TELENGANA

History

Telangana is one of the 29 states in India, located in southern India. Formed on 2 June 2014 as the youngest state in India, from the northwestern part of the Joint State of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana has an area of 112,077 square kilometres (43,273 sq mi), and a population of 35,193,978 (2011 census).[3] It is the twelfth largest state in India, and the twelfth most populated state in India. Its major cities include Hyderabad, Warangal, Nizamabad and Khammam. Telangana is bordered by the states of Maharashtra to the north and north west, Chhattisgarh to the north, Karnataka to the west and Andhra Pradesh to the east and south. Telangana had a history as the Telugu-speaking region of the princely state of Hyderabad, ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad.[5] It joined the Union of India in 1948. In 1956, the Hyderabad state was dissolved as part of the linguistic reorganisation of states and Telangana was merged with former Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh. Following a movement for separation, Telangana was awarded separate statehood on 2 June 2014. Hyderabad will continue to serve as the joint capital city for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for no more than ten years.There have been several movements to revoke the merger of Telangana and Andhra, major ones occurring in 1969, 1972 and 2009. The movement for a new state of Telangana gained momentum in the 21st century by an initiative of Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao, the chief of Telangana Rashtra Samithi, on 29 November 2009.On 9 December 2009 the Government of India announced the process of formation of the Telangana state. Violent protests led by people in the Coastal Andhra and Rayalseema regions occurred immediately after the announcement, and the decision was put on hold on 23 December 2009.The movement continued in Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana.[29There have been hundreds of claimed suicides,[30] strikes, protests and disturbances to public life demanding separate statehood.On 30 July 2013, the Congress Working Committee unanimously passed a resolution to recommend the formation of a separate Telangana state. After various stages the bill was placed in the Parliament of India in February 2014.In February 2014, Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 bill was passed by the Parliament of India for the formation of Telangana state comprising ten districts from north-western Andhra Pradesh. The bill received the assent of the President and published in the Gazette on 1 March 2014.The state of Telangana was officially formed on 2 June 2014. Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao was elected as the first chief minister of Telangana, following elections in which the Telangana Rashtra Samithi party secured majority.Hyderabad will remain as the joint capital of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for a period not more than 10 years after that period Hyderabad shall be the capital of the State of Telangana and there shall be a new capital for the State of Andhra Pradesh.Andhra Pradesh picked Amaravathi as its capital; moved its secretariat in 2016 and legislature in March 2017 to its new capital 

Climate

Telangana is a semi-arid area and has a predominantly hot and dry climate. Summers start in March, and peak in May with average high temperatures in the 42 °C (108 °F) range. The monsoon arrives in June and lasts until September with about 755 mm (29.7 inches) of precipitation. A dry, mild winter starts in late .November and lasts until early February with little humidity and average temperatures in the 22–23 °C range.The Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests ecoregion covers much of the state, including Hyderabad. The characteristic vegetation is woodlands of Hardwickia binata and Albizia amara. Over 80% of the original forest cover has been cleared for agriculture, timber harvesting, or cattle grazing, but large blocks of forest can be found in Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve and elsewhere. The more humid Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests cover the Eastern Ghats in the eastern part of the state.

Culture 

Telangana culture combines cultural customs from Persian traditions, embedded during rule of the region by the Moghuls, Qutub Shahis and Nizams, with prominent and predominantly south Indian traditions and customs. The State has a rich tradition in classical music, painting and folk arts such as Burra katha, shadow puppet show, and perini Shiva Tandavam, Gusadi Dance, Kolatam. Charminar, Golconda Fort, Qutb Shahi Tombs, Chowmahalla Palace, Falaknuma Palace, Birla Mandir and Nagarjun sagar, Bhongir Fort, Warangal Fort, Khammam Fort, Bhuvangiri Fort are some of the monuments in and around Hyderabad.There are religious worship centers of different religions in the state. These include Muslim worship destinatoins such as Makkah Masjid near Charminar, Khairtabad Mosque, Koh-e-qaim, Mian Mishk Masjid, Toli Masjid and Spanish Mosque.

Hindu worship destinations include Bhadrachalam Temple, Gnana Saraswati Temple, Yadagirigutta Temple, Ramappa Temple, Vemulawada Raja Rajeswara temple, the Thousand Pillar Temple.

Christian worship centers include the Diocese of Dornakal of the Church of South India, Bahe Church of South India, and Medak Cathedral. There are also some Buddhist destinations, such as Nelakondapalli, Dhulikatta, Phanigiri and Kolanpaka.

Telugu cinema, also known by its sobriquet as Tollywood, is a part of Indian cinema producing films in the Telugu language, and is centered in the Hyderabad, Telangana neighbourhood of Film Nagar. In the early 1990s, the Telugu film industry had largely shifted from Chennai to Hyderabad. The Telugu film industry is the second-largest film industry in India next to Bollywood Film Industry.In the years 2005, 2006 and 2008 the Telugu film industry produced the largest number of films in India, exceeding the number of films produced in Bollywood. The industry holds the Guinness World Record for the largest film production facility in the world.

Food

Telangana is known for its distinctive cuisine that includes a wide variety of sweet and savoury dishes. Being a semi-arid state, the staple food in Telangana is not rice but millet. As a result, a variety of millets are consumed as is or used to make wholesome and rustic breads that are enjoyed with spicy accompaniments. In fact, the food of the region is the spiciest in the deccan region, thanks to the inclusion of red chillies in the preparations. Telangana food has many similarities to Andhra, Maharashtrian and Karnataka cuisine, given that it is bordered by these states. Here is a peek into the mouthwatering delicacies that Telangana has to offer.Telangana breakfast is similar to south Indian breakfast in most ways with idlis, dosas and upma being widely prepared. However, the most popular breakfast in Telangana is the Sarva Pindi, a flatbread made of a mixture of various flours flecked with peanuts, coriander, chillies, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds and chana dal.Rotis or flatbreads made of sorghum flour and pearl millet flour form the staple food of Telangana meals since millets are abundantly found in the region. The flour is mixed with water and seasoning to make dough which is then flattened to make rotis that are eaten with accompaniments.Telangana cuisine uses local produce like tamarind, mangoes and peanuts to add flavour to their accompaniments. Sautéed vegetables called koora and tamarind based gravies called pulusu are the main side dishes with every meal. The koora is often a dry vegetable like raw banana or potatoes that are roasted to perfection and seasoned with salt and chilli powder. The pulusuis made by simmering tamarind pulp that is spiked with chillies, onions, toasted sesame and cumin and is used to wash down the dry millet rotis.Telangana food is also popular for its meat preparations that are rustic and true to Telangana culture. Meats are simmered in fragrant gravies made with minimal spices that do not camouflage the original taste of the meat. The most popular meat preparation is the mamsam pulusu , made by slow cooking mutton with tamarind leaves and is eaten with rice.Telangana has plenty to offer to those with a sweet tooth. Most preparations use jaggery as a sweetener, lending the dish a rich caramel brown colour.In Telangana, one can dig into a wide array of specialties like Kobbari Pappu Payasam that is made with cooked moong dal, grated coconut and milk, laced with jaggery and cardamom that has a calming effect on the soul. Garijelu is another popular sweet dish that is nothing but a deep fried dumpling with a sweet coconut and sugar filling inside.