Telangana is a state in southern India, formed on 2 June 2014 as the 29th state of the Indian Union after its bifurcation from Andhra Pradesh. It occupies the central portion of the Deccan Plateau and is bordered by Maharashtra to the north, Chhattisgarh to the north-east, Karnataka to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the south and east. Hyderabad serves as its capital and largest city.
Key facts
| Statehood | 2 June 2014 |
|---|---|
| Capital | Hyderabad |
| Formed from | Andhra Pradesh (Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014) |
| Official languages | Telugu, Urdu |
| Region | South India, Deccan Plateau |
| Major rivers | Godavari, Krishna |
| High Court | High Court for the State of Telangana, Hyderabad |
| Legislature | Bicameral (Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council) |
Etymology
The name Telangana is generally traced to Telugu Angana, meaning "the place where Telugu is spoken". A related form, Trilinga Desa, refers to the land between three ancient Shaiva shrines: Kaleshwaram, Srisailam, and Draksharama.
History
The region has a long history of dynastic rule. The Satavahanas, with their early capital at Kotilingala and later at Pratishthana, established one of the earliest major polities in the Deccan from around the 2nd century BCE. They were succeeded over time by the Ikshvakus, Vishnukundinas, Chalukyas of Badami, Rashtrakutas, and the Kakatiyas of Warangal (12th–14th centuries), under whom Telugu culture and statecraft flourished.
Following the fall of the Kakatiyas, the area came under the Bahmani Sultanate and subsequently the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golconda, which founded Hyderabad in 1591. The Asaf Jahi Nizams ruled the princely state of Hyderabad from 1724 until its accession to India in 1948 through Operation Polo.
After accession, the Telangana region was merged with Andhra State in 1956 to form the unified state of Andhra Pradesh, on the basis of the Gentlemen's Agreement and the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission. Demands for a separate Telangana persisted from the 1969 agitation onwards, culminating in the formal creation of the state in 2014.
Geography
Telangana lies on the Deccan Plateau and is largely drained by the Godavari and Krishna river systems. The terrain consists of rocky uplands, plains, and forested hills, with significant reserves of coal in the Singareni belt. The state has a tropical climate, with hot summers and a south-west monsoon season.
Administration
The state is divided into 33 districts. Government functions from Hyderabad, which it shared as a joint capital with Andhra Pradesh until 2 June 2024, after which it became the sole capital of Telangana. The state has 17 Lok Sabha constituencies, 7 Rajya Sabha seats, and a 119-member Legislative Assembly along with a Legislative Council.
Economy
Hyderabad is a major hub for information technology, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals, hosting the HITEC City and Genome Valley clusters. Agriculture remains important, with rice, cotton, maize, and turmeric among the principal crops. Singareni Collieries Company is a major public-sector employer in coal mining. Handloom traditions such as Pochampally Ikat and Gadwal sarees have geographical indication status.
Culture and education
Telugu literature, Carnatic music, and folk traditions such as Perini Sivatandavam and Bathukamma form important cultural strands. Major festivals include Bathukamma, Bonalu, Sankranti, Ugadi, and Ramzan. The state hosts numerous universities, including Osmania University, Kakatiya University, the Satavahana University at Karimnagar, the University of Hyderabad, and several institutes of national importance such as IIT Hyderabad and NIT Warangal.
Significance
Telangana's creation was the culmination of one of independent India's longest-running statehood movements. The state combines a deep historical legacy from the Satavahana and Kakatiya periods with a modern economy anchored by Hyderabad's information-technology and pharmaceutical industries, making it a central component of South India's contemporary political and economic landscape.