Andhra, whose eastern borders rush out to meet the Bay of Bengal, is a place of many contrasts. Though mostly made up of the Deccan plateau, its large upland tracts appear like gentle sloping hills moving down to the giant basin of the Godavari and Krishna rivers, emptying themselves into the Bay of Bengal. They are two of the great rivers of the South. They rise high in the Western Ghats and cut deep through Andhra Pradesh while moving rapidly towards the east on their way to the sea. They, as well as the Tungbhadra River provide much needed water for irrigation. Man made canals help in distributing this water throughout the state.

The Andhra Plateau is made of old crystalline rocks, rich in mineral resources. The cultivated hills are dotted with spaced out trees giving them a park-like appearance. Parts of the region are semi arid and one can find short trees of Acacias and Euphorbias with grassy undergrowth of thorny bushes.

The capital of the state is Hyderabad, which actually comprises of two cities-that of the old Hyderabad and the new Secunderabad. Secunderabad was the military garrison of the state, at the time of the British. The state was also a part of Ashoka's Empire around 3 BC, and thus became a major Buddhist center. The ruins of those times can still be found scattered across Andhra Pradesh. The Chalukya kings subsequently ruled it, the chola rulers and the kakatiyas-who ruled from Warangal. The Muslims quickly displaced by the mighty Vijayanagar Empire and then again by the Muslims who managed to win the power struggles and established themselves in Hyderabad. Andhra was finally merged with the Indian union in 1948.

Telugu speaking Dravidians dominate Andhra Pradesh. Urdu speaking Muslims are found in large pockets, especially around Hyderabad. One can also find Tamil speaking minority in the extreme south, whereas some areas bordering Karnataka have Kannada speaking people.

The Andhra Pradesh of today is a unique blend of Muslim and Hindu cultures. It has its own classical dance form- The Kuchipudi. The blending of cultures is most evident in the cuisine found all over the state. They abound in non-vegetarian dishes and the food has a distinct North Indian flavor added to it. So what you get is food, richer and spicier.

Andhra Pradesh is known for its crafts industries as well as the ship building industry. Recently though, the state has focused on intense development in the field of Information Technology. Hyderabad, the state capital, is fast becoming, India’s connecting gateway to the IT world. This has, however, not detracted the charms of the Andhra people, who will still greet you, warmly in a style reminiscent of the long gone Mughal Nawabs.

Andhra Pradesh has had its name changed many times. Emperor Ashoka called it ‘The Land of the Andhras’ the ‘Satvahana’ kings who were liberal and secular rulers and invited different religious people into the state ruled it. During Ashoka’s rule, the state of Andhra Pradesh was a major Buddhist center. Around that time, the capital of the area was Amravati, where one can still find traces of the great artistic skills of the builders and artisans of the time.

In the 7th century, the Chalukya kings ruled over the state. They ruled for about 300 years and lost power around the 10th century AD to the Chola kings, who came invading from the south. Then, around the 13th century, the Kakatiyas came into power. They ruled from Warangal, which is situated in the North East of Hyderabad. Around this time, Sultans, who tried their luck over Andhra, were ruling Delhi. However, they could not get a foothold until 1323 AD, when Warangal was captured by Mohammad Bin Tughlag’s army. But soon, the Hindus removed them from power. For the next 200 years, Andhra was popularly known as a part of the Vijayanagar Empire. These years saw many skirmishes between the Hindus and Muslims. Finally, in the 2nd half of the 16th century, the Vijaynagar Empire was removed after a crushing defeat at the Battle of Talikota and over a period of time, the Qutub Shahi Kings established themselves at Hyderabad. These kings are known for building the strong stone fortress of Golconda. Nearby are the impressive tombs of these Kings. At the end of the 17th century, this dynasty came to an end, when Andhra was taken over by a General of Aurangzeb. This general’s successors came to be known as the Nizams of Hyderabad and took over after Aurangzeb’s death. They ruled even after the Indian Independence of 1947. During the 18th century, the French and British immigrants spread their influence. They made an alliance with the then Nizam of Hyderabad, around the end of the 18th century. The Nizam gave the British, the right to trade as well as political control over the coastal areas of his province.

This helped him retain a certain kind of independence right through 1947. After Independence, the Nizam wanted to join Pakistan or keep an independent state, but in 1948, when the country was in deep chaos, the Indian Government took direct control of the state.

During the rule of the Nizams of Hyderabad the entire state became poorer and poorer, while the personal wealth of the Nizams increased. The last Nizam of Hyderabad was known as the richest man in the world. He had around 11,000 servants and more than half of his palace was used to store gold and jewellery. His paperweights were diamonds, the size of eggs, though he himself was quite a miser. During the rule of these Nizams, Hyderabad changed from the rest of the state and developed its own distinct manners, language and accents, cuisine, as well as crafts and festivals.

Andhra Pradesh is mostly covered with hills of the Deccan Plateau. In the south of Andhra Pradesh are the ‘Palkonda Hills’ which also have the Tirumala Hills. Above these hills on the eastern side, running North to south, are the ‘Velikonda Hills’, which are on the outer eastern edges of the ‘Nallamalla Range’. On the western side of the state is the ‘Erramala Range’. The coastal regions are flat, alluvial plains. The inland is made up of a series of Deccan Plateau hills joining the Eastern Ghats.

Just outside the city of Hyderabad lies the hill of Golconda. There are the twin hillocks called the ‘Naubat Pahad’ and the ‘Kala Pahad’. Scattered around Andhra Pradesh, we have Hanumakonda Hill, Simhachalam Hill, Tirumala Hills, Tiruttani, Srisailam, Indrakila Hill, Kailasa Hills, Penuconda, Nandi Durg and many others.

Most of Andhra Pradesh is formed on the high Deccan Plateau, which slopes down to the flat coastal area in the east. The plateau is made of ancient metamorphosed rocks, which were once either sedimentary or volcanic. These crystalline rocks make the land rich in mineral resources. Andhra also has two major rivers flowing through it. Godavari, in the north and Krishna in the south, both flow from the west to the east. Both rise in the Western Ghats and after crossing the state, empty out into the Bay of Bengal. Godavari, the larger of the two, flows about 1,500 Kms across the Plateau. Krishna too, covers about 1,400 kms on its journey. There are other smaller rivers, like the Pennar and the Cheyyar, but these are seasonal rivers.

The deltas of the Godavari & Krishna are very wide and form a lake in between, called the ‘Kolleru Lake’. During the monsoons, it spans nearly 260 sq. kms. It has now been converted into a bird sanctuary. Both the rivers form the second largest watershed in India and help irrigate about 6 million hectares of farmland.