Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh, an Indian state, lies between 12°41' and 22°N latitude and 77° and 84°40'E longitude . It is bounded by Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Orissa in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the east, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the south and Maharashtra in the west. Andhra Pradesh is the fifth largest state in India and it forms the major link between the north and the south of India. It is the biggest and most populous state in the south of India.

History

Sanskrit writings from the 7th century BC describe the Andhra people as Aryans from the north whomigrated 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 Hyderâbâd[?]. 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.

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 chief minister[?] of the state is Mr. Nara Chandrababu Naidu[?].

Districts

Add all the 23 districts

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 stared making some interesting strides in the fields of information technology and biotechnology.

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 monetarily, but hardly gained any notice even 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), Ghantasala, Dr. K. Viswanath, and S. P. Balasubramanyam.

Education

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

• Andhra University in Waltair
• Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University in Hyderabad
• Osmania University in Hyderabad
• ISB[?] in Hyderabad
• IIIT[?] in Hyderabad.

Tourism

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

See also

• List of famous Andhra Pradesh people (http://www.aptoppers.org/)

External link

• http://www.andhrapradesh.com/