 31 members are elected from local bodies, 31 members are elected
from the assembly, eight members are elected from teachers, eight members are
elected from graduates, and 12 members are nominated by the Governor. In the Parliament of India Andhra Pradesh has 18 in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House, and 42 in the Lok Sabha, the Lower House.
Andhra Pradesh had a series of governments headed by Indian
National Congress (INC) Party until 1982.Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao is the founder of Telugu Desam party and served as the
first chief minister from the party. N. Chandrababu Naidu held the record for the longest serving chief minister
(1995 to 2004). P. V. Narasimha Rao served as the chief minister of the state from 1971 to
1973, and went on to become the Prime Minister of India in 1991. The first
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh was Neelam Sanjiva Reddy who later served as President of India. The Congress chief
ministers of the state are Damodaram Sanjivayya, Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, P. V. Narasimha Rao, Jalagam Vengala Rao, Marri Chenna Reddy, Tanguturi Anjaiah, Bhavanam Venkatarami Reddy, Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao, Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Konijeti Rosaiah and N. Kiran Kumar Reddy.
Until 1962, the CPI, along with socialist parties, played
an important role as opposition parties. Parties namely Praja Socialist Party
and Krishi Lok Party played important role in 1950's. In the 1967 state
assembly elections all socialist parties were eliminated and CPI lost opposition
party status. N.G. Ranga's Swatantra Party became the Opposition Party. They
also failed to hold control later and became defunct. In 1978 Jalagam Vengal
Rao and Kasu Brahmananda Reddy formed the Reddy Congress and contested against
INC but lost.
In 1983 the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won the state elections and N.T. Rama Rao (NTR) became the chief minister of
the state for the first time. This broke the long time single party monopoly
enjoyed by the INC from 1956 until 1982. A few months after the election, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao usurped power when NTR was away in the United States for
medical treatment. After coming back, NTR campaigned for a comeback by
demonstrating the support of the majority of the elected MLAs. The governor Thakur Ram Lal was ousted by Indira Gandhi and in his place she appointed Shankar Dayal Sharma. NTR was reinstated as chief minister. Within a month NTR
recommended the dissolution of the assembly and called for fresh elections.
Gandhi was assassinated on 31 October 1984 by her Sikh bodyguard and Rajiv Gandhi was made Prime Minister by
President Giani Zail Singh. In the ensuing elections for Lok
Sabha and the AP Assembly, the Telugu Desam Party won in Andhra Pradesh and NTR
came back to power.
The 1989 elections ended the rule of NTR, with the INC
party returning to power with Marri Chenna Reddy at the helm. He was replaced by Janardhan Reddy in 1990, who was replaced by Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy in 1992. In 1994, Andhra Pradesh gave a mandate to the
Telugu Desam Party again, and NTR became the chief minister again. Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the son-in-law of NTR, usurped power with the backing of
a majority of the MLAs. The Telugu Desam Party won both the assembly and Lok
Sabha election in 1999 under the leadership of Chandrababu Naidu. There was an assassination attempt on Naidu in 2003 in
Tirupathi; he survived the attack. In the ensuing elections the party lost
power to a resurgent INC and its allies. Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy became the Chief Minister.
Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy became the CM again by fending off the Praja Rajyam Party and a major alliance of TDP, TRS, CPI and CPM. He died on
2 September 2009 in a helicopter crash. Konijeti Rosaiah, a senior statesman and former
state finance minister, became the Chief Minister on 3 September 2009. On 24
November 2010, Rosaiah submitted his resignation on the grounds of increased
work pressure. Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy was sworn in as the new Chief Minister on the following
day.
Culture
Bapu's paintings, Nanduri Venkata Subba Rao's Yenki Paatalu (Songs about 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), the banks of river
Godavari, and the Dudu basavanna (the ceremonial ox decorated for
door-to-door exhibition during the harvest festival Sankranthi) have long defined Telugu culture. In
Telangana Region the famous festivals are Bonala Pandaga (Flowers are decorated
in a special big round plates with different types), Savarla pandaga or peerula
pandaga known as Moharram (made with different types of cloths decoration
basically this is Muslims fastival but this is celebrated by Hindus majorly )
The village of Durgi is known for stone craft, producing carvings of idols in soft stone that must be exhibited
in the shade because they are prone to weathering. Kalamkari is an ancient textile art form dating
back to the Indus Valley Civilization. Andhra Pradesh is famous for doll making. Dolls are made
from wood, mud, dry grass, and lightweight metal alloys. Tirupathi is famous for redwood carvings. Kondapalli is famous for mud toys with rich
colors. The village of Etikoppaka, located in Visakhapatnam district, produces lacquered toys. Nirmal paintings are expressive
and are usually painted over a black background. Story telling in Andhra
Pradesh is an art form in itself. Folk dances unique to Andhra Pradesh include Yaksha
ganam, Burra katha (usually done by three people, telling stories
using three different musical instruments), Jangama kathalu, Hari
kathalu, Chekka bajana, Urumula natyam (usually done at
festivals, where a group of people dance in circles with loud music), and Ghata
natyam (performances done with earthen pots over one's head).
Andhra Pradesh has many museums, the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, which features a varied
collection of sculptures, paintings, and religious artifacts, including the
Archaeological Museum at Amaravati near Guntur City that features relics of nearby ancient sites, and the Visakha Museum, in Visakhapatnam, which displays the history of the
pre-Independence and thotla konda which depicts the age old budhist stupa's and
cultural style, Madras Presidency in a rehabilitated Dutch bungalow.
Victoria Jubilee Museum in Vijayawada has a good collection of ancient
sculptures, paintings, idols, weapons, cutlery and inscriptions. Other ancient
sites include dozens of ancient Buddhist stupas in Nagarjunakonda which is now an island in Nagarjuna Sagar, an artificial lake that formed after
the construction of Nagarjuna Sagar Dam. The Island has a large museum that houses many Buddhist
relics.
Just like in other parts of the country, many festivals are
celebrated in Andhra Pradesh, which include Ugadi, Sankranthi, Dasara, Varalakshmi Vratham, Vinayaka Chavithi, Deepavali, Batukamma, Rakhi poornima, Christmas, Sri Rama Navami, Bonalu, Maha Shivaratri, Nagula Chaviti, Holi, Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-zuha, Muharram, Milad-un-Nabi etc.
Cuisine
The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is one of the spiciest of all
Indian cuisines. There are many variations based on
geographical regions, caste and traditions. Rice is the staple food and is used in a wide varieties of
dishes. Typically, rice is boiled and eaten with curry or made into a batter for use in a crepe-like dish called attu (pesarattu is made of a mixture of this
batter and mung beans) or dosas, a crepe filled with black beans or lentils. Pickles and chutneys, locally known as thoku and pachadi
in Telugu, are popular in Andhra Pradesh; many varieties of pickle and chutney
are unique to the state. Chutneys are made from practically every vegetable
including tomatoes, brinjals (eggplant), and roselle (Gongura). Avaakaya (mango
pickle) is probably the best-known of the Andhra Pradesh pickles. "Hyderabadi biryani," one
of the most famous dishes in India, belongs to Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh's
state capital); it is prepared with rice mixed with vegetables, pulses or
chicken, mutton and fish.
Meat, vegetables and greens are prepared with spices (masala) into a variety of strongly flavored dishes such as Hyderabadi
biryani, fish curry, brinjal curry and Gongura pachadi — the most
popular dish of the state. The coastal region is even more well versed with the
varieties in sea food specially known for Chapala Pulusu, Bommidala
pulusu, Koramenu kura. Hyderabadi cuisine is influenced by the
Muslims who arrived in Telangana in the 14th century. Much of it is mainly
prepared of meat. It is rich and aromatic, with a liberal use of exotic spices
and ghee (clarified butter). Lamb, chicken, beef and fish are the
most widely used meats.
Dance
Classical dance in Andhra can be performed by both men and
women; women tend to learn it more often. Kuchipudi is the state's best-known classical
dance form. The dance forms that existed through the state's history
are Bonalu, Dappu, Chenchu Bhagotham, Kuchipudi, Bhamakalapam, Burrakatha, Veeranatyam, Butta bommalu, Tappeta Gullu, Lambadi, Dhimsa, Kolattam, and Chindu. Jaanapadam theenmar is
a popular folk dance.
Jayapa Senani was the first person to write about the
dances prevalent in Andhra Pradesh. Both Desi and Margi forms of dances are
included in his Sanskrit treatise Nrutya Ratnavali.
Literature
Nannayya, Tikkana, and Yerrapragada form the trinity who translated the
great Sanskrit epic Mahabharata into Telugu. Pothana is the poet who composed the
classic SriMad Maha Bhagavatamu, a Telugu translation of Sri
Bhagavatham, authored by Veda Vyasa in Sanskrit. Nannayya (circa 11th century AD), the
earliest known Telugu author, was patronized by the king Rajaraja Narendra who ruled from Rajamahendravaram
(now Rajahmundry), the cultural capital of Andhra
Pradesh. The Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya wrote Amuktamalyada. The Telugu poet Vemana, a native of Kadapa, is notable for his philosophical poems. Telugu literature
after Kandukuri Veeresalingam (1848–1919) is termed modern literature. Known as Gadya
Tikkana, Satyavathi Charitam was the author Telugu-language social novel, Satyavathi
Charitam. Jnanpith Award winners include Sri Viswanatha Satya Narayana and Dr. C. Narayana Reddy. The Andhra Pradesh native and
revolutionary poet Sri Sri brought new forms of
expressionism into Telugu literature.
Other modern writers include Gunturu Seshendra Sarma, the only person nominated from India for a Nobel prize in
literature since Rabindranath Tagore. The West Bengal government conferred on him the title Rashtrendu
("Moon of the Nation"). Telugu University awarded him an honorary
Doctorate in Literature in 1994. He received the Kalidas Samman award from the
Madhya Pradhesh government, and he won the Central Sahitya Akademi fellowship
in 1999. Puttaparthi Narayanacharyulu is one of the scholarly poets of Telugu literature. He
wrote the books Sivatandavam and Panduranga Mahatyam. Other
notable writers from Andhra Pradesh include Srirangam Sreenivasarao, Gurram Jashuva, Chinnaya Suri, Viswanatha Satyanarayana.
Cinema
First film studio of Andhra Pradesh:
1936, Rajahmundry
The Telugu talkie era started with Bakta
Prahalada (1931). Andhra was not yet been identified as a competent area
for cinema shooting so it was being done in places like Kolhapur, Kolkata
Studios. In 1936, Durga CineTone was started in Rajahmundry. It was started by
Nidamarti Soorayya whose father Jaladurga Prasad's name was after it. The first
talkie film was shot in Andra Pradesh. In those days, there were only three
film studios in south India: two in Chennai and Durga Cinetone in Rajahmundry.
In the early 1980s, the Telugu film
industry had largely shifted its base to Hyderabad from Madras. The Telugu film
culture (or, "Tollywood") is the second-largest
film industry in India. Hyderabad houses the Prasads
IMAX
theatre, which was the biggest 3D IMAX screen in the world when it was built in
2007. It is also home to Ramoji
Film City
which is the world's largest integrated film studio complex at over 2,000 acres
(809 ha) of land.The prolific producer from the state, D.
Ramanaidu
holds a Guinness
Record
for the most films produced by a person.
Sports
The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh,
is the governing body which looks after the infrastructure development in Cricket, Field
hockey,
Association Football, Olympic weightlifting, Chess, Water
Sports,
Tennis, Badminton, Table
Tennis,
Cycling etc. Sports like kho
kho,
kabaddi, chinni daandu and
goli (marbles) are played mostly in coastal Andhra and Telangana areas.
One of the most popular sports in
Andhra pradesh is cricket. The Hyderabad Cricket Association nurtures potential
international players. The Hyderabad cricket team has won
the Ranji
Trophy
twice. The Rajiv Gandhi
International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad and ACA-VDCA
Stadium
in Visakhapatnam, regularly host
international matches. The Sunrisers Hyderabad formerly known as
Deccan chargers, an Indian Premier League franchise, is based in Hyderabad and
Visakhapatnam.
Notable cricketers from Andhra Pradesh,
include C.
K. Nayudu,
Maharajkumar of Vizianagram, M. V. Narasimha Rao, Mohammad Azharuddin, M.
S. K. Prasad,
V.V.S.
Laxman,
Tirumalasetti Suman, Arshad
Ayub,
Ambati
Rayudu,
Paul
Valthaty,
Venkatapathy
Raju,
Sravanthi
Naidu,
Yalaka Venugopal Rao etc.
Other accomplished sports-persons
include, A.
Ramana Rao,
Karnam
Malleswari,
Pullela
Gopichand,
Sania
Mirza,
Saina
Nehwal,
Sharath
Kamal,
Chetan Anand (Badminton), Pradeep (Volley Ball), Mukesh Kumar (Hockey), Abdul Najeeb Qureshi, Jwala
Gutta,
Raman Subbarao, Kamineni Eswara Rao, etc. Grandmasters in Chess like, Koneru
Humpy,
Pendyala Harikrishna, Dronavalli
Harika
and Gogineni Rohit hail from the state.
Music
Many composers of Carnatic music like Annamacharya, Tyagaraja, Kshetrayya, and Bhadrachala Ramadas were of Telugu descent. Modern Carnatic music composers
like Ghantasala and Sri M. Balamuralikrishna are also of Telugu descent. The Telugu film industry hosts
many music composers and playback singers such as S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, P.Susheela, S. Janaki, P B Srinivas. Telugus have a large number of folk dances.
Folk songs are popular in the many rural areas of the state. Forms such as the Burra katha and Poli are still performed
today.
SOURCE: Department of Panchayati Raj-ANDHRA PRADESH
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