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| Welcome to Andhra Pradesh... |
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Andhra Pradesh is rich in historical monuments and amny holy temples. Tirupati in Chittoor district hoses one of the most famous temples in India. The presiding deity is known as the Venkateswara. The main temple is situated on a hill top, Tirumalai, and is a masterpiece of south Indian architectucture.The main tourist attractions is the capital of the state, Hyderabad. The capital is in reality the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad linked together by the Hussain Sagar Lake. Places of interest are the Char Minar built in 1591, Osmania University, State Museum and Art gallery, Salarjung Museum, Health Museum, Public Gardens, Birla Mandir and Macca Masjid.The Nehru Zoological Park, near the Mir Alam Tank in Hyderabad is a natural habitat, supporting a teeming wildlife population. It has to its credit the first lion safari park of South Asia. The Pakkal, Tadvai and Ethurnagaram sanctuaries abound in tiger, panther, wild boar, jackal, muntjack, fox, gaur, wild dog and the sloth bear. Kawak Wildlife Sanctuary in Adilabad district lies 50 km from Mancheral railway station. The largest of the country's Tiger Reserves, the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Sanctuary is spread over an area of 3568 sq. km. Adjoining the reserve is the great reservoir of the Nagarjunasagar Dam on the Krishna river. Another important centre of tourism is Golconda, about 8 km from Hyderabad. The capital of the Qutb Shahi Sultans in the 16th century, Golconda is rich in historical monuments which include the famous Golconda fort. Golconda was known the world over as rich mine of diamonds in the medieval times. The famous diamonds Kohinoor and Pitt came from the mines of Golconda. |
| Society and Culture ... |
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Over 85% of the population of Andhra Pradesh speak Telugu. However, there are important minorities. Tamil is widely spoken in the extreme south region, and on the border of Karnataka there are pockets of Kanarese or Kannad speakers. In Hyderabad there are large numbers of Urdu speakers who make up about 7% of AP's population.Hindu festivals such as Dasara, Deepavali, Sri Ramanavami, Krishna Janmastami, Vinayaka Chavithi (Ganesh Chaturthi) and Maha Sivarathri are celebrated in the State. Similarly, Muslim festivals such as Bakrid and Id-ul-Fitr and Christian festivals like Christmas, Easter and New Year's Day are also celebrated with gaiety. But the celebrations of Ugadi (Telugu New Year's day), Sankranti, Dasara, and Vinayaka Chavithi in the state are unique.As the home of rich folk tradition, Andhra Pradesh offers a variety of performing arts unique to its culture. Kuchipudi is the classical dance form of Andhra Pradesh. Lacquer toys, anakapalli articles, nirmal painted pottery, bidri-lead inlaid black metal trinklets, palm and slate articles, as well as Gadhwalk, Pochampalli and Dharmvaram silk saris are some of the amazing handlooms and handicrafts the state is renowned for. |
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