Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

(In Detail) (More)
Official language	Telugu, Urdu
Capital	Hyderabad
Chief Minister	N Chandrababu Naidu
Governor	Surjit Singh Barnala
Total Area	275,000 km²
Population  - Total (2002)  - Density	66,508,000 241/km²
Independence	State of the Republic of India
Currency	Rupee
Time zone	UTC +5.5
Internet TLD	.IN
Calling Code	91 40

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), Shakas, Ikshvakas, Eastern Chalukyas, Vijayanagar, the Qutb Shahis, and the nizams (princes) of Hyderabad. During the 17th century, the British acquired from the nizams first the coastal area (the province of Madras), and then the inland region of what is now Andhra Pradesh.

Andhras were at the forefront of Indian nationalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their demands for a separate state for Telugu speakers led to the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1953 from parts of Madras and Hyderâbâd states; this led the way for the formation of language-based states throughout India in 1957.

Post 1957

Kurnool was decided to be the capital of the newly formed sate. Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu was the first chief minister. Andhra had a row of Congress govenments till 1982. Kasu Bramhananda Reddy was the longest serving chief minister till 1982. P.V. Narasimha Rao also served as the chief minister for the state, who later went on to become the Prime Minister of India.

1982 saw the birth of the Telugu Desam Party and the rise of NTR as the chief minister of the state. Nathella Bhaskar Rao attempted a hijack when NTR was away to the United States for a medical treatment. After being back, NT Rama Rao successfully convinced the governor for dissolution of Assembly and called for a fresh election. NTR won by a thumping majority. NTR's rule was marred by populist measures, thus making the state bankrupt.

The end of NTR's regime was followed by the rise of Congress with 3 chief ministers ruling over for 5 years. Marri Chenna Reddy, Janardhana Reddy and Kotla VijayaBhaskara Reddy were the chief ministers during the 5 year tenure.

The next Assembly saw NTR becoming the chief minister again, but only to be over taken by his finance minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Chandrababu Naidu has been the Chief Minister of the state since 1995.

Geography

AP now has 25 local administrative districts. Hyderabad is the state capital and largest city. The other main cities are Visakhapatnam (India's fourth largest port), Vijayawada, and Guntur.

Two major rivers flow through the state. They are Godavari and Krishna. Lakhs of hectares of land comes under the irrigation of these rivers.

Politics

Andhra Pradesh has a Legislative Assembly of 295 seats. The state has 60 members in the Indian national parliament: 18 in the Rajya Sabha (upper house) and 42 in the Lok Sabha (lower house).

Current (2003) chief minister of the state is Mr. Nara Chandrababu Naidu.

Districts

Adilabad Anantapur Chittoor Cudappah East Godavari Guntur Hyderabad Karimnagar Khammam Krishna Kurnool Mahbubnagar Medak Nalgonda Nellore Nizamabad Prakasam Rangareddi Srikakulam Visakhapatnam Vizayanagaram Warangal West Godavari

Economy

Agriculture has been the chief source of income for the state's economy. Two important rivers of India Godavari and Krishna flow through the state. Rice, tobacco, cotton, mirchi, and sugar cane are the important crops grown here. The state has also started making some interesting strides in the fields of information technology and biotechnology.

HYDERABAD, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, is the fifth largest cosmopolitan city in India, rich in culture, enduring history and industrial growth. It is unique in being one of the few cities where tradition and technology co-exist. With a dynamic leadership, the state is steering the nation to new dimensions in the fields of Information Technology, Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, Business Management, Construction, etc. - to emerge as a land of immense business opportunities.

Culture

Telugu is the state's official language. A Muslim, Urdu-speaking minority lives mostly in Hyderabad.

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 Jnanpeeth award winners Sri Viswanatha Satyanarayana and Dr. C. Narayana Reddy.

Kuchipudi is the state's classical dance form.

Andhras have been film maniacs for the past 40 years. The state produces about 200 films per year. Thus Telugu film is a big industry in terms of money, but has hardly gained any notice in the rest of India. However, the state has seen some notable artists in the form of 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. Balasubramanyam, Savithri, Jamuna, Sarada, Sowcar Janaki, and Jayaprada.

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.

Education

Andhra Pradesh is also the home of many colleges and universities, including

• Indian School of Business in Hyderabad http://www.isb.edu
• Andhra University in Waltair http://www.vizaginfo.com/others/edu/au.asp
• University of Hyderabad in Hyderabad http://www.uohyd.ernet.in/
• Osmania University in Hyderabad
• Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University in Hyderabad http://www.angrau.net/
• Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad http://www.jntu.ac.in/
• IIIT in Hyderabad
• NTR UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES in Vijayawada http://203.199.178.93
• Nagarjuna University in Guntur http://www.nagarjunauniversity.ac.in
• Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati http://svuni.ap.nic.in/
• Kakatiya University in Warangal http://www.kakatiya.ac.in/
• Dr.B R Ambedkar Open University in Hyderabad http://www.braou.ac.in/
• Sri Krishnadevaraya University in Anantapur http://skuniv.ap.nic.in/

Festivals

• Sankranthi in January.
• Ugadi or the Telugu New Year in March/April.
• Vinayaka Chavithi in August.
• Dasara in October.
• Deepavali in November.

Tourism

It is the home of many sacred places, including Tirupati, Srisailam, and Puttaparthi. The richest temple in the world, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams ("TTD") is located in Tirupati.

Official site of AP Tourism - http://www.aptourism.com

See also

• List of people from Andhra Pradesh

External links

• www.andhrapradesh.com
• List of famous Andhra Pradesh people

Referenced By