Andhra Pradesh
Andhra map

state of India, located in the southeastern part of the subcontinent. It is bounded by the Indian states of Tamil Nadu to the south, Karnataka to the southwest and west, Telangana to the northwest and north, and Odisha to the northeast. The eastern boundary is a 600-mile (970-km) coastline along the Bay of Bengal. Telangana was a region within Andhra Pradesh for almost six decades, but in 2014 it was carved off to form a separate state. The capital of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is Hyderabad, in west-central Telangana.
           The state draws its name from the Andhra people, who have inhabited the area since antiquity and developed their own language, Telugu. Andhra Pradesh came into existence in its present form in 1956 as a result of the demand of the Andhras for a separate state. Although it is primarily agricultural, the state has some mining activity and a significant amount of industry. Area 106,204 square miles (275,068 square km).The largest city in Andhra Pradesh is Visakhapatnam. Telugu, one of the Classical Languages of India, is the major and official language of Andhra Pradesh. in this 13 district  it the third most-visited state in India. The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati is one of the world's most visited religious sites, with 18.25 million visitors per year. Other pilgrimage centres in the state include the Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga at Srisailam, the Srikalahasteeswara Temple at Srikalahasti, the Ameen Peer Dargah in Kadapa, the Mahachaitya at Amaravathi, the Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada, and Prasanthi Nilayamin Puttaparthi. The state's natural attractionsinclude the beaches of Visakhapatnam, hill stations such as the Araku Valley and Horsley Hills, and the island of Konaseema in the Godavari River delta.

Andhra Pradesh culture

        Andhra Pradesh has rich culture and heritage. Kuchipudi, the state dance originated in the village of Kuchipudi in Krishna district, had entered the Guinness World Records for performing Mahabrinda Natyam with a total of 6,117 dancers in Vijayawada. It had thirteen geographical indications in categories of agricultural handicrafts, foodstuff and textiles as per Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. It increased to fifteen with the addition of Banaganapalle Mangoes and Bandar laddu. The other GI tagged goods are, Bobbili Veena, Budithi Bell and Brass Craft, Dharmavaram Handloom Pattu Sarees and Paavadas, Guntur Sannam, Kondapalli Toys, Machilipatnam Kalamkari, Mangalagiri Sarees and Fabrics, Srikalahasti Kalamkari, Tirupati Laddu, Uppada Jamdani Sari and Venkatagiri Sari. and ponduru khaddaru.

A Vegetarian Andhra Meal served on important occasions

Telugu people's traditional sweet Pootharekulu originated from Atreyapuram village, Andhra Pradesh.