History of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is one of the 29 states of India whose

recorded history begins in the Vedic period. It is mentioned in Sanskrit epics such as Aitareya Brahmana
(800 BCE).[1][2][3] The Assaka Mahajanapada (700300
BCE) was an ancient kingdom located between the
Godavari and Krishna Rivers in southeastern India.[4]
Accounts that people in the region are descended from
the sage Viswamitra are found in the Ramayana, the
Mahabharata and the Puranas.

17th centuries.
The arrival of Europeans (the French under the Marquis
de Bussy-Castelnau and the English under Robert Clive)
ended Qutub Shahi rule. In 1765, Clive and the chief and
council at Visakhapatnam obtained the Northern Circars
from Mughal emperor Shah Alam. The British achieved
supremacy when they defeated Maharaja Vijaya Rama
Gajapati Raju of Vizianagaram in 1792.
Andhras modern foundation was laid in the struggle for
Indian independence under Mohandas Gandhi. Potti
Sriramulu's campaign for a state independent of the
Madras Presidency and Tanguturi Prakasam Panthulu
and Kandukuri Veeresalingam's social-reform movements led to the formation of Andhra State, with Kurnool
its capital and freedom-ghter Pantullu its rst chief minister. A democratic society, with two stable political parties and a modern economy, emerged under the Chief
Ministership of N. T. Rama Rao.

Overview

In the sixth century BCE, Assaka was one of Indias

sixteen kingdoms. It was succeeded by the Satavahana
dynasty (230 BCE-220 CE), who built the city of
Amaravati. The kingdom reached its zenith under
Satakarni. At the end of the period, the Telugu region
was divided into efdoms ruled by lords. In the late sec- India became independent from the United Kingdom in
ond century CE, the Andhra Ikshvakus ruled the eastern 1947. Although the Muslim Nizam of Hyderabad wanted
region along the Krishna River.
to retain independence from India, but was forced to cede
During the fourth century, the Pallava dynasty extended his kingdom to the Dominion of India in 1948 to form
their rule from southern Andhra Pradesh to Tamilakam Hyderabad State. Andhra, the rst Indian state formed
and established their capital at Kanchipuram. Their primarily on a linguistic basis, was carved from the
power increased during the reigns of Mahendravarman Madras Presidency in 1953. In 1956, Andhra State was
I (571630) and Narasimhavarman I (630668). The merged with the Telugu-speaking portion of Hyderabad
Pallavas dominated the southern Telugu-speaking region State to create the state of Andhra Pradesh. The Lok
and northern Tamilakam until the end of the ninth cen- Sabha approved the formation of Telangana from ten districts of Andhra Pradesh on 18 February 2014.[5]
tury.
Between 624 and 1323 the Kakatiya dynasty emerged,
bringing the Telugu region under unied rule. During
this period, the Telugu language emerged as a literary
medium with the writings of Nannayya.

2 Pre-Satavahana period
Main article: Andhra in Indian epic literature

In 1323 the sultan of Delhi, Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, sent

a large army commanded by Ulugh Khan (later, as Mohammad bin Tuglhluq, the Delhi sultan) to conquer the
Telugu region and lay siege to Warangal. The fall of the
Kakatiya dynasty led to an era with competing inuences
from the Turkic kingdoms of Delhi, the Chalukya Chola
dynasty (10701279) in the south and the Persio-Tajik
sultanate of central India. The struggle for Andhra ended
with the victory of the Musunuri Nayaks over the Turkic
Delhi Sultanate.

There are references to an Andhra kingdom and a

people known as the Andhras in Indian epic poetry
(the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Puranas).
In the Mahabharata Rukmi ruled the Vidarbha Kingdom, which included the Deccan Plateau, the foothills
of the Vindhya Range, present-day Andhra Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka and a littleknown (now submerged) archipelago in the Bay of BenThe
Telugu
achieved
independence
under gal. Rama is said to have lived in the forest around
Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire (1336 present-day Bhadrachalam during his exile.
1646). The Qutb Shahi dynasty of the Bahmani Sultanate Although the ancient literature indicates a history dating
succeeded that empire. The Qutub Shahis were tolerant to several centuries BCE, archaeological evidence exists
of Telugu culture from the early 16th to the end of the only from the last two millennia. The fth-century BCE
1

Kingdom of Pratipalapura, identied with Bhattiprolu in

the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, may be the earliest
kingdom in South India and inscriptions suggest that King
Kubera ruled Bhattiprolu around 230 BCE. The script
of the Bhattiprolu inscriptions was the progenitor of the
Brahmi Lipi, which later diversied into modern Telugu
and Tamil scripts.

BRIHATPALAYANAS

In the Vayu Purana, Manu (the patriarch of ancient India) had nine sons; Ikshvaku, the eldest, founded the
Suryavanshi dynasty and ruled from Ayodhya at the beginning of the Treta Yuga. He had 100 sons; the eldest
was Vikushi, who succeeded his father as the ruler of Ayodhya. Fifty of Vikushis brothers founded small principalities in North India, and forty-eight founded kingdoms
in the south.

In the Dharmamrita, during the lifetime of the 12th

tirthankara, Yasodhara (an Ikshvaku prince from the
3 Satavahana dynasty
kingdom of Anga) went to Vengi. The prince was so
impressed with the regions beauty and fertility that he
As part of the Mauryan Empire during the fourth cen- made it his home and founded the city of Pratipalapura
tury BCE, Andhra was a political state in the southeast- (present-day Bhattiprolu).
ern Deccan. According to Megasthenes, who visited the
court of Chandragupta Maurya (322-297), the Andhras In the Puranas, the Andhra Ikshvakus are called Sriparhad 30 fortied towns and an army of 1,000,000 infantry, vatiyas (rulers of Sriparvata) and Andhrabhrityas (servants of the Andhras). They were feudal lords of the
2,000 cavalry and 1,000 elephants.[6]
Satavahanas, and bore the title of Mahatalavara. AlUninterrupted political and cultural accounts of Andhra though the Puranas cite seven kings ruling Andhra for 100
Pradesh begin during the rise of the Satavahana dynasty. years, only four are conrmed in inscriptions.
According to the Matsya Purana, the dynasty had 29
rulers in a 456-year period from the 2nd century BCE
to the 2nd century CE. An inscription at Nasik, written 4.1 Vashishthiputra Sri Santamula (Sanat the time of Gautamiputra Satakarni (the 23rd Satavatamula I)
hana ruler), indicates that the kingdom included most of
the southern peninsula and southern parts of Maharash- Santamula I founded the Ikshvaku dynasty, performing
tra, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. The court language used the Asvamedha, Agnihotra, Agnistoma and Vajapeya sacby the Satavahanas was Prakrit, and their kings observed rices to proclaim his imperial status. Rulers of subsethe Vedic religion.
quent dynasties commonly performed the Ashvamedha
The fall of the Satavahana empire left Andhra in po- sacrice to declare their independence.
litical chaos, and local rulers carved out small kingdoms for themselves. Between 180 and 624 CE, con4.2 Virapurushadatta
trol of Andrha lay with the Ikshvaku, Brihatpalayana,
Salankayana, Vishnukundina, Vakataka, Pallava, Ananda
Virapurushadatta was the son and successor of Santamula
Gotrika, Kalinga and other small kingdoms; the most imthrough his wife, Madhari. He had a sister, Adavi Sanportant was the Ikshvaku. Sanskrit replaced Prakrit as
tisri, took a queen from the Saka family of Ujjain and
the inscriptional language at this time.
gave his daughter in marriage to a Chutu prince.

Ikshvakus

The Andhra Ikshvakus (Sanskrit: ) established a kingdom along the Krishna River in the second half of the second century CE. Their capital was
Vijayapuri (Nagarjunakonda). Archaeological evidence
indicates that the Ikshvakus succeeded the Satavahanas
in the Krishna River valley, and may have entered
Andhra from the north.[7] The Ikshvakus left inscriptions at Nagarjunakonda, Jaggayyapeta, Amaravati and
Bhattiprolu, and their rulers observed the Vedic religion.

4.3 Ehuvula Santamula (Santamula II)

Ehuvula Santamula (Santamula II), Virapurushadatas
son, ruled after a short Abhira interregnum.

4.4 Rudrapurushadatta
Rudrapurushadatta was an Ikshvaku ruler mentioned in
inscriptions from Gurajala in Guntur district. Possibly a
son of Ehuvula Santamula, he ruled for over 11 years.

Some scholars believe that this dynasty was related to

the ancient Ikshvakus of the Hindu epics, and Rama of 5 Brihatpalayanas
the Ramayana (the incarnation of Vishnu) was descended
from the Ikshvaku line. Inscriptions in the Nagarju- During the third century CE the Brihatpalayanas ruled
nakonda valley, Jaggayyapeta and Ramireddipalli provide north Andhra from their capital, Kodur, in the Krishna
some support for this hypothesis.
district. One dynasty was the Jaya Varma.

Anandagotrikas

held by the Vishnukundina dynasty, although it was later

associated with the Rajus.

The Ananda Gotrikas (335-425) ruled coastal Andhra In 1512, the maharaja of Vizianagaram was conquered
from their capital, Kapotapuram. Their aliations are by the Golkonda dynasty and was made subahdar of the
unknown.
Northern Circars. The title was conferred by Aurangzeb,
who gave the maharaja a split-tipped sword (still part
of the Vishnukundina coat of arms). The rajahs of
Vizianagaram received the title of Gajapati after the
7 Salankayanas
16th-century Battle of Nandapur in the Northern Circars.
From about 300 to 440, after the fall of the Ikshvakus,
the Salankayanas ruled part of the east coast from Vengi.
Like the Vishnukundinas of Vinukonda who succeeded
them, the Salankayanas were vassals of the Pallavas of
the southern Telugu and northern Tamil lands. At this
time, Telugu and Kannada scripts began to separate from
those of other Indian dialects.

Pallavas

In 1845, the British (represented by Lord Northbrook)

conferred several honours on Maharaja Vijaya Rama Gajapati Raju III. On 31 December 1850, Raju III had a
son. One of his daughters was married to Maharaj Kumar
Singh, a cousin of (and heir apparent to) the maharajah
of Rewah.

10 Kalachuris of Chedi

The Pallava dynasty (Telugu:

; Tamil: ) ruled South India from the fourth to the eighth centuries from Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu. It was ascendant during the reigns of Mahendravarman I (571630)
and Narasimhavarman I (630668). The empire included
the southern Telugu and the northern parts of the Tamil
regions.

Although the Matsyas, Chedis, Pericchedis, Haihayas and

Kalachuris may share a common Vedic ancestry and origin myth, the link is tenuous. In the Puranas, Matsya
(Sanskrit for sh) was the name of a tribe (Meenas)
and a state of the Vedic civilisation. The Matsya tribe
was founded by a sherman who became a king. The
Mahabharata (V.74.16) describes King Sahaja as a son
of Uparichara Vasu, a Chedi king. Vasu ruled the Chedis
The Pallavas were noted for their patronage of and the Matsyas, suggesting the Matsya were once part
Dravidian architecture, examples of which survive of the Chedi kingdom. The Puranas mention six Matsya
in Mahabalipuram. The Chinese traveller Xuanzang kingdoms, and the Pandya Kingdom in the south has a
visited Kanchipuram (under Pallava rule), and extolled sh on its banner. Signs of the Matsya are later found in
its benign government.
the Visakhapatnam region.
The period was characterized by conict with the
Chalukyas of Badami in the north and the Tamil states of
Chola and Pandyas in the south. During the eighth cen- 10.1 Chedi
tury, the Pallavas were succeeded by the Chola dynasty.

Vishnukundinas

The Vishnukundina dynasty ruled in the Deccan and

South India in the 5th and 6th centuries CE. According to
Edward B. Eastwick, the maharaja of Vizianagaram was
a descendant of the maharajas of Udaipur and the Sisodia
branch of the Gehlot tribe. A brother of the maharaja of
Udaipur migrated to Oudh. Early rulers of the dynasty
allied with the Vakatakas and the Rashtrakutas by marriage.
In 529, Madhava Varma (a descendant of the dynasty)
and four allied clans achieved independence by defeating
the Salankayanas in coastal Andhra. Their capitals were
Amaravati and Bezwada before they settled on Vizianagaram. Over the centuries the allied clans were vassals
of the Vizianagaram rulers and subsequent dynasties, including the Chalukyas. Kalidindi in Krishna district was

The Chedi kingdom, in central and western India, was

rst ruled by Paurava kings and later by Yadav kings. It
corresponds roughly to the present-day Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh.

10.2 Haihaya
The Haihaya kingdom (haya means horse) was one of
a number kingdoms ruled by Chandravamsha Kshatriya
kings in central and western India. The Vishnu Purana
links its outlying tribes to the Yadu tribe. According to
the Puranas, the Haihaya were divided into the Talajanghas, Vitihotras, Avantis, Tundikeras and Jatas. Haihaya
rulers included the legendary Kartavirya Arjuna, a powerful king who defeated Ravana. Although he had one
thousand arms, he was felled and his arms severed by
Parasurama. The Haihaya capital was Mahishmati, on
the banks of the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh.

10.3

13 KAKATIYA DYNASTY

Kalachuri

The Eastern Chalukyas were a branch of the Chalukyas

of Badami. Pulakesin II conquered Vengi (near Eluru)
in 624 and installed his brother, Kubja Vishnuvardhana (624-641), as its ruler. The Vishnuvardhana dynasty, known as the Eastern Chalukyas, ruled for nearly
four centuries. Vishnuvardhanas domain extended from
Srikakulam in the north to Nellore in the south.

Kalachuri is the name used by two kingdoms who claim

a common ancestry and ruled in a succession of dynasties
from the 10th to the 12th centuries. The rst kingdom
controlled western Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in central India. The second, the southern Kalachuri, ruled
part of Karnataka. Kalachuri kings, related by marriage
Control of the Vengi region shifted from Gunaga Vijayato the Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas, ruled from Tripuri,
ditya to Rashtrakuta rule, to the Kalyani Chalukya (10th
Gorakhpur, Ratnapur and Rajpur.
and 11th centuries), and then to the Cholas. In 1118,
The name Kalachuri may derive from kali (long mous- Kulottunga Chola was defeated by Vikramaditya VI of
tache) and churi (sharp knife). The Kalachuri were also the Kalyani Chalukya dynasty. The Cholas at Talakad
known as Katachuris.
were defeated by the Hoysala ruler, Vishnuvardhana, and
Vengi
was again ruled by the Chalukyas.
In the Telugu epic The Battle of Palnadu", the Kalachuri
are referred to as the Haihaya family of the Kona region
(Amalapuram; the Razole Taluqs of the present-day East
Godavari district, and the Haihaya family of Palanadu.
They were vassals of the Chalukyas.

The Kalyani Chalukya fell with the death of Vikramaditya VI. By the end of the 12th century, the Eastern
Chalukya empire was divided into three kingdoms: the
Hoysala Empire, the Kakatiya Kingdom and the Yadavas.

The Pericchedis are also mentioned as vassals of the

Chalukyas. According to V. Rama Chandra Rao, they
were connected to the ancient Chedi. The Pericchedis 12 Chola dynasty
had two branches, with Kollipaka and Bezawada their
capitals. Rao also mentions that the Vastsavai dynasty of The Chola dynasty ruled in Andhra from 1010 to 1200.
Peddapuram may be related to the Matsya dynasty, since Its territory extended from the Maldives in the south to
there is evidence of a branch in the Visakhapatnam area. the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh.
An 1174 record suggests the Kalachuri dynasty was
thought to be founded by Soma, who grew a beard and
moustache to save himself from Parashuramas wrath. 13 Kakatiya dynasty
Their emblem was suvarna vrishabha, a golden bull. The
Kalachuri honoured Krantivirya Sahasrarjun, who killed
Rishi Jamdagni (Bhagwan Parshuramas father). Histori- The Kakatiya dynasty rose to power during the 12th and
ans such as P. B. Desai emphasize the Kalachuris central- 13th centuries. Initially vassals of the Western Chalukyas
of Kalyani, they held a small territory near Warangal.
Indian origin.
At their zenith, the Kalachuris ruled parts of Gujarat, Prola II of the Kakatiyas (11101158) Kakatiya territory
Malwa, Konkan and Maharashtra. Their rule was ended southward and declared his independence. His succesby the Badami Chalukyas under Badami Chalukya Mag- sor, Rudra (11581195), increased the holdings eastward
alesa. Lieutenant colonel James Tod recorded a tribe of to the Godavari delta. Rudra built the Warangal Fort as
Haihayas near the very top of the valley of Sohagpur, in a second capital, and countered invasions by the Seuna
Bhagelkhand, aware of their ancient lineage, and though Yadavas of Devagiri.
few in number, still celebrated for their valour.

The next ruler, Mahadeva, extended the Kakatiyas kingdom to the coast before he was succeeded by Ganapati
Deeva in 1199. Ganapati Deeva was the rst ruler since
the Satavahana dynasty to unite the Telugu lands; unlike
11 Eastern Chalukyas
the Satavahanas, the Kakatiyas were Telugu kings who
Between 624 and 1323, the Telugu language emerged as used Telugu as their court language. In 1210, Ganapa literary medium alongside Prakrit and Sanskrit. From ati defeated the Velanati Cholas and extended his empire
around 848 (during the time of Gunaga Vijayaditya) to north to Anakapalle.
the 11th century, the language progressed from stanzas to Rani Rudrama Devi (died 1289 or 1295), who defended
full literary works. At this time, it was written in old Tel- the Kakatiya kingdom against the Cholas and the Seuna
ugu script; Al-Beruni referred to the script as Andhri Yadavas, is one of the few queens in Indian history. She
in his 1000 Kitab Al-Hind. During the 11th century, was succeeded by her grandson, Prataparudra. Although
the Mahabharata was partially translated by court poet his reign was characterized by battles against internal and
Nannaya under the patronage of the Eastern Chalukya external foes, Prataparudra expanded his kingdom west to
ruler Rajaraja Narendra. Modern Telugu script evolved Raichur and south to Ongole and the Nallamala Hills. He
from the old Telugu script from the 11th to the 19th cen- introduced a number of administrative reforms, some of
turies.
which were adopted in the Vijayanagar empire. Muslim

5
attacks began in 1310, and in 1323 the Kakatiya dynasty
fell to the Delhi Sultanate.

15 Reddy dynasty
Main article: Reddy dynasty

14

Musunuri Nayaks

The Musunuri Nayaks reclaimed the Telugu lands from

the Delhi Sultanate and ruled them for fty years. Hakka
(Harihara) and Bukka, treasury ocers at the court of
Prataparudra, were inspired by the Musunuri Nayaks to
organise a Hindu opposition to the Muslim invaders.
Prataparudra was captured by the Muslims.[8] Two Telugus, Annaya Mantri and Kolani Rudradeva, united the
Nayaks against the invaders. A Nayak from Vengi (in
the present-day West Godavari district), Musunuri Prolayanayak (Prolaaneedu), was chosen as their leader.[9][10]
By 1326, Prolaneedu had liberated Warangal.[11] Inspired by the victories of Prolaneedu and his cousin,
Kaapaneedu, other states (including Kampili, Hoysala,
Dwarasamudram and Araveedu) asserted their independence.

The rst of the Reddy clans became prominent during the Kakatiya period, when the Reddys carved feudal
principalities for themselves. After the death of Pratapa Rudra II and the subsequent fall of the Kakatiya
Empire, the Reddy chiefs became independent and the
Reddy Kingdom emerged. The Reddys ruled from
present-day Srikakulam in the north to Kanchi in the
south, most of the present-day Andhra and Rayalaseema
regions.[12][13][14][15] In his 1909 book, Castes and Tribes
of Southern India, Edgar Thurston described the Reddys
as village chiefs and listed them as Kapu.

The Reddy dynasty (13261448) ruled portions of coastal Andhra Pradesh for over a
century.[12][16][17][17][15][18][19][20][21] Prolaya Vema
Reddy, named by his father after Musunuri Prolayaneedu, was the rst king of the Reddy dynasty.[22] The
capital of the kingdom was Addanki. It was moved to
Kondavidu and then later to Rajahmundry.[23] His reign
was characterised by the restoration of peace, patronage
of the arts and literature and broad development. Errana,
Ulugh Khan captured Harihara and Bukka at Warangal.
the translator of the Mahabharata, lived during this
Converted to Islam, they were sent by the sultan to supperiod.
press the Hoysala rulers rebellion. Instead, the brothers established the Vijayanagara Empire. The Sultan led
a large army south, but was halted by an epidemic and
Nayak resistance. Kaapaneedu, with the assistance of the
16 Vijayanagar Empire
Hoysala, liberated Andhra Pradesh.
In 1345 Muslim nobles rebelled against Muhammad bin
Tughluq in Devagiri, resulting in the foundation of the
Bahmani Sultanate by Hasan Gangu. He assumed the
name Alauddin Bahman Shah, and moved his capital to
Gulbarga in 1347. With raids and coercion, Singama of
the Recherla Nayaks destabilised Alauddins rule. Kaapaneedu forged a treaty with Alauddin and surrendered
the Kaulas fort.
In 1351, Muhammad bin Tughluq died. Eight years later,
Alauddin died and was succeeded by Mohammed Shah.
Kaapaneedu then sent his son, Vinayaka Deva, to liberate
Kaulas and Bhuvanagiri from the Bahmanis; Vijayanagar
emperor Bukka Raya assisted Deva in the campaign. Although Deva was initially successful, he was eventually
defeated, captured and killed.
Kaapaneedu persisted, capturing Golconda and Warangal. In 1365, Golconda was chosen as the border between
the Bahmani and Warangal kingdoms. Kaapaaneedu was
forced to pay reparations, including a turquoise throne to
Mohammed Shah.
In 1370 Anapota Nayaka of Recherla marched against
Warangal as part of a Bahmani invasion, and Kaapaneedu
died in the ensuing battle at Bhimavaram. With Kaapaneedu gone, the Bahmanis soon subjugated their allies
and ruled Andhra.

The Vijayanagara Empire was founded by Harihara

(Hakka) and Bukka, who were treasury ocers in the administration of the Kakatiya dynasty or commanders of
Hoysala's forces. When Warangal fell in 1323 the brothers were captured, taken to Delhi and converted to Islam.
The Delhi Sultanate sent them to the Deccan as governors of Kampili in the hope that they could deal with the
local revolt and invasions by neighboring Hindu kings.
Their rst campaign was against neighboring Hoysala emperor Veera Ballala III of Dwarasamudra. The brothers
later reconverted to Hinduism under the inuence of the
sage Vidyaranya, and proclaimed independence from the
Delhi Sultanate. Some, however, claim that the founders
of the empire were Kannadigas stationed in the Tungabhadra region under Veera Ballala III to ght the Muslim
invasion.
Harihara I (r. 13361356) established his new capital,
Vijayanagar, in an easily-defended position south of the
Tungabhadra River. The empire reached its zenith under
Krishnadevaraya in the early 16th century, and Telugu literature developed at this time. Vijayanagar monuments
were built across South India, and in Lepakshi, Tirupati
and Shri Kalahasti in Andhra Pradesh. The largest and
best-known collection of such monuments is at Hampi in
present-day Karnataka.

17

18 COLONIAL ERA

Mughal era

In 1323, Delhi sultan Ghiaz-ud-din Tughlaq sent a large

army under Ulugh Khan to conquer the Telugu country and lay siege to Warangal. In 1347, after a revolt
against the Delhi Sultanate, an independent Muslim state
(the Bahmani Sultanate) was established in South India
by Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah. By the end of the 15th
century, the sultanate was plagued with factional strife.
Five Shahi sultanates were founded, and the Qutb Shahi
dynasty played a role in the history of the Telugu country.

French troops in the subah; revenue in the Northern Circars amounted to one million rupees per year.
Bussy had helped Salabat Jang become subedar of the
Deccan. The agreement between the French and Salabat
Jang in Aurangabad bears the signature of Said Loukshur,
Salabat Jangs minister. Yanam was an important town
during the French occupation of the Northern Circars.

In 1758, the French and English fought at Chandurti

(in the present-day Gollaprolu mandal of East Godavari
district). The French were defeated by the armies of
the British and Maharaja Ananda Gajapathi Raju II of
The dynasty ruled Andhra from the early 16th to the end Vizianagram. Salabat Jang made a treaty with the British,
of the 17th century. Sultan Quli Qutb Shah, founder of giving them the Northern Circars in a rman.
the dynasty, served the Bahmanis faithfully and in 1496
The Nizam later rebelled against the English. The war
was appointed governor of Hyderabad State. In 1518,
ended with a second treaty; the Northern Circars reafter the death of Mahmud Shah, his patron Quli Qutb
mained under the control of British India, and after 1760
Shah declared independence.
the French lost their hold there and throughout South InIn 1687, Aurangazeb invaded and annexed Golconda and dia. In 1765, Robert Clive and the chief and council at
appointed a Nizam (governor). The Mughal Nizams con- Vizagapatam obtained from Mughal emperor Shah Alam
trolled Andhra for about 35 years. In 1707 Aurangazeb a grant of the Northern Circars. In 1792, the British dedied, and the Mughal regime weakened and lost control of feated Maharaja Vijaya Rama Gajapati Raju of Vizianathe provinces. This enabled the British East India Com- garam. During the rule of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan,
pany and the French Compagnie des Indes Orientales to the Kingdom of Mysore pursued an expansionist polconsolidate power in India.
icy against the Marathas, the Nizam and the English and
made incursions into the Rayalaseema region.

18

Colonial era

Maximum extent of French inuence (1741-1754)

18.1 Madras Presidency

Madras Presidency in 1859; North Canara (Uttara Kannada)

was transferred to the Bombay Presidency in 1862.

In a 1753 decree, Deccan subedar Asif ad-Dawlah

Mir Ali Salabat Jang ceded Chicacole, Ellore and The Northern Circars became part of the British Madras
Rajahmundry to the Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau. An Presidency. The Nizam later ceded ve territories (Datta
annual stipend of 200,000 rupees was paid to maintain Madallu) to the British, which became the Rayalaseema

7
region. The Nizams retained control of the interior
provinces as Hyderabad State, acknowledging British rule
in return for local autonomy. The provinces were governed in a feudal manner, with zamindars in areas such
as Kulla and elsewhere in the Godavari acting as lords
under the Nizam. The zamindari system was dismantled
after independence.
18.1.1

Telugu districts

Shri Kalahasti
Polavaram
Venkatagiri
Pithapuram

19 After independence

Vizagapatam (later Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and In 1947, India gained independence from the United
Kingdom. Although the Muslim Nizam of Hyderabad reVisakhapatnam districts)
sisted, he was forced to cede his state to India in 1948 to
Godavari (later East Godavari district)
form Hyderabad State. When India became independent,
Telugu-speaking people (Urdu is spoken in some parts of
Machilipatnam (later Guntur, Krishna and West GoHyderabad and a few other districts of Hyderabad State)
davari Districts)
were distributed in 22 districts: nine in Hyderabad State,
12 in the Madras Presidency and one in French-controlled
Kurnool
Yanam. In 1953 Andhra State was created from part of
Nellore
the Madras Presidency, the rst state in India formed on a
linguistic basis. In 1956, Andhra State was merged with
Cuddapah
the Telugu-speaking area of Hyderabad State to form the
state of Andhra Pradesh.
Anantapur
18.1.2

Zamindaris

Vizagapatam
Pemmasani clan
Ravella clan
Yarlagadda rajas
Balusu clan
Mullapudi clan
Adusumilli clan
18.1.3

Padamanayakas

Bobbili
Vavilavalasa Inuganty kings
Siripuram Inuganty kings
Palakonda
Kirlampudi
Kasimkota
Annavaram
Nuzuveedu
Mylavaram
Guraja

19.1

Madras Manade movement

Madras possessed Tamil and Telugu cultures. In the

early 1920s, Madras Presidency Chief Minister Panagal
Raja said that the Cooum River should be the boundary between the Andhra and Tamil regions. In 1928 C.
Sankaran Nair submitted a report to the central council
explaining why Madras should not belong to the Tamils,
but it was decided that the city would remain in the Tamil
region. In 1953 Telugu speakers in the former Madras
Presidency sought to make Madras the capital of Andhra
Pradesh, adopting the slogan Madras manade (Madras
is ours).

19.2 Creation of Andhra State

Activist Potti Sriramulu advocated inclusion of the
Telugu-speaking areas of Rayalaseema and Coastal
Andhra in an Andhra state. He conducted a hunger
strike until Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru promised
to form an Andhra state. On 19 October 1952, when
Nehrus promise had not been fullled, Sriramulu began
fasting again at Maharshi Bulusu Sambamurthys Madras
home. The Andhra Congress committee disapproved of
Sriramulus hunger strike, but his action became widely
known. He died shortly after midnight on 15 December
1952 at 126 Royapettah High Road, Mylapore, Madras,
and the house has been preserved.
During Sriramulus funeral procession, mourners praised
his sacrice. When the procession reached Mount Road,
thousands of people joined it and raised banners hailing
Sriramulu. Later, they began destroying public property.

19 AFTER INDEPENDENCE

The news spread quickly, and seven people were killed by ucationally backward people of Telangana that they may
police gunre in Anakapalle and Vijayawada. The unrest be swamped and exploited by the more advanced people
continued for several days.
of the coastal areas. In its analysis, the SRC opposed
On 19 December 1952, Prime Minister Nehru an- an immediate merger. Paragraph 386 reads, After taknounced the formation of a separate state for the Telugu- ing all these factors into consideration we have come to
speaking people of the Madras Presidency. On 1 Oc- the conclusion that it will be in the interests of Andhra as
tober 1953, eleven districts in the Telugu-speaking por- well as Telangana, if for the present, the Telangana area
tion of Madras State (Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema) is to constitute into a separate State, which may be known
as the Hyderabad State with provision for its unication
voted to become Andhra State, with Kurnool as their capital. Andhra Kesari Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu became with Andhra after the general elections likely to be held
in or about 1961 if by a two thirds majority the legislachief minister of the new Telugu state.
ture of the residuary Hyderabad State expresses itself in
favor of such unication. The central government, led
19.3 Merger of Hyderabad and Andhra by Nehru, merged Andhra State and Telangana to form
Andhra Pradesh on 1 November 1956 after ensuring safeStates
guards to Telangana in the form of a gentlemans agreement.
Main article: History of the Telangana movement
In December 1953, the States Reorganisation Com68

72

76

80

84

88

92

96

19.4 Telangana movement

36

Main article: Telangana movement

32

Mi
Km

100

100

200

200
300

400

300

28

24

23.5

20

Actions aiming to revoke the merger of Telangana and

Andhra occurred in 1969, 1972 and 2009. On 9 December 2009, the Government of India announced the
formation of a Telangana state. Protests in the Coastal
Andhra and Rayalseema regions took place immediately
after the announcement, and on 23 December 2009 the
decision was indenitely deferred. The Telangana movement for statehood continued, with suicides, strikes and
protests.[25][26]

16

12

Map of India, with the Telangana region highlighted in red

mission convened to prepare for the creation of states

along linguistic lines.[24] Due to public demand, the commission recommended abolishing Hyderabad State and
merging its Marathi-speaking region into Bombay State
and its Kannada-speaking region into Mysore State.
The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) discussed
a merger of the Telugu-speaking Telangana region of Hyderabad State and Andhra State. According to Paragraph
374 of the report, The creation of Vishalandhra is an
ideal to which numerous individuals and public bodies,
both in Andhra and Telangana, have been passionately
attached over a long period of time, and unless there are
strong reasons to the contrary, this sentiment is entitled to
consideration. About Telangana, paragraph 378 reads:
One of the principal causes of opposition of Vishalandhra also seems to be the apprehension felt by the ed-

19.5 Bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh

See also: Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014
On 30 July 2013, the Congress Working Committee
unanimously approved a resolution recommending the
formation of a Telangana state. In February 2014, a bill
was placed before Parliament.[27] The Andhra Pradesh
Reorganisation Act, 2014 was passed, allowing the formation of a Telangana state of ten districts from northwestern Andhra Pradesh.[28] The bill received the assent
of the president, and was published in The Gazette of India on 1 March.[29] The state of Telangana was ocially
formed on 2 June 2014.

19.6 Telangana state

See also: Samaikyandhra Movement
Key gures in the formation of Telangana were
Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi, Telangana
Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, Telugu Desam Party
(TDP) leader Sushma Swaraj and Venkiah Naidu of the

9
Kakatiya dynasty
Musunuri Nayaks
Reddy dynasty
Vijayanagar
Paricheda
Qutb Shahi
Gupta dynasty

21 References
[1] Dance Dialects of India. Ragini Devi. Motilal Bansarsi
Dass. ISBN 81-208-0674-3. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
Telangana (in white) and Andhra Pradesh (in yellow) after bifurcation

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Chandrashekar Rao headed

a political movement from Telangana that led the campaign to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. Naidu, Gandhi and
Swaraj led parties which favored the split. Political leaders such as former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Kiran
Kumar Reddy and Vijayawada Member of Parliament
Lagadapati Rajagopal, opposed to the split, convinced
their supporters to allow it peacefully. The Supreme
Court has declined to hear an appeal of the creation of
the state.

20

Dynasties

[2] History of Andhra Pradesh. AP Online. Government of

Andhra Pradesh. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
[3] Ancient and medieval history of Andhra Pradesh. P.
Raghunadha Rao. Sterling Publishers, 1993. p. iv. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
[4] https://archive.org/stream/ancientindiantri032697mbp#
page/n105/mode/2up
[5] Menon, Amamath K. (1 June 2014). Telangana is born,
KCR to take oath as its rst CM. India Today. Archived
from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 15
September 2016.
[6] Megasthenes and Arrian, McKindle J. W. (ed. and trans.)
Ancient India Thacker and Spink, Calcutta and Bombay,
1877, p. 30-174.
[7] Buhler and Rapson

Satavahana
Shakas
Andhra Ikshvaku
Brihatpalayana
Ananda Gotrika
Vishnukundina
Kalachuris of Chedi
Salankayana
Eastern Chalukya
Pallavas
Rashtrakuta
Vengi
Chola empire
Pandyan dynasty

[8] Somasekhara S. M. A Forgotten Chapter of Andhra History Andhra University, Waltair, 1945.
[9] Prasad D. History of the Andhras up to 1565 A. D. 1988,
p. 168.
[10] Talbot C. Pre-colonial India in Practice Oxford University
Press, 2001, pp.177-182, ISBN 0-19-513661-6.
[11] Rao C. V. R. Administration and Society in Medieval
Andhra (AD. 1038-1538) Manasa Publications,1976,
p.36.
[12] E Kulakhararvu (1988). A history of Telugu literature. For copies, M. Indira Devi. p. 96. Retrieved 9 July
2011.
[13] Government Of Madras Sta; Government of Madras (1
January 2004). Gazetteer of the Nellore District: brought
upto 1938. Asian Educational Services. p. 51. ISBN
978-81-206-1851-0. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
[14] Gordon Mackenzie (1990). A manual of the Kistna district in the presidency of Madras. Asian Educational Services. pp. 9. ISBN 978-81-206-0544-2. Retrieved 7
July 2011.

10

22

[15] K. V. Narayana Rao (1973). The emergence of Andhra

Pradesh. Popular Prakashan. p. 4. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
[16] Government Of Madras Sta; Government of Madras (1
January 2004). Gazetteer of the Nellore District: brought
upto 1938. Asian Educational Services. p. 52. ISBN
978-81-206-1851-0. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
[17] Gordon Mackenzie (1990). A manual of the Kistna district
in the presidency of Madras. Asian Educational Services.
pp. 10. ISBN 978-81-206-0544-2. Retrieved 7 July
2011.
[18] Pran Nath Chopra (1982). Religions and communities of
India. Vision Books. p. 136. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
[19] M. D. Muthukumaraswamy; Molly Kaushal; Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (2004).
Folklore, public sphere, and civil society.
NFSC
www.indianfolklore.org. pp. 198. ISBN 978-81901481-4-6. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
[20] Mallampalli Somasekhara Sarma; Mallampalli Smakharaarma (1948). History of the Reddi kingdoms
(circa. 1325 A.D. to circa 1448 A.D.). Andhra University.
Retrieved 8 July 2011.
[21] Andhrula Sanghika Charitra, Suravaram Pratapa Reddy,
(in Telugu)
[22] A Sketch of the Dynasties of Southern India By Robert
Sewell
[23] Sheldon I. Pollock (2003). Literary cultures in history: reconstructions from South Asia. University of California
Press. pp. 385. ISBN 978-0-520-22821-4. Retrieved 8
July 2011.
[24] SRC submits report. The Hindu. Chennai, India. 1
October 2005. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
[25] Pro-Telangana AP govt employees threaten agitation.
The Economic Times. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 18
February 2012.
[26] Telangana Students Suicides Increase in Hyderabad
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/02/25/
telangana-protests-student-suicides-increase-in-hyderabad-durin/
[27] Telangana bill passed in Lok Sabha; Congress, BJP come
together in favour of new state. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
[28] Telangana bill passed by upper house. The Times of India. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
[29] The Andhra Pradesh reorganisation act, 2014 (PDF).
Ministry of law and justice, government of India. Retrieved 3 March 2014.

22

External links

Planning Commission Study of Andhra Pradeshs

Development and Regional in balances

EXTERNAL LINKS

11

23

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

23.1

Text

History of Andhra Pradesh Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Andhra_Pradesh?oldid=740620336 Contributors:

Utcursch, Dbachmann, Bender235, CanisRufus, Scott5114, Woohookitty, Myrtlegroggins, Tabletop, BD2412, Rjwilmsi, Dartdisah, Bgwhite, Deeptrivia, RussBot, Grafen, Sumanthk, Open2universe, Closedmouth, SmackBot, YellowMonkey, Paxse, Hmains, AndrewRT, Tborg, Dineshkannambadi, Ohconfucius, Shyamsunder, Skinsmoke, Dl2000, CatapultTalks, Bsskchaitanya, Tejas.B, Headbomb, Nick Number, Dr. Blofeld, Leolaursen, Kajasudhakarababu, Srinivas14, Nyttend, JaGa, Lalithadithya, R'n'B, Ramcrk, Morinae, Rajasekhar1961,
Thomas.W, Kumarrao, !dea4u, Vera from upstairs, Roland zh, Flyer22 Reborn, Miniapolis, Fratrep, Sean.hoyland, Tejam, Sitush, ImageRemovalBot, Renu iitkgp, Juru sreenivas, EoGuy, Bvenkatareddy, En.Dev, Aphistory1, Dthomsen8, Addbot, Kbseah, Manjunath
Doddamani Gajendragad, Non-dropframe, SpellingBot, Download, Ben Ben, Andhrabhoja, Yobot, AnomieBOT, Indianprithvi, Materialscientist, Dewan357, LilHelpa, GenQuest, J04n, Alvin Seville, January2009, Redaloes, FrescoBot, Full-date unlinking bot, Diannaa,
MegaSloth, Balablitz, Superk1a, Gitamishra, Dilipray, GoingBatty, RenamedUser01302013, GermanJoe, Nagarjuna198, ClueBot NG,
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Cyberbot II, ChrisGualtieri, Khazar2, Cpt.a.haddock, Mogism, Riariaria, Makecat-bot, ScitDei, The Ajan, Murrallli, Srravya, Trmwikifa,
VictoriaGrayson, Katyaan, Deva7071, PointsofNoReturn, MPCaton, Prad86, Surajkiller, GirijaVyas, Ashokachola, Wallace McDonald,
Montaguband, Kautilya3, AshleyPage662, Jocelyndurrey, Rubbish computer, Tjharrison372, Mcconnellsc58, YoSoyUnHamster, Mcguirj,
MahadevRao, LFdoR, AusLondonder, Charlottewoodley4, The Novac, Filpro, Uaiyer, Martaconsidine, Ojasvi deepak, Jennifersyoung,
Isida2017, Bender the Bot and Anonymous: 103

23.2

Images

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File:Archbridgegodavari.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Archbridgegodavari.JPG License: CC
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CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Base map template: demis.nl. Sorce for map data: Language families and branches, languages and dialects
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International Borders: University of Texas map library - India Political map 2001
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Region 2004 - Kashmir Maps.
State and District boundaries: Census of India - 2001 Census State Maps - Survey of India Maps.
Original artist:
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23.3

Content license

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