Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh (ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశం in Telugu) (Āndhra Prādesh), is a state in south-eastern India and is part of the linguistic-cultural region of South India. It lies between 12°41' and 22°N latitude and 77° and 84°40'E longitude, and is bounded 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 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. It is considered the rice bowl of India. The state is crisscrossed by two major rivers, the Godavari and Krishna. ("Pradesh" means "region" or "state".)

Culture

Telugu (తెలుగు) 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.

Related Topics:
Telugu - Italian of the East - Muslim - Urdu - Hyderabad - Banjara - Koyi - Gondi

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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.

Related Topics:
Carnatic music - Annamacharya - Tyagaraja - Telugu

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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.

Related Topics:
Nannayya - Tikkana - Yerrapragada - Jnanpith Award - Sri Viswanatha Satyanarayana - Dr. C. Narayana Reddy

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Kuchipudi is the state's classical dance form.

Related Topics:
Kuchipudi - Dance

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Andhra has 1,500 movie theaters, the most of any state in India. The state also produces about 200 movies a year.

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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.

Related Topics:
Bapu - Nanduri Subbarao - Mullapudi - Annamayya - Aavakaaya - Godavari - Sankranti

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Andhra Pradesh has many museums, including the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, which features a varied collection of sculptures, paintings, and religious artifacts, and the Visakha Museum in Vizag, which displays the history of the pre-Independence Madras Presidency in a rehabilitated Dutch bungalow.

Related Topics:
Salar Jung Museum - Madras Presidency

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See image on the right for the head nodding ox in ceremonial dressing with a man playing the Sannai or clarinet. The pair go around every doorstep for donations during the Harvest festival- Sankranti. People welcome the ox as a sign of a prosperous year ahead.

Related Topics:
Clarinet - Sankranti

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