Art & Culture of Andhra Pradesh – AP Geography, Climate, and Govt. Policies GK Notes

Here we’ll discuss the exquisite state of Andra Pradesh which has rich and varied Culture and Tradition. Moreover, we will also discuss the Geography and Polity of Andhra Pradesh.

Do you know “Egg Bowl of Asia” is the name given to which state? Which is the 7^th largest state by area and 10^th largest state by population? In which state the famous pilgrimage site “Tirupati Balaji” situated?

Read ahead for all the answers!

Symbols of Andhra Pradesh

ANDHRA PRADESH (AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. This state is like a melting pot of varied cultures. Different dynasties and emperors have governed this region. Now let us look at the important symbols of the state –

Culture of Andhra Pradesh

The mixing of cultures and traditions of several states has formed the present-day culture of the region. The state of Andhra Pradesh and the Telugu people have contributed a lot to the cultural heritage of the country.

Famous Structures

• The famous Ongole Bull looks similar to Nandi, the vehicle of Lord Shiva. It is said that all the stone sculptures of Nandi in all temples are modified after the Ongole Bull.
• The most visited pilgrimage site in India is Tirupati Balaji, also known as Venkateshwara Temple. It is located in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. The temple is dedicated to Venkateshwara (a form of Vishnu) who is believed to have appeared here to save mankind from the trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. This ancient Balaji temple is one of the most-visited temples in India.
• The Brass Icon of Nataraj Tirupati is perhaps the emblem of Andhra Pradesh.

Various Art Forms of Andhra Pradesh

• Kuchipudi Dance – It is dance-drama performance art, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of Natya Shastra. This is one of the 8 major Indian classical dances.
• Kalamkari Painting – This method of painting uses natural dyes onto cotton or silk fabric with a bamboo pen or kalam.
• Bidriware – It is a shiny silver inlay work against a black background. An alloy of zinc and copper is inlaid with designs in pure silver.

Traditional Food, Clothing, Festivals, and Language

• The Ministry of Tourism and Culture has issued a declaration of Telugu as a classical language. It is the biggest Linguistic Unit in India.
• Ugadi is a word derived from ‘Yug-Adi’. ‘Yug’ means age and “Adi” means starting. Ugadi is also called Chaitra Suddha Padhyami. The Lunar New Year’s Day varies every year as it begins on the First New Moon after the Spring Equinox. Generally, it falls between the months of March/April of the Gregorian calendar. Ugadi celebrates the arrival of the Spring Season and signifies “Prosperity”.
• The traditional food of Andhra Pradesh is “Pulihora” i.e. TAMARIND RICE, Poppadoms, Pesartu, Sambar, Rasam, Payasam, etc.
• Some of the most popular festivals of this state include Pongal, Makar Sankranti, Maha Shivratri, Sri Rama Navami, Lumbini festival, etc.
• Andhra Pradesh is known for its chowki dinner.
• Gongoora chutney and Pesarattu of Andhra Pradesh are famous worldwide.
• For men, Andhra Pradesh’s traditional dress is Dhoti and Kurta. Sometimes they wear Lungis and Shirts. Saris and Langa Vomi for women.

Now let’s come to its climate and conditions –

GEOGRAPHY

It is located in the south-eastern part of the subcontinent.

• Latitudinal extension – 12⁰  41′  and 19.07⁰ northlatitude
• Longitudinal extension – 77⁰ and 84⁰40′  east latitude
• Area- 1,60,205 sq. km

Rank in India (Area wise) – 10^th

• Population- 49.67 million or 4.9 crores (as per 2011 census)
• Districts – 13
• Andhra Pradesh has the second-longest coastline after Gujarat with a length of 974 km (600 miles)
• The highest peak is Arma Konda, located in the Godavari river basin with an altitude of 1680 meters above sea level. Moreover this is the highest peak of the Eastern Ghats.
• Krishna and Godavari are the major river systems of Andhra Pradesh. The basins of the rivers and their tributaries cover almost 75% of the state territory.
• Anantpur is the largest district of Andhra Pradesh by area. East Godavari district is the largest by population.

THE NEIGHBOURING STATES-

North-West: Odisha

North-East: Chhattisgarh

West: Karnataka

South: Tamil Nadu

North-West: Telangana

CLIMATE-

1. The climate of the state of Andhra Pradesh is hot and humid. Mostly the summer season is from the month of March to June and the moisture level is quite high during these months.
2. The coastal areas have comparatively higher temperatures than the other parts of the state. Monsoon begins in mid-July with pleasant showers which continue till September.
3. The average temperature ranges from 20⁰ C to 41⁰ C
4. The North-East monsoon contributes to one-third of the annual rainfall (October and November)
5. The period between November and February is said to be the winter season in Andhra Pradesh.
6. The winter temperature is not too cold and ranges between 12⁰ C and 30⁰C.

• The are four divisions of the Physical Characteristics of the state-

1. Coastal Plain
2. Deccan Plateau
3. Central Plateau
4. Eastern Highland

• There are 3 Main regions-

1. Coastal Andhra (6 districts)
2. Uttarandhra (3 districts)
3. Rayalaseema (4 districts)

• The Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh include-

1. Northern Circars
2. Nallamalai Hills
3. Vellikonda Range
4. Palkonda Range

SOIL PROPORTION-

The soil of this state has a wide variety. The major soil groups are-

1. Red Soil- The area has 66% of red soil. The red soil is moderately permeable, prone to erosion, rapidly permeable, poor in fertility, and has intensive leaching.
2. Laterite Soil- The area has 25% of the laterite soil. The laterite soil is permeable and well-drained. It is poor in fertility.
3. Black Soil- The area has 5% of black soil. Generally, it contains higher salt content than the red soil. The salt increases with depth. The soil has higher clay content and is less permeable. Cotton production is very fruitful in this soil.
4. Alluvial Soil- The area has 3% of the alluvial soil in proportion. Water Table occurs in 5 cm. This soil is very fertile and rich in CEC (Cation exchange capacity).

POLITICAL STRUCTURE

The state has a Bicameral Legislature within the Constitutional Framework of India. YSR Congress Party, Telugu Desam Party and Jana Sena Party are the main working parties.

Present CM – Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy from YSR Congress Party

Present Governor – Biswabhusan Harichandan

• The State Legislature consists of Vidhan Sabha or Legislative Assembly (LA) and the Vidhan Parishad or Legislative Council (LC). The LC is indirectly elected through Single Transferable Vote whereas the LA is elected by adult universal suffrage under the First-Past-The-Post System.
• The LA is the lower house of the Andhra Pradesh Legislature. It consists of 175 members. The duration of LA is 5 years. Further, the assembly holds 3 sessions annually, i.e. Budget, Monsoon and Winter. The assembly building is located at Amaravati.
• The LC is the upper house of the legislature. It consists of 58 members. The council building is located at Amaravati. The time limit is 6 years. 50 members are elected and 8 are nominated. Interestingly, the Vidhan Parishad has been in existence in 2 spells – from 1958 to 1985 and from 2007 – till today.
• The High Court is the Andhra Pradesh High Court. The present chief justice is J.K. Maheshwari who took oath on 7 October, 2019.
• Representation of Andhra Pradesh in Parliament-

Lok Sabha- 25

Rajya Sabha- 11

• First CM of Andhra Pradesh –

1. T. Prakasam was the first CM of Andhra State. His term of office was from 1 October 1953 to 15 November 1954. He belonged to the state of INC.
2. The first CM of Andhra Pradesh was Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy from 1 November 1956 – 11 Jan 1960. He belonged to INC.
3. The first CM of Andhra Pradesh (after its division in 2014) was N.Chandrababu Naidu from 8 June 2014 – 29 May 2019. Naidu belonged to Telugu Desam Party.

• First Governor of state was Chandulal Madhulal Trivedi from 1 October 1953 – 1 August 1957. The official residence of the governor is Raj Bhawan, situated in Vijaywada.

Some Interesting Facts about Andhra Pradesh

• The first Telugu Journal, Satyadoota, appeared in 1833.
• Satish Dhawan Space Centre, located on the banks of Sriharikota in the Nellore district is one of the main attractions of the state.
• Telugu, the official language of Andhra Pradesh, was described by Englishmen as the “Italian of the East” for its sweetness.
• In 2014-15 the combined egg production of Andhra Pradesh (16.69%) and Telangana (13.53%) was 30% of the total egg production of India. Hence, Undivided Andhra Pradesh used to be called “The Egg Bowl of Asia”.
• Kandukuri Veersalingam (1848-1911) is the Father of the Renaissance movement in Telugu. The main achievements are Widow Remarriage (Hitkarini Samajam 1905), Education of Women (first school for girls in Andhra at Dhavaleswaram in 1874). He got the title of ‘Rao Bahadur’ in 1893 by the British Government and ‘Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar of the South’ at the Madras session of the Indian Social Reform Congress (1898) by M.G. Ranade.

Hope this blog was beneficial for you in understanding the state of Andhra Pradesh. In the next blog, we’ll be learning about the history, economy, and environment of this state. Click here for Know your state ‘Andra Pradesh’ – Part 2. We hope you will be able to answer related questions asked in SSC CGL, CDS, RRB NTPC, etc.

Thank You.