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History of Andhra Pradesh

Located on the Bay of Bengal and covering 106272 sq mi Andhra Pradesh was formed in 1953 from the part of Madras state its capital being Hyderabad. The kingdom of Andhra Pradesh finds mention in the Sanskrit epics. Andhra Pradesh is said to have been the home of the Pre- Dravidian dark colored inhabitants. Andhra Pradesh witnessed the rule of Chandragupta Maurya during which it established as an independent kingdom. After the fall of the Mauryan Empire, the Satavahanas ruled for about five centuries. After the decline of the Satavahanas in 220 CE, the Ikshvakus, Pallavas, Vishnukundinas, Anandagotrikas and Cholas ruled the land.

In the 12th and the 13th centuries, there was the emergence of the Kakatiya dynasty. The Kakatiyas were the feudatories of the Western Chalukyas. In 1323 CE, Delhi Sultan Ghiaz-ud-din Tughlaq conquered the Telugu country and laid siege to Warangal. Later the Musunuri Nayaks recaptured Warangal from the Delhi Sultanate and ruled for fifty years.

The Vijayanagar empire which was the greatest empires in the history of Andhra Pradesh and India was founded by Harihara who served as Treasury officers in the administration of the Kakatiya empire.In 1347 CE, an independent Muslim state, the Bahmani kingdom, was established in south India by Alla-ud-din Hasan Gangu as a revolt against the Delhi Sultanate.

In 1518 the Sultan Qili Qutub Shah declared himself independent and founded the Qutub Shah dynasty, which existed till 1687. During this period literature, art and architecture advanced. In 1687, the Mughals put an end to the Qutub Shahi. After this the Asafjahis emerged. In the 18th century, Andhra Pradesh had to surrender to the East India Company and the whole of Andhra Pradesh except Hyderabad was under the British till 1947. In 1947, India became independent and Hyderabad become part of the Republic of India in 1948 as Hyderabad State. In an effort to protect the interests of the Telugu people, Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu demanded for the separation of Telugu speaking districts from the Madras Presidency to form an Andhra state. On 19 October 1952, Andhra attained statehood. On 1 November 1956 Andhra merged with the Telangana region of Hyderabad State to form the state of Andhra Pradesh, which consisted of Telugu-speaking people. Hyderabad became the capital of the new state Andhra Pradesh.