Arunachal Pradesh
| Andhra Pradesh |
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Andhra Pradesh : Geography Andhra Pradesh can be broadly divided into three regions, namely Coastal Andhra, Telangana and Rayalaseema. Coastal Andhra 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 great Godavari and Krishna rivers 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. 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.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 was called India's Rice Bowl.Andhra Pradesh has 23 local administrative districts. Hyderabad is the capital of the state and also the largest city. Tirupati with the famous Venkateswara temple, is a major pilgrimage center. Other major cities by population include Visakhapatnam, India's fourth largest port, Vijayawada, an important trading center and major railhead, Guntur, the heart of the tobacco industry, and Warangal, capital of the erstwhile Kakatiya dynasty. Other cities include Nellore, Kurnool, Kakinada and Rajahmundry.
Andhra Pradesh History : Sanskrit writings from the 7th century BC describe the Andhra people as Aryans from the north who migrated south of the Vindhya Range and mixed with Dravidians. They are mentioned again at the time of the death of the great Mauryan King Ashoka, in 232 BC. This date has been held to be the beginning of the Andhra historical record. Various dynasties have ruled the area, including the Andhra (or Satavahana), Reddys, Shakas, Ikshvakas, Eastern Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagar, the Qutb Shahis, and the Nizams (princes) of Hyderabad.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 Andhra (or Telugu) were at the forefront of Indian nationalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Notable leaders include 'Andhra Kesari' (Andhra's Lion) Tanguturi Prakasam, 'Andhra Ratna' (Andhra's jewel) Duggirala Gopalakrishnayya and Dr.Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya, the founder of Andhra Bank.India became independent from the United Kingdom in 1947. The Muslim Nizam of Hyderabad wanted to retain his independence from India, but his state was forcibly integrated into India in 1948 as Hyderabad state.Demands for a separate state for Telugu speakers culminated by a 58-day fast-unto-death by Potti Sreeramulu (He was venerated as Amarajeevi - the eternally alive one after his death) led to the formation of Andhra State on October 1, 1953 from the 11 northern districts of Madras state. Kurnool was the first capital of the Andhra state with the high court established at Guntur. Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu was the first chief minister of this state. Andhra Pradesh became the first linguistically-based state in India, which paved the way for the establishment of other linguistic states. On November 1, 1956, in accordance with the recommendations of the State Reorganization Commission Hyderabad state was partitioned along linguistic lines, and nine districts, including the city of Hyderabad, were added to Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad became the new capital of the state. Andhra Pradesh : Tourism 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 the twelve Jyothirlingams 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 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. Andhra Pradesh: Culture Telugu is the state's official language. It is known for its mellifluous nature and has also been called 'Italian of the East'. A Muslim, Urdu-speaking minority lives mostly in Hyderabad. Among the many tribal languages, Banjara, Koyi, and Gondi have the greatest number of speakers.The state has a rich cultural heritage. The great composers of carnatic music Annamacharya, Tyagaraja and many others chose Telugu as their language of composition, thus enriching the language.Nannayya, Tikkana, and Yerrapragada form the trinity who translated the great epic Mahabharatha into Telugu. Modern writers include Sri Sri, Jnanpith Award winners Sri Viswanatha Satyanarayana and Dr. C. Narayana Reddy.Kuchipudi is the state's classical dance form.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), 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.Andhras have shown a strong cultural interest in film for the past 40 years. The state produces about 200 films per year. The state has seen some notable artists in the form of Chittor Nagayya, NT Rama Rao (former chief minister), Akkineni Nageswara Rao (a.k.a. "ANR", Dadasaheb phalke winner), S.V.Ranga Rao, Ghantasala, Dr. K. Viswanath, S P Balasubrahmanyam, Savithri, Jamuna, Sarada, Sowcar Janaki, Suryakantham, Jaggayya, Krishna, Jayasudha and Jayaprada. Yet, while Telugu film is a very talented and profitable industry, it has yet to gain notice in the rest of India.Andhra Pradesh has several museums, including the Salar Jung Museum, which features a varied collection of sculptures, paintings, and religious artifacts, and the Archaeological Museum, which features Buddhist and Hindu sculptures and other antiques; both museums are located in Hyderabad. Festivals
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