Telugu people

Speakers of Telugu refer to it as simply Telugu or Telugoo.{{sfn|Rao|Shulman|2002|loc=Chapter 2}} Older forms of the name include Teluṅgu and Tenuṅgu.{{citation |last=Parpola |first=Asko |title=The Roots of Hinduism: The Early Aryans and the Indus Civilization |page=167 |year=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0190226923 |author-link=Asko Parpola}} Tenugu is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word *ten ("south"){{Cite book |title=Telugu Basha Charitra |publisher=Osmania University |year=1979 |location=Hyderabad |pages=6, 7}} to mean "the people who lived in the south/southern direction". The name Telugu, then, is a result of an "n" to "l" alternation established in Telugu.{{Cite book |title=The Dravidian Languages – Bhadriraju Krishnamurti}}{{sfn|Rao|Shulman|2002|loc=Introduction}}

P. Chenchiah and Bhujanga Rao note that Atharvana Acharya in the 13th century wrote a grammar of Telugu, calling it the Trilinga Shabdānushāsana (or Trilinga Grammar).{{cite book |last1=Chenchiah |first1=P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xwXx7LB-ai4C&pg=PA55 |title=A History of Telugu Literature |last2=Rao |first2=Raja M. Bhujanga |publisher=Asian Educational Services |year=1988 |isbn=978-81-206-0313-4 |page=55 |access-date=26 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013130924/https://books.google.com/books?id=xwXx7LB-ai4C&pg=PA55 |archive-date=13 October 2022 |url-status=live}} However, most scholars note that Atharvana's grammar was titled Atharvana Karikavali.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bBJuAAAAMAAJ&q=Atharvana |title=Sri Venkateswara University Oriental Journal |date=1974 |publisher=Oriental Research Institute, Sri Venkateswara University |volume=17 |pages=55 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Purushottam |first=Boddupalli |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_lZkAAAAMAAJ&q=Atharvana+Telugu+Grammar |title=The Theories of Telugu Grammar |date=1996 |publisher=International School of Dravidian Linguistics |isbn=978-81-85692-17-3 |pages=4 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Aksharajna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dh43AQAAMAAJ&q=Atharvana+Telugu+Grammar |title=Some Mile-stones in Telugu Literature |date=1915 |publisher=Read & Company |pages=41 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Sherwani |first=Haroon Khan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9T5uAAAAMAAJ&q=Atharvana+Telugu+Grammar |title=History of Medieval Deccan, 1295-1724: Mainly cultural aspects |date=1974 |publisher=Government of Andhra Pradesh |pages=167 |language=en |author-link=Haroon Khan Sherwani}} Appa Kavi in the 17th century explicitly wrote that Telugu was derived from Trilinga. Scholar Charles P. Brown made a comment that it was a "strange notion" since the predecessors of Appa Kavi had no knowledge of such a derivation.{{citation |last=Brown |first=Charles P. |title=Madras Journal of Literature and Science |volume=X |page=53 |year=1839 |access-date=26 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013130924/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZhkYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA53 |url-status=live |chapter=Essay on the Language and Literature of Telugus |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZhkYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA53 |publisher=Vepery mission Press. |archive-date=13 October 2022 |author-link=Charles Phillip Brown}}

George Abraham Grierson and other linguists doubt this derivation, holding rather that Telugu was the older term and Trilinga must be the later Sanskritisation of it.{{Linguistic Survey of India|4|year=1967|orig-year=1906|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|place=Delhi|chapter=Telugu|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/rosettaproject_tel_detail-1|access-date=12 June 2014|p=576}}{{citation |last=Sekaram |first=Kandavalli Balendu |title=The Andhras through the ages |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E6E5AQAAIAAJ |page=4 |year=1973 |access-date=25 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013130925/https://books.google.com/books?id=E6E5AQAAIAAJ |url-status=live |publisher=Sri Saraswati Book Depot |quote="The easier and more ancient "Telugu" appears to have been converted here into the impressive Sanskrit word Trilinga, and making use of its enormous prestige as the classical language, the theory was put forth that the word Trilinga is the mother and not the child." |archive-date=13 October 2022}} If so the derivation itself must have been quite ancient because Triglyphum, Trilingum and Modogalingam are attested in ancient Greek sources, the last of which can be interpreted as a Telugu rendition of "Trilinga".{{citation |last=Caldwell |first=Robert |title=A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian Family of Languages |url=http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil_elib/Cdw856__Caldwell_ComparativeGrammarDravidian.pdf |page=64 |year=1856 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil_elib/Cdw856__Caldwell_ComparativeGrammarDravidian.pdf |url-status=live |location=London |publisher=Harrison |archive-date=2022-10-09 |author-link=Robert Caldwell}}

{{Main|Andhras}}

Andhra is an ethnonym used for Telugu people since antiquity. As per Iravatham Mahadevan, non-Aryan people living beyond the borders of the region inhabited by the Indo-Aryan speakers were known as the Andhras.{{Cite journal |last=Mahadevan |first=Iravatham |author-link=Iravatham Mahadevan |date=1 January 2010 |title=Harappan Heritage of Andhra: A New Interpretation |url=https://rmrl.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/papers/41.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=12, 14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610153451/https://rmrl.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/papers/41.pdf |archive-date=10 June 2021 |quote=}} Mahadevan notes that since most Dravidian-speaking men had names ending with the suffIx -(a)nṟ, the Dravidian etymon -(a)nṟ was borrowed as a loanword into Indo-Aryan as andha and later as āndhra to denote the name of the neighbouring Dravidian-speaking people.

{{See also|History of Andhra Pradesh|History of Telangana}}

Andhra ({{langx|te|ఆంధ్ర}}) was a kingdom mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. It was a southern kingdom, currently identified as Indian state of Andhra Pradesh where it got its name from. Andhra communities are also mentioned in the Vayu, Skanda, Markandeya and Matsya Purana. In the Mahabharata the infantry of Satyaki was composed by a tribe called Andhras, known for their long hair, tall stature, sweet language, and mighty prowess. They lived along the banks of the Godavari river. Andhras and Kalingas supported the Kauravas during the Mahabharata war. Sahadeva defeated the kingdoms of Pandya, Andhra, Kalinga, Dravida, Odra and Chera while performing the Rajasuya Yajna. Buddhist references to Andhras are also found.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wRAhAAAAMAAJ|title=Proceedings of the Andhra Pradesh Oriental Conference: Fourth session, Nagarjuna University, Guntur, 3rd to 5th March 1984|last=Śrīhari|first=R.|date=1987-01-01|publisher=The Conference|language=en}}{{Cite book|url = https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98843|title = Journal of Indian History|date = 1949-01-01|publisher = University of Kerala.|language = en}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EmIMAAAAIAAJ|title=A Prose English Translation of the Mahabharata: (tr. Literally from the Original Sanskrit Text)|last=Datta|first=Manmathanatha|date=1897-01-01|publisher=H.C. Dass|language=en}}File:Map of the Satavahanas.png (Andhra Empire) in the late 1st century CE.{{cite book |last1=Schwartzberg |first1=Joseph E. |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=182 |title=A Historical atlas of South Asia |date=1978 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=0226742210 |location=Chicago |page=145, map XIV.1 (e)}}]]

Andhra was mentioned in the Sanskrit sources such as Aitareya Brahmana ({{Circa|800 BCE}}). According to Aitareya Brahmana of the Rigveda, the Andhras left North India from the banks of river Yamuna and migrated to South India.{{cite book |last=Devi |first=Ragini |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KRz5ykKRVAEC&q=Andhra+Trace+their+history&pg=PA66 |title=Dance Dialects of India |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=1990 |isbn=81-208-0674-3 |pages=66 |access-date=2014-06-09}}{{cite web |title=History of Andhra Pradesh |url=http://www.aponline.gov.in/quick%20links/hist-cult/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716182646/http://www.aponline.gov.in/quick%20links/hist-cult/history.html |archive-date=2012-07-16 |access-date=22 July 2012 |work=AP Online |publisher=Government of Andhra Pradesh}} They were also mentioned in the Mahabharata and Buddhist Jataka tales. In the seventh century BCE, Asmaka was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. Andhras were mentioned by Megasthenes in his Indica ({{Circa|310 BCE}}) as being second only to Mauryans in military strength in the entire Indian subcontinent. They had 30 fortified towns along the Godavari River and an army of 1,00,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry and 1,000 elephants. They are mentioned at the time of the death of the great Mauryan King Ashoka in 232 BCE.{{cite encyclopedia |title=Andhra Pradesh - MSN Encarta |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580539/andhra_pradesh.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028105629/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580539/Andhra_Pradesh.html |archive-date=2009-10-28}}{{Cite news |title=History of Andhra Pradesh |url=http://www.aponline.gov.in/quick%20links/hist-cult/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716182646/http://www.aponline.gov.in/quick%20links/hist-cult/history.html |archive-date=16 July 2012 |access-date=22 July 2012 |work=Government of Andhra Pradesh |agency=Associated Press}}{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/ancientmedievalh0000ragh |title=Ancient and medieval history of Andhra Pradesh |work=P. Raghunadha Rao |publisher=Sterling Publishers |year=1993 |isbn=9788120714953 |page=iv |access-date=9 June 2014 |url-access=registration}}

The first major Andhra polity was the Satavahana dynasty (2nd century BCE–2nd century CE) which ruled over the entire Deccan plateau and established trade relations with the Roman Empire.{{Cite book |last=Wolpert |first=Stanley A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QSZuAAAAMAAJ&q=Andhra |title=A New History of India |date=1989 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-505636-5 |pages=75, 76 |language=en |quote=Apparently originating somewhere between the peninsular rivers Godavari and Krishna, homeland of the Dravidian Telugu-speaking peoples whose descendants now live in a state called Andhra, the great Andhra dynasty spread across much of south and central India from the second century BC till the second century AD. |author-link=Stanley Wolpert}}{{Cite web |title=History of Andhra Pradesh |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Andhra-Pradesh/History |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en |quote=About the 1st century CE the Satavahanas (or Satakarni), one of the most-renowned of the Andhra dynasties, came to power.}}{{Cite book |last=Sailendra Nath Sen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA172 |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |publisher=New Age International |year=1999 |isbn=9788122411980 |pages=172–176 |access-date=29 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323134904/https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA172 |archive-date=23 March 2017 |url-status=live}} The kingdom reached its zenith under Gautamiputra Satakarni. Their capital city, Amaravati was the most prosperous city in India in 2nd century CE. At the end of the Satavahana rule, the Telugu region was divided into Kingdoms ruled by lords. In the late second century CE, the Andhra Ikshvakus ruled the eastern region along the Krishna River. During the fourth century, the Pallava dynasty extended their rule across southern Andhra Pradesh and Tamilakam and established their capital at Kanchipuram. Their power increased during the reigns of Mahendravarman I (571–630) and Narasimhavarman I (630–668). The Pallavas dominated the southern Telugu-speaking region and northern Tamilakam until the end of the ninth century. Later, various dynasties have ruled the area, including the Salankayanas, Cholas, Vishnukundinas and Eastern Chalukyas.{{cite encyclopedia |title=Andhra Pradesh - MSN Encarta |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580539/andhra_pradesh.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028105629/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580539/Andhra_Pradesh.html |archive-date=2009-10-28}}

File:Map of the Kakatiyas.png

File:Vijayanagara-empire-map.svg

Between 1163 and 1323 the Kakatiya dynasty emerged, bringing the distinct upland and lowland cultures of Telugu lands, which brought into being a feeling of cultural affinity between those who spoke the Telugu language. Kakatiya era also saw the development of a distinct style of architecture which improved and innovated upon the existing modes.{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=B. Satyanarayana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SujVAAAAMAAJ |title=The Art and Architecture of the Kākatīyas |date=1999 |publisher=Bharatiya Kala Prakashan |isbn=978-81-86050-34-7 |pages=33, 65 |language=en}} Most notable examples are the Thousand Pillar Temple in Hanamkonda, Ramappa Temple in Palampet, Warangal Fort, Golconda Fort and Kota Gullu in Ghanpur.{{cite book |author=V. V. Subba Reddy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c08qf7d2TZQC&pg=PA129 |title=Temples of South India |publisher=Gyan Publishing House |year=2009 |isbn=9788121210225 |accessdate=14 October 2021}} During this period, the Telugu language emerged as a literary medium with the writings of Nannaya, Tikkana, Eranna, Pothana etc. are the translators and poets of the great Hindu epics like Ramayana, Mahabharatha, Bhagavatha etc.

Telingana, a term referring to the land inhabited by Telugus, was first used during the 14th century CE.{{Cite news |date=2017-12-13 |title=Earliest reference to Telangana found not in Telugu, but Gond language |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/earliest-reference-to-telangana-found-not-in-telugu-but-gond-language/articleshow/62046296.cms |access-date=2023-03-24 |issn=0971-8257}}{{citation |last=Caldwell |first=Robert |title=A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian Family of Languages |url=http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil_elib/Cdw856__Caldwell_ComparativeGrammarDravidian.pdf |page=64 |year=1856 |location=London |publisher=Harrison |author-link=Robert Caldwell}} In 1323 the sultan of Delhi, Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, sent a large army commanded by Ulugh Khan (later, as Muhammad bin Tughluq, 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 influences from the Turkic kingdoms of Delhi 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.

The Telugus achieved independence under Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646). The Qutb Shahi dynasty of the Bahmani Sultanate succeeded that empire. The Qutub Shahis were tolerant of Telugu culture from the early 16th to the end of the 17th centuries.Richard M. Eaton (2005), A Social History of the Deccan, 1300-1761: Eight Indian Lives, Vol. 1, Cambridge University Press, 142-143

The arrival of Europeans (the French under the Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau and the English under Robert Clive) altered polity of the region. 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.

Andhra's modern foundation was laid in the struggle for Indian independence. India became independent from the United Kingdom in 1947. Potti Sreeramulu'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 as its capital and freedom-fighter Prakasam Pantulu as its first chief minister. Andhra, the first Indian state formed primarily on a linguistic basis, was carved from the Madras Presidency in 1953. Although the Muslim Nizam of Hyderabad wanted to retain independence from India, he was forced to cede his kingdom to the Dominion of India in 1948 to form Hyderabad State. In 1956, Andhra State was merged with the Telugu-speaking portion of Hyderabad State (the Telangana region) to create the state of Andhra Pradesh. The Lok Sabha approved the formation of Telangana from ten northwestern districts of Andhra Pradesh on 18 February 2014.{{cite magazine|last=Menon|first=Amamath K.|date=1 June 2014|title=Telangana is born, KCR to take oath as its first CM|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/telangana-braces-to-celebrate-its-birthday-celebrations-kcr/1/364724.html|magazine=India Today|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111151025/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/telangana-braces-to-celebrate-its-birthday-celebrations-kcr/1/364724.html|archive-date=11 November 2014|access-date=15 September 2016}}

{{Main|Culture of Andhra Pradesh|Culture of Telangana}}

{{Main |Andhra cuisine| Telangana cuisine}}

Different regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana all produce distinctive variations of Telugu cuisine. Telugu cuisine is generally known for its tangy, hot, and spicy taste. Andhra Pradesh is the leading producer of red chili and rice in India. The concentration of red chili production in Andhra Pradesh has led to the liberal use of spices in Andhra cuisine. Rice is the staple in Telugu culture along with Ragi (రాగి) which is popular in Rayalaseema and Palnadu regions.

{{Main|Telugu language}}

Telugu is a South-Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. The oldest inscriptions with Telugu words date to 400 BCE found at Bhattiprolu in Guntur district.{{Cite news |date=2007-12-20 |title=Telugu is 2,400 years old, says ASI |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/Telugu-is-2400-years-old-says-ASI/article14898202.ece |access-date=2020-10-08 |issn=0971-751X}} Other early inscriptions with more refined language were found in Kantamanenivarigudem, Guntupalli in West Godavari district and Gummadidurru and Ghantasala in Krishna district. The earliest inscription completely written in Telugu dates to 575 CE were found at Kalamalla village in Kadapa district.

{{Main|Telugu literature}}

Telugu has an unbroken and diverse literary tradition of over a thousand years. The earliest Telugu literature dates to 11th century CE with Nannaya's Andhra Mahabharatam. The language experienced a golden age under the patronage of the Vijayanagara king-poet Krishnadevaraya.

File:A Kuchipudi dance by two Hindu girls.jpg dancers from Andhra Pradesh, 2011]]

Kuchipudi, originating from the eponymous village in Krishna district, is of the eight major Indian classical dances.{{cite book |author1=Bishnupriya Dutt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uNaGAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA216 |title=Engendering Performance: Indian Women Performers in Search of an Identity |author2=Urmimala Sarkar Munsi |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=2010 |isbn=978-81-321-0612-8 |page=216}}{{cite news |title='Art has to be nurtured to sustain' |work=The Hindu |url=http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/dance/%E2%80%98Art-has-to-be-nurtured-to-sustain%E2%80%99/article16993784.ece |access-date=5 April 2017}} It is a dance-drama performance, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of Natya Shastra.{{cite book |author=Manohar Laxman Varadpande |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TaF603WEv4IC |title=Krishna Theatre in India |publisher=Abhinav Publications |year=1982 |isbn=978-81-7017-151-5 |pages=133}} It developed as a religious art linked to traveling bards, temples and spiritual beliefs, like all major classical dances of India.{{cite book |author=James G. Lochtefeld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC&pg=PA376 |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8 |pages=376–377}} Other Telugu performing arts include:

• Andhra Natyam
• Vilasini Natyam
• Nava Janardhanam
• Perini Sivatandavam
• Oggu Katha
• Burra Katha
• Tholu Bommalata

File:Amaravati Stupa relief at Museum.jpg relief at a museum (1st{{En dash}}2nd century CE)|left|202x202px]]

Amaravati School of Art is an ancient Indian art style that evolved in the region of Amaravati (then known as Dhānyakaṭaka) from 2nd century BCE to the end of the 3rd century CE.{{Cite web |title=Amarāvatī sculpture |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Amaravati-sculpture |access-date=25 March 2023 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=V. D. |first=Mahajan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7TJlDwAAQBAJ&dq=Megasthenes+Andhras&pg=PA297 |title=Ancient India |date=2016 |publisher=S. Chand Publishing |isbn=978-93-5253-132-5 |pages=294, 295 |language=en |author-link=Vidya Dhar Mahajan}}{{Cite journal |last=Kumari |first=Sabita |date=2012 |title=Representation of the Birth of the Buddha in Buddhist Art of Andhradesa |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44156202 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=73 |pages=163–168 |issn=2249-1937 |jstor=44156202}} It is also called the Andhra School or Vengi School. Art historians regard the art of Amaravati as one of the three major styles or schools of ancient Indian art, the other two being the Mathura style, and the Gandharan style.{{Cite book |last=Pal |first=Pratapaditya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=clUmKaWRFTkC&q=Andhra+style+of+sculpture |title=Indian Sculpture: Circa 500 B.C.-A.D. 700 |publisher=Los Angeles County Museum of Art |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-520-05991-7 |pages=154 |language=en |author-link=Pratapaditya Pal}}{{Cite book |last=Jermsawatdi |first=Promsak |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0O9je9dECH8C&dq=Amaravati+Schooli&pg=PA48 |title=Thai Art with Indian Influences |date=1979 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=978-81-7017-090-7 |pages=48, 49 |language=en}} Amaravati school flourished under the local Sada rulers, Satavahanas, and Andhra Ikshvakus till 325{{En dash}}340 CE. Amaravati Stupa is the most famous monument of this style, and it was for some time "the greatest monument in Buddhist Asia",Harle, 35 and "the jewel in the crown of early Indian art".Harle, 34 Apart from Amaravati, the style is also found in Nagarjunakonda and Chandavaram Buddhist site.

Largely because of the maritime trading links of the East Indian coast, the Amaravati school of sculpture had great influence on art in South India, Sri Lanka, and South-East Asia.{{Harvnb|Rowland|1967|p=210}}{{Cite web |last=Chowdhuri |first=Sreyashi Ray |date=24 October 2022 |title=Impact of Amarāvatī on early schools of art of South-East Asia |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/history/essay/amaravati-art-study/d/doc1147549.html |access-date=27 March 2023 |website= |publisher=University of Calcutta |language=en |via=Wisdom Library}} Buddha image in sculptures which later on became the prototype of images in different Buddhist countries was standardised here.Ramachandran, A. "Amaravati Buddhist Images in Srilanka and Southeast Asia." Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, vol. 53, 1992, pp. 686–91. JSTOR, {{JSTOR|44142888}}. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023. The Amaravati style of Buddha image retained its popularity in Sri Lanka till the 12th century.

{{Main|Kakatiya architecture}}

File:Master piece of ramappa temple.jpg (1213{{En dash}}1253 CE), a UNESCO World Heritage Site{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Kakatiya Rudreswara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1570/ |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}|215x215px]]

Kakatiya era also saw the development of a distinct style of architecture which improved and innovated upon the existing modes.{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=B. Satyanarayana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SujVAAAAMAAJ |title=The Art and Architecture of the Kākatīyas |date=1999 |publisher=Bharatiya Kala Prakashan |isbn=978-81-86050-34-7 |pages=33, 65 |language=en}} It is a fusion of Dravidian architecture and Nagara Bhumija styles in which sandbox technology is used to construct Vimana—horizontal stepped tower. Most notable examples are the Thousand Pillar Temple in Hanamkonda, Ramappa Temple in Palampet, and Kota Gullu in Ghanpur. Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreswara temple, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Mulugu.{{Cite news |last=Nanisetti |first=Serish |date=25 July 2021 |title=Telangana's Ramappa Temple inscribed as a World Heritage Site |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/telanganas-ramappa-temple-inscribed-as-a-world-heritage-site/article35522471.ece |access-date=2021-07-25 |issn=0971-751X}}

{{Main|Telugu cinema}}Telugu cinema is the largest film industry in India in terms of box-office as well as admissions.{{Cite news |last=Kohli-Khandekar |first=Vanita |date=2022-02-04 |title=Rise of the South: Telugu cinema sets Indian box office on fire |work=Business Standard |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/entertainment/rise-of-the-south-telugu-cinema-sets-indian-box-office-on-fire-122020400061_1.html#:~:text=Telugu%20cinema%20has%20zoomed%20through,2021%20after%20Tanhaji%20(Hindi). |access-date=2022-10-11}} The industry has produced some of India's most expensive and highest-grossing films of all time over the years.

• Masculine

1. Uttareeyam (Uttariya) or Pai Pancha (Angvastram or veil)
2. Pancha (Dhoti)
3. Jubba (Kurta) The top portion
4. Lungi (Casual dress)

• Feminine

1. Langa voni (Half sari)
2. Cheera (sari)

{{See also|List of festivals in Andhra Pradesh}}

Important festivals celebrated by Telugu people include:

• Bhogi, Makara Sankranti, Kanuma in January. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
• Maha Sivaratri in February/March. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
• Ugadi or the Telugu New Year in March/April. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
• Sri Rama Navami celebrated in March/April, 9 days after Ugadi. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
• Bonalu celebrated in Ashada masam (July/August). (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
• Hanuman Jayanti in March/May/June. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
• Vaikunta Ekadasi in December /January. (The exact date may vary as per Hindu calendar.)
• Varalakshmi Vratam in August. (The exact date may vary as per Hindu calendar.)
• Krishna Janmashtami in August. (The exact date may vary as per Hindu calendar.)
• Vinayaka Chaviti in August. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
• Bathukamma celebrated for nine days during Durga Navaratri.
• Dasara in September/October. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
• Atla Tadde 3rd day in bright half of Ashviyuja month (falls in September/October in Gregorian calendar). However, the exact date may vary according to the Hindu calendar.
• Deepavali (date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
• Nagula Chavithi is in October/November. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
• Christmas, Easter, Ramzan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Muharram, Vesak are among the minorities.

{{See also|Traditional games of Andhra Pradesh}}

{{Main | List of Telugu castes}}

The Telugu people are subdivided into several castes and communities. Some of them include:

Yadav,

Reddy,

Kapu/Balija,

Kamma,

Brahmin,

Raju,

Komati,

Boya,

Devanga,

Padmasali,

Bhatraju,

velama,

Goud,

Mala,

Madiga,

Jangam,

Kuruba,

Relli and

Vaddera

Telugu is the third most common language in India, right behind Bengali. Telugu is predominantly spoken in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, although it’s also the official language of several other states like Andaman and Nicobar, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Orissa, Kharagpur of West Bengal, Bellary Of Karnataka. It is a part of the Dravidian language family, which has been around for about 5,000 years. Outside Telugu states the largest number of Telugu speakers are found in Karnataka (3.7 million) and Tamil Nadu, making them the second largest language groups in those neighbouring states.{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Kannadigas-outnumber-Malayalis-21-in-Tamil-Nadu/articleshow/2952062.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113162926/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-04-15/chennai/27759074_1_telugus-punjabis-bengalis |url-status=live |archive-date=2011-11-13 |title=Kannadigas outnumber Malayalis 2:1 in Tamil Nadu |date=2008-04-15 |work=The Times of India |access-date=2018-03-06}} In Karnataka, Telugu people are predominantly found in the border districts with majority in Bengaluru city and Bellary city. In Maharashtra, the Telugu population is over 1.4 million, followed by 0.7 million in Orissa. Other states with significant populations include West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat with 200,000, 150,000 and 100,000 respectively.

Members of the overseas Telugu diaspora are spread across countries like United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand in the Anglosphere; Malaysia, Myanmar, Mauritius, Fiji, South Africa; UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait in the Arabian Gulf.{{Cite book |last1=Rajan |first1=S. Irudaya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jm21DwAAQBAJ&dq=telugu+people+gulf&pg=PA281 |title=India's Low-Skilled Migration to the Middle East: Policies, Politics and Challenges |last2=Saxena |first2=Prem |date=2019-10-10 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-981-13-9224-5 |language=en |access-date=14 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013130925/https://books.google.com/books?id=jm21DwAAQBAJ&dq=telugu+people+gulf&pg=PA281 |archive-date=13 October 2022 |url-status=live}} Telugu speakers number more than 1,000,000 in the United States, with the highest concentration in Central New Jersey, Texas, and California.{{Cite web |last=Avadhuta |first=Mahesh |date=2017-12-14 |title=Telugu language scores big in the US |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/141217/telugu-language-scores-big-in-us.html |access-date=2020-09-18 |website=Deccan Chronicle |language=en}} There are around 300,000 Telugu people in Malaysia,{{citation | mode = cs1 | title = Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol. 69 : Telugu Diaspora in South East/West Asia, 1871-1990 | first = Adapa | last = Satyanarayana | year = 2008 | publisher = Indian History Congress}} and 200,000 in Myanmar.{{Cite news |date=2018-03-04 |title='Telugu population dwindling in Myanmar' |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/telugu-population-dwindling-in-myanmar/article22926312.ece |access-date=2023-03-11 |issn=0971-751X}}

{{main|List of Telugu people}}

• Telugu states
• List of people from Andhra Pradesh
• List of people from Telangana
• Telugu development
• Telugu cuisine
• Telugu cinema

{{reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite book|last=Rowland|given=Benjamin|year=1967|title=The Art and Architecture of India: Buddhist, Hindu, Jain|edition=3rd|publisher=Pelican History of Art, Penguin|isbn=0140561021}}

{{Refend}}

• Harle, J.C., The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent, 2nd edn. 1994, Yale University Press Pelican History of Art, {{ISBN|0300062176}}

• {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Telangana}}

{{Andhra Pradesh}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Telugu People}}

Category:Ethnic groups in India

Category:Telugu-language literature

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Category:Dravidian peoples

Category:Ethnic groups in Kerala