Telugu states

This article is about the ethnographic region of Telugu people in India. For the preceding political entity before bifurcation, see Andhra Pradesh (1956-2014).

Telugu states తెలుగు రాష్ట్రాలు (Telugu Rāṣṭrālu)
Ethno Region
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Yanam
Country	India
States	Andhra Pradesh Telangana Yanam
Largest city	Hyderabad
Major cities (2011 Census of India) [1]	Visakhapatnam Vijayawada Warangal Guntur Tirupati Nellore
Area
• Total	275,052 km2 (106,198 sq mi)
Population  (2011 Census of India)
• Total	84,580,777
• Density	307.508/km2 (796.443/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (Indian Standard Time)
Official languages	Telugu, Urdu (Official)

The Telugu states refer to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where Telugu is spoken as the primary language. The predominant population of Telugu ethnic-group reside in these states. When put together, the region is bordered by Maharashtra to the north, Karnataka to the west, Odisha, Chhattisgarh to the northeast, Tamil Nadu to the south and the Bay of Bengal, Yanam district enclave of Puducherry to the east.

The unified state of Andhra Pradesh was established in 1956 through the merger of the Telugu-speaking Andhra State with the Telangana region of the former Hyderabad State under the States Reorganisation Act. ^[2] The referential term of Telugu states has been in use ever since the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based on the 2023 population estimates, Telangana has a population of 38,272,000, and Andhra Pradesh has 53,340,000 bringing the combined population of the Telugu states to 91.62 million. ^[3]

History

Main articles: History of Telangana and History of Andhra Pradesh

Following the Independence of India in 1947, Telugu-speaking population was divided between Hyderabad State and Madras State. To gain an independent state based on linguistic identity and to protect the interests of the Telugu-speaking people of Madras State, Potti Sreeramulu fasted to death in 1952. The Telugu-speaking area of Andhra State was carved out of Madras state on 1 October 1953, with Kurnool as its capital city. ^[4]

Vishalandhra was the term used in post-independence India for a united state for all Telugu speakers. ^[5] On the basis of the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1956, the States reorganisation act created Andhra Pradesh by merging the neighbouring Telugu-speaking areas of the Hyderabad State with Hyderabad as the capital on 1 November 1956. ^[6]

Language

Telugu is spoken across the Telugu states. ^[7] As of 2022, Urdu has also gained official status in both the states. Telugu stands alongside Hindi, Bengali and English as one of the few languages with primary official language status in more than one Indian state. ^[8] It is one of eleven languages designated a classical language of India by the country's government. ^[9]

Culture

Main articles: Culture of Andhra Pradesh and Culture of Telangana

Given the proximity of the two states and the shared language, there are quite a few similarities between the states like cuisine (see Telugu cuisine, Andhra cuisine and Hyderabadi cuisine) and cinema (see Telugu cinema).

References

1. "Indian cities by population" (PDF).
2. Haseeb, Ahssanuddin (20 September 2024). "How Andhra Pradesh Emerged from the Madras Presidency? - A Historic Transition". Hyderabad Khabar News. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
3. Rana, Rajeev (3 July 2024). "Indian States by Population | State wise Population of India 2024 |". Know Noida City. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
4. "Struggle for Andhra state – AP state portal". Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
5. Grover, Verinder; Arora, Ranjana (1996). Encyclopaedia of India and Her States: Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Deep & Deep. ISBN   978-81-7100-730-1.
6. "Post-independence era, then and now". aponline.gov.in. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
7. "Making Telugu compulsory: Mother tongues, the last stronghold against Hindi imposition".
8. "Schools, Colleges called for a shutdown in Telugu states". Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
9. "Declaration of Telugu and Kannada as classical languages". Press Information Bureau. Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2008.