Overview
Andhra Pradesh is located on the southeastern coastline of the country and it is the eighth biggest Indian state in terms of land area. Recently in 2014, the state was bifurcated into two parts, one with the name Andhra Pradesh and other with the name Telangana. Hyderabad, which is the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, will function as the capital of Telangana as well for the next 10 years.
Andhra Pradesh consists of two regions; Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra. Rayalaseema includes 4 districts, whereas the Coastal Andhra comprises of 9 districts. Telugu is the regional as well as classical language of Andhra Pradesh. Other languages such as Tamil, Odia, and Kannada are also spoken in the state.
Andhra Pradesh was known as Dakshina Pandit during the vedic times. Its history has been documented and mentioned in Aitareya Brahmana. Andhra was once a political power during the Mauryan times.
Andhra Pradesh has specific sector policies and it has helped in attracting good investment. The state is favorable for pharmaceutical industries due to availability of ports. The Government has now, started investing in the tourism sector heavily.
This state is famous for its spicy hot dishes, but the cuisines vary from one region to another due to topographical diversity. In coastal areas seafood is the main diet. The Hyderabadi Biryani is one of the most popular dishes of Andhra Pradesh. Other dishes are inspired from Mughlai cuisines because of the Nizami influence.
Andhra Pradesh is known for its beautifully carved temples, dynasties, weaves and rich culture. It is famous for its classical dance Kuchipudi. Its origin goes back to the Natya Shastras and it is performed on Carnatic music. The contributions of Annamacharya have made Telugu a preferred language for Carnatic music.
