History of Andhra Pradesh

The history of the Telugu-speaking region and the political entities that have governed it, from ancient kingdoms to the modern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Connect

Satavahana dynasty: An ancient Indian dynasty that ruled much of the Deccan from the late first millennium BCE into the third century CE. Its Deccan rule connected early Andhra political history with wider Indian trade and state formation.
Krishna Deva Raya: The most prominent ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, reigning from 1509 to 1529. His reign brought parts of the Telugu region under a powerful imperial court.
Andhra State: An Indian state formed in 1953 from Telugu-speaking districts separated from Madras State. It was the first state created in independent India on a linguistic basis.
Vijayanagara Empire: A South Indian empire founded in 1336 that ruled much of the Deccan until the seventeenth century. Its control of Telugu territories contrasted with the region’s earlier dynastic kingdoms.
Andhra Ikshvaku dynasty: A dynasty that ruled the lower Krishna valley in the third and fourth centuries CE. Its capital at Vijayapuri succeeded Satavahana power in an important early Andhra center.
Alluri Sitarama Raju: An Indian revolutionary who led the Rampa Rebellion against British rule in 1922–1924. His uprising made resistance in the agency areas a defining episode of colonial Andhra.
States Reorganisation Act, 1956: An Indian law that reorganized state boundaries, largely along linguistic lines, in 1956. It merged Andhra State with Telangana to create Andhra Pradesh.
Qutb Shahi dynasty: A Muslim dynasty that ruled the kingdom of Golconda from the sixteenth to the seventeenth century. Its rule centered power in the Deccan and shaped Hyderabad’s political and cultural history.
Eastern Chalukyas: A medieval dynasty that ruled Vengi in coastal Andhra from the seventh to the twelfth century. Their long rule helped establish Telugu as a language of courtly literature.
Potti Sreeramulu: An Indian activist whose 1952 fast unto death intensified demands for a Telugu-speaking state. His death accelerated the creation of Andhra State in 1953.