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Andhra Pradesh 1(, ) or '''AP''', the "Rice Bowl of India", is a State in southern 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 fifth largest state in India by area and population. It is the largest and most populous state in South India . The state is crossed by two major rivers, the Godavari and the Krishna . HISTORY See Also: History of Andhra An ns extended their rule over Andhra in 4th century BCE. With the fall of the Mauryan Empire Andhra Satavahana s became independent in 3rd century BCE. After the decline of the Satavahanas in 220 CE, Ikshvaku s, Pallava s, Vishnukundina s, Anandagotrikas and Chola s ruled the Telugu land. Inscriptional evidence of Telugu was found during the rule of Renati Cholas (Kadapa region) in 5th century CE. During this period the Telugu Language , emerged as a popular medium undermining the predominance of Prakrit and Sanskrit . Telugu was made official language during Vishnukundina Kings who ruled from Vinukonda as the capital. Eastern Chalukyas, who were originally Kannadigas ruled for a long period after the decline of Vishnukundina s. Their capital was Vengi. As early as 1st century CE, they were mentioned as being the vassals and chieftains under the Satavahana s and later under Ikshvaku s. The battle of Palnadu resulted in the weakening of Chalukya n power and emergence of the Kakatiya dynasty in the 12th and the 13th centuries CE. The Kakatiya s were at first the feudatories of the Western Chalukya s of Kalyani , ruling over a small territory near Warangal . In 1323 CE, Delhi Sultan Ghiaz-ud-din Tughlaq sent a large army under Ulugh Khan to conquer the Telugu country and capture Warangal . King Prataprudra was taken prisoner. Musunuri Nayaks recaptured Warangal from the Delhi Sultanate and ruled for fifty years. The Vijayanagar Empire , one of the greatest empires in the history of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and India , was founded by Harihara (Hakka) and Bukka, who served as commanders in the army of the Hoysalas or were employed as treasury officers of the Kakatiyas of Warnagal. In 1347 CE, 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. 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. In Colonial India , Northern Circars became part of the British Madras Presidency . Eventually this region emerged as the Coastal Andhra region. Later the Nizam had 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. 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 the Republic of India in 1948 as Hyderabad State . In an effort to gain an independent state, and protect the interests of the Telugu people of Madras State , Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu fasted until death. Public outcry and civil unrest after his death forced the government to announce the formation of a new state for Telegu speakers. Andhra attained statehood in October 1953. On 1 November 1 1956 Andhra State merged with the Telangana region of Hyderabad State to form the state of Andhra Pradesh, which would be mainly Telugu-speaking. Hyderabad, the former capital of the Hyderabad State, was made the capital of the new state Andhra Pradesh. GEOGRAPHY Andhra Pradesh has the second-longest coastline in India of 970 kilometres2 and can be broadly divided into three Unofficial geographic regions, namely Kosta (Coastal Andhra), Uttaraandhra (North Coastal Andhra), Telangana and Rayalaseema . Info about Andhra Pradesh Pattern of Development in India: A Study of Andhra Pradesh 50 years of AP state formation Kosta Kosta occupies the coastal plain between Eastern Ghats ranges, which run the length of the state and the Bay of Bengal. It includes the districts of Nellore , Prakasam , Guntur , Krishna , West Godavari , East Godavari . Uttaraandhra Uttaraandhar also popularly know as Kalingandhra is the Telugu speaking region Of the ancient Kalinga Empire of The time of Ashoka. It includes the districts of Visakhapatnam , Vizianagaram and Srikakulam . Telanagana 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 . It includes the northwestern interior districts of Warangal, Adilabad, Khammam, Mahabubnagar , Nalgonda, Rangareddi, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Medak and the state capital, Hyderabad. Rayalaseema 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 Nallamala hills and from Coastal Andhra by the Eastern Ghats. It includes the districts of Kurnool, Kadapa, formerly known as "Cuddapah", Anantapur and Chittoor. Rivers and hills The state is dotted with hill ranges from the north to the south, running erratically down the middle of the country dividing it into western and eastern or coastal Andhra. These hills form integral geographical entities of Andhra life and history. In the north, there are Simhachalam and Annavaram hills, in the middle country there are the Srisailam hill ranges and in the south are the Tirumalai-Tirupati hills. The Krishna and Godavari rivers together irrigate thousands of square kilometres of land and create the largest perennial cultivable area in the country. Nearly 75% of the state territory, is covered by the basins of three big rivers - Godavari, Krishna and Pennar and their tributaries. In addition, there are 17 short rivers like Sarada, Nagavali, Musi and other streams. The two great perennial rivers of the state, Godavari and Krishna spring from the Western Ghats in Maharashtra and flow eastward and joins the Bay of Bengal. The Godavari enters the state of Andhra Pradesh direct from Maharashtra but the Krishna first goes to Karnataka where it flows for a considerable distance before entering Andhra Pradesh. Besides these two big rivers, there are the Tungabhadra, the Pennar and many other small rivers and rivulets. Pennar originates in the Karnataka plateau. Like all the peninsular rivers and even those which arise in central India, like the Narmada, Sone and Chambal, all these are rain fed rivers as there is no snow below the Himalayas. Andhra Pradesh has considerable topographical variations with dense forest in the north east, flat paddy lands in the coastal plains, several noteworthy beaches along the Bay of Bengal and the stark boulder-strewn region around Hyderabad. Andhra Pradesh leads in the production of Rice ( Paddy ) and is called India's Rice Bowl. ECONOMY Agriculture 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 . There are many multi-state irrigation projects in development, including Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects .34 Information technology 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 . But by a percentage increase of 52.3% every year, the IT exports reached Rs.19,000 million in 2006 - 2007 and ranked fourth in India . The service sector of the state already accounts for 43% of the GSDP and employs 20% of the work force.5 Mineral wealth 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.6 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. ANDHRA'S ANNAPURNA Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is a Masonry Dam built across Krishna River in Nagarjuna Sagar, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the world's tallest masonry dam, at a height of 124 metres and creates a reservoir holding up to 11,472 million cubic metres. ]] It is one of the earliest irrigation and hydro-electric projects in India. The dam provides irrigation water to the Nalgonda District, Prakasam District, Khammam District and Guntur District. The right canal (AKA "Jawahar canal") is 203 km long and irrigates 1.113 million acres (4,500 km&2) of land. The left canal (AKA "Lalbahadur Shastri canal") is 295 km long and irrigates 1.03 million acres (4,200 km&2) of land. The project transformed the economy of above districts. The hydro electric plant has a power generation capacity of 815.6 MW with 8 units(1x110 MW+7x100.8 MW). GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS See Also: Andhra Pradesh Politics List of Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh City]] Andhra Pradesh has a , Upper House and 42 in the Lok Sabha , Lower House.78 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 Tanguturi Prakasam , CM for Andhra state only, Sanjiva Reddy , Kasu Brahmananda Reddy , Marri Chenna Reddy , Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy , N.T. Rama Rao , Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy . 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 US 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 died 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. DIVISIONS ]] Andhra Pradesh can be divided into four governance regions, namely Coastal Andhra, Uttarandhra or North Cosatal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana. [http://www.blonnet.com/2007/05/17/stories/2007051704252100.htm AP Cabinet approves four regional planning boards]. Andhra Pradesh has 23 districts: # Adilabad # Anantapur # Chittoor # Kadapa # East Godavari # Guntur # Hyderabad # Karimnagar # Khammam # Krishna # Kurnool # Mahbubnagar # Medak # Nalgonda # Nellore # Nizamabad # Prakasam # Rangareddi # Srikakulam # Visakhapatnam # Vizianagaram # Warangal # West Godavari IMPORTANT CITIES A list of the most important cities in the state:
TRANSPORT Railways # South Central # South Eastern Airports # Hyderabad # Shamshabad (Expected to start from March 16 , 2008 ) # Vishakapatnam # Vijayawada ( Gannavaram ) # Rajahmundry (Madhurapudi) # Tirupati ( Renigunta ) Government also have plans to start airports in 6 other cities including Nellore , Warangal and Kadapa . Road Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the major public transport corporation owned by government of andhra pradesh connecting all the cities and villages. Apart from this thousands of private operators run buses connecting major cities and towns of the state. Private vehicles like autorickshaws occupy a major share of the local transport in the cities and adjoining villages. DEMOGRAPHICS Telugu is the regional and official language of the state, spoken by 84% of the population. Telugu is the second largest language in India . The major linguistic minority groups in the state include the speakers of Urdu , 8% and Hindi , 2%.http://www.languageinindia.com/april2003/urduinap.html The minority language speakers who constitute less than 1% are the speakers of Kannada , 0.94%, Marathi , 0.84%, Oriya , 0.42%, Gondi , 0.21%, Tamil , 0.30% and Malayalam , 0.1%. The speakers of minority languages who constitute less than 0.09% are the speakers of Gujarati , 0.09%, Savara, 0.09%, Koya , 0.08%, Jatapu, 0.04%, Punjabi , 0.04%, Kolami , 0.03%, Konda , 0.03%, Gadaba, 0.02%, Sindhi , 0.02%, Gorkhali / Nepali, 0.01% and Khond / Kondh, 0.01%. CULTURE ;Music See Also: Music of Andhra Pradesh The state has a rich musical heritage. All three legends of the Carnatic Music Trinity - Thyagaraja , Shyama Sastri and Muthuswami Dixitar were of Telugu descent. Other great composers include Annamacharya, Kshetrayya, and Bhadrachala Ramadasu . Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna is a contemporary legend. ;Literature See Also: 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 Sri Madandhra 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 See Also: Telugu dance Jayapa Senani ( Jayapa Nayudu ) is the first person who wrote about the dances prevalent in Andhra Pradesh ''Ntitya Ratnavali'' (http://www.telugupeople.com/discussion/article.asp?id=111. Both Desi and Margi forms of dances have been included in his Sanskrit treatise 'Nritya Ratnavali'. It contains eight chapters. Folk dance forms like Perani, Prenkhana, Suddha Nartana, Carcari, Rasaka, Danda Rasaka, Shiva Priya, Kanduka Nartana, Bhandika Nrityam, Carana Nrityam, Chindu, Gondali and Kolatam are described. In the first chapter the author deals with discussion of the differences between Marga and desi, tandava and lasya, Natya and nritta. In the 2nd and 3rd chapters he deals with angikabhinaya, caris, Sthanakas and mandalas. In the 4th Chapter Karnas, angaharas and recakas are described. In following chapters he described the local dance forms i.e. desi nritya. In the last chapter he deals with art and practice of 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 classical Dance Forms Of Andhra Pradesh . The various dance forms that existed through the states's history are Chenchu Bhagotham, Kuchipudi , Bhamakalapam , Burrakatha , Veeranatyam , Butta Bommalu , Dappu , Tappeta Gullu , Lambadi , Bonalu, Dhimsa , and Kolattam . ;Movies See Also: Telugu Cinema Andhra Pradesh is the state with the most cinema halls in India, at around 3000. The state also produces about 200 movies a year. It has around 40%( 330 cinema halls out of 930 dts cinema halls in india((http://www.dtsonline.com/digitalcinema/find/index.php)) of all Dolby digital theatres in India. Now it also houses an IMax theatre with a big 3D screen and also 3-5 multiplexes. It is also the largest movie industry in India, producing more movies than any other industry. ;State symbols ]]
;Temples in the state . It is the richest Hindu religious institution and second richest in the world after the Vatican . It records an annual income of about 100 Billion Rupees (2.5 Billion US Dollars), mostly from offerings by the devotees. lit during the night]] The traditional "head tonsuring" has entered the records as the record amount of human hair collected from a single place. This hair is auctioned, bringing several million rupees every year from several countries where manufactures use this hair for a variety of purposes. Yadagiri Gutta : Vemulavada :Notable for the Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Temple complex, a site of pilgrimage for both Hindu (particularly devotees of Vishnu and Shiva) and Muslim worshippers. Built by Chaluka Kings between AD 750 and 975, the complex is named for its presiding deity Sri Raja Rajeswara Swamy, an incarnation of Shiva. It houses several temples dedicated to other deities including Sri Rama, Lakshmana, Lakshmi, Ganapathy, Lord Padmanabha Swamy and Lord Bhimeshwara. The complex also contains a 400 year old mosque. also known as Kanaka Durga . 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 . . 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 : SriKalahasti is one of the Panchabhoota Sthalams signifying the 5 elements, 1) wind (Kalahasti), 2) water (Thiruvanaikaval), 3) fire (Tiruvannamalai), 4) earth (Kanchipuram) and 5) space (Chidambaram) that Siva embodies. . and 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". Pechalakona :It is the place of Penchala Narasimha Swamy Temple. It is located in Rapur mandal of Nellore Dist. of the Vijayanagara Kingdom . temple in the temple town of Palampet, near Warangal . Veerabhadra Temple in the temple town of Lepakshi is a wonderful example of the Vijayanagar architectural style and art. Ujjaini Mahakali Temple : The Temple is located in Secunderabad, Monda Market. The Temple is very famous for its Festival called Bonalu. ;Cultural institutions Andhra Pradesh has many museums, including the Archaeological Museum at , which displays the history of the pre-Independence Madras Presidency in a rehabilitated Dutch bungalow. ;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 originating 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 Andhra is reputedly the spiciest of all Indian cuisine. Even in the state itself there are many variations to the cuisine depending on caste, restrictions, food availability etc. Pickle s and chutneys, called ''pachchadi'' 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 Tomato es, Brinjal s, and Roselle (''gongura'', ). 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 (pesarattu) or Dosa s. Meat , Vegetable s, 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. Lamb, chicken and fish are the most widely used meats in the non-vegetarian dishes. The Biryani s are perhaps the most distinctive and popular of Hyderabadi dishes. 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) {Link without Title} 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 '') MEDIA Andhra Pradesh has several newspapers. Prominent among them are:
TOURISM Andhra Pradesh is the home of many religious pilgrim centres. Tirupati , the abode of Lord Venkateswara , is the richest and most visited Hindu temple in India. Srisailam , the abode of ''Sri Mallikarjuna'', is one of twelve '' Jyothirlingalu '' in India, Amaravati's Siva temple is one of the Pancharamams,and Yadagirigutta, the abode of an avatara of Vishnu, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. The Ramappa temple and Thousand Pillars temple in Warangal are famous for some fine temple carvings. The state has numerous Buddhist centres at Amaravati, Nagarjuna Konda, Bhattiprolu, Ghantasala, Nelakondapalli, Dhulikatta, Bavikonda, Thotlakonda, Shalihundam, Pavuralakonda, Sankaram and Phanigiri. The golden beaches at Visakhapatnam, the one-million-year old limestone caves at Borra, picturesque Araku Valley , hill resorts of Horsley Hills, river Godavari racing through a narrow gorge at ''Papi Kondalu'', waterfalls at Ettipotala, Kuntala and rich bio-diversity at Talakona, 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 List Of People From Andhra Pradesh SEE ALSO NOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
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