Telangana

Telangana State Information

Capital - Hyderabad

District -10

Languages - Telugu, Urdu and Hindi

Introduction to Telangana:

In 2014 Telangana became the 29th state of India. There was a lot of turmoil in the state of Andhra Pradesh for a very long time, and it was led by K Chandrashekhar Rao, who wanted a separate statehood for Telangana since 2001. It took nearly 50 years for Telangana to get freedom and the struggle was referred to as the Telangana Movement. This marked both as a beginning as well an end. It is the end of a prolonged struggle which lasted over six decades and it was also the beginning of a process of creating a new identity for them.

Geography of Telangana:

Telangana has an area of 1,14,800 square kilometres and it is drained by two major rivers, Krishna and Godavari. The river Godavari flows on the north, whereas Krishna flows in the south. Apart from these rivers, there are other small rivers such as Bhima, Dindi, Manjeera, Manair, Kinnerasani, Moosi etc, which also flow through Telangana. 45% of the forest area of Andhra Pradesh is in the state of Telangana. It also has a vast coal deposit and around 20% of India's coal deposit lies in Telangana. The coal produced from this region is supplied to the states in south India.

Brief History of Telangana:

Telangana has a really rich and vibrant history and it was part of the Mauryan Empire until the rise of the Satavahanas in 230 BC and this empire lasted till 220 AD. This empire extended from the west to the east coast which covers modern day Maharashtra, Telangana, Northern Karnataka, some parts of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.

Telangana then became a part of Vakataka Dynasty, which also ruled present day Andhra Pradesh. This dynasty lasted from 250 A.D. to 500 A.D. they even ruled present day Indian states such as Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. Then Telangana came under the rule of Chalukya Dynasty from 543 A.D. to 753 A.D. The history of Telangana then shifts to the Kakatiya Dynasty which lasted from 1083 A.D. to 1323 A.D. Historians have found a few inscriptions of the Kakatiyas in the Gutur district of Andhra Pradesh. By closely reading these inscriptions it could be seen that that the Kakatiyas were famous as they belonged to the solar race kings.

Subsequently, after the fall of Kakatiya Dynasty, the Telangana region came under the control of the Vijaynagar Empire, Bahmani Sultanate, Qutub Shahi Dynasty and the Asaf Jahi Dynasty.

The Telangana Rebellion started its formation after 1946. It was a peasant rebellion against the feudal lords of the Telangana region. The peasants received much needed support from the communist parties of India. The revolt started in 1946 and it was quite successful as the communists were able to take over 3000 villages from the feudal lords and around 10,00,000 acres of agricultural land was handed over to the landless peasants.

By December of 1953, the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was appointed and there was an agreement reached between Telangana leaders and Andhra leaders, which decided that Telangana and Andhra would be merged together and a state will be formed, called Andhra Pradesh. There had been turmoil in Andhra Pradesh, and there were several movements which wanted to revoke the merger. On 9th December 2009, the Government of India announced that Telangana would be given statehood. On 30th July, 2013, the Congress Working Committee had passed a resolution ominously which recommended the formation of Telangana state. In February of 2014, the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 was passed and the Telangana state was formed.

Districts of Telangana:

Telangana has 10 districts which are Hyderabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Medak, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Ranga Reddy and Warangal.

Economy of Telangana:

The economy of Telangana is mostly driven by agriculture and the farmers are mostly dependent on rain-fed water sources. The major food crop is rice and it is the staple food of the state.

It also has an industrial advantage as it already has readymade capital with good infrastructure. The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) growth of the State for 2014-2015 was 5.3%, and it was better than the growth rate of the previous financial year which was 4.8%. The industrial growth rate of the state has also increased and that is one of the reasons why the GDSP of the state has grown.

The Government has also taken many initiatives to promote investment in the newly independent state. In March of 2015, a new textile policy was introduced and the policy was to provide special incentives to the textile sector. Other than this, the Government also introduced an industrial policy which would help in bringing domestic as well as international investments.

Plans have been initiated to promote tourism in the state and the Government had set up the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation Limited to achieve this. A part of the mission was to promote unknown tourist spots in Telangana. The Government also released a Solar Power Policy which would promote dispersed generation of solar energy.

Telangana Travel information:

The Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation was established which would promote tourism in Telangana. The state is rich with historic and cultural heritage. The dynasties which ruled over Telangana are one of the reasons why the state has such a vibrant history and the ancient architecture can be attributed to that. There are many famous monuments such as Charminar, Golconda Fort, Bhongir Fort, Qutb Shahi Tombs, Paigah Tombs and Kakatiya Kala Thoranam which are part of Telangana's tourist attractions.

Religious tourism is also very popular in this area and there are many temples where people flock to every year, such as Thousand Pillar Temple, Yadagirigutta, Ramappa Temple, Birla Temple, Bhadrachalam Temple, Sri Raja Rajeshwara Temple etc.

Telanagana is also home to one of the largest mosques in India, the Mecca Masjid. There are also numerous waterfalls in Telangana, and the Kuntala Waterfalls is the biggest in the state and is at a height of 147 feet. The other waterfalls in the state are Mallela Theertham, Ethipothala Falls, Pochera Falls, Bheemuni Paadam Waterfalls and Gayatri Waterfalls. Telangana is indeed a beautiful state which has a lot to offer to its tourists.

Rivers of Telangana:

Godavari and Krishna rivers flow through Telangana. Godavari flows from Maharashtra to the Bay of Bengal and is known as the Ganga of the South. Krishna is the third largest river in Southern India and is a source of irrigation for Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Other rivers are Bhima, Manjira, Musi and Paleru.

Education in Telangana:

Education is a crucial sector without which economic and social development cannot be achieved. The regional and official language of Telangana is Telugu. Hindi and Urdu are also widely spoken. The state has both public as well as private schools and they are affiliated to the state board or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), ICSE and IB.

The Government is planning to improve the education system. Telangana has become the first state which has introduced compulsory gender education and has introduced a bilingual textbook titled "Towards a World of Equals". It has been introduced at the graduate level, and the book discusses about the various women's movement across the world. It is a positive step by the Government and it should pave its way for other states to follow it.

Food of Telangana:

The food is hot and spicy and most meals are eaten with hot pickles. The curry is made using dal, tamarind and tomato. Breads eaten are made from jawar and bajra. Vegetarian dishes are makka roti, uppudi, vepudu, palakoora, thunti koora etc. Non vegetarian dishes include mamsam vedupu, golichina mamsam, mutton pulao, komzu pitta roast, mutton liver etc. Hyderabadi Biryani is also very popular.

Art and Culture of Telangana:

Nirmai art is very famous and the town of Nirmai is famous for its paintings. Deccani paintings are small paintings. This art form thrived during the 16th century and has Persian influences. Kalamkari paintings are applied on cloth and it flourished when the Muslims were ruling India. Cheriyal Scroll paintings are found in Warangal and they were used for storytelling.

The state is home to many museums such as Salar Jung Museum, Nizam Museum etc. Birdi craft is the art of sliver engraved on metal and it was brought here by Iranian migrants. Dokra metal was seen in the Mohenjo Daro era and is a belt metal craft which uses metallurgy. Bronze castings of Telangana are also famous as well as Lacquer Ware.

Dance and music of Telangana:

Perini Sivatandavam is an ancient dance form originated from Telangana which has been successfully revived in recent times. It originated in the Kakatiya dynasty and in ancient times it was believed that soldiers would perform it before they went for war. It is performed by males and is called the "Dance of Warriors".

Telangana has a diverse variation in music from Carnatic music to folk music such as Kancheria Gopanna. The folk songs have played a pivotal role in the bifurcation of the state as well.

Festivals of Telangana:

Festivals celebrated here are Bhattukamma, Boddemma, Bonalu, Sadar, Bhimakka, Diwalim Yedupayala and Bhimanna. Since it is a new state other festivals will also be celebrated with grandeur very soon.

Costumes of Telangana:

Women wear sarees here, whereas, men wear dhoti and kurta. Men in the Muslim communities wear pajamas instead of dhoti and a small fez cap. Due to western influences jeans, trousers and shirts have become popular too.