Andhra State (IAST: Āndhra Rāṣṭramu; [ˈɑːndʰrʌ raːʂʈɾamu]), created in 1953, was the official name of the State of Andhra Pradesh until 1956. The state was formed from Telugu-speaking districts of the erstwhile Madras State, which form two distinct cultural regions – Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra.
Under the provisions of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, the Telugu-speaking territories of Hyderabad State were merged with Andhra State, and its name was changed to 'Andhra Pradesh'.
Coastal Andhra, also known as Kosta Andhra (IAST: Kōstā Āndhra), is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, comprising the coastal districts of the state between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal, from the northern border with Orissa to Rayalaseema in the south. It includes major cities Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Guntur City as well as the state capital Amaravati and is recognized for its fertile lands, rich cultural heritage, and economic importance. Coastal Andhra plays a significant role in the state's agricultural output, particularly in rice and tobacco production, supported by abundant water resources from the Godavari, Krishna, and Penna rivers.
While Coastal Andhra generally includes the districts along the Bay of Bengal, the Uttarandhra (Northern Andhra) area is sometimes regarded as distinct due to its unique cultural and historical background. Coastal Andhra shares borders with the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh and the state of Telangana. Covering an area of 91,915 square kilometres (35,489 sq mi), Coastal Andhra accounts for 58% of Andhra Pradesh's total area and, as per the 2011 Census of India, hosts a population of over 3.4 crore, constituting 69.20% of the state's population. Coastal Andhra was formerly part of the Madras State until 1953 and then became part of Andhra State from 1953 to 1956.
Andhra Pradesh is a state on the east coast of southern India. It is the seventh-largest state and the tenth-most populous in the country. Telugu, one of the classical languages of India, is the most widely spoken language in the state, as well as its official language. Amaravati is the state capital, while the largest city is Visakhapatnam. Andhra Pradesh shares borders with Odisha to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the north, Karnataka to the southwest, Tamil Nadu to the south, Telangana to northwest and the Bay of Bengal to the east. It has the longest coastline in India (aerial distance between extreme ends) at about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi).
Archaeological evidence indicates that Andhra Pradesh has been continuously inhabited for over 247,000 years, from early archaic hominins to Neolithic settlements. The earliest reference to the Andhras appears in the Aitareya Brahmana (c. 800 BCE) of the Rigveda. Around 300 BCE, the Andhras living in the Godavari and Krishna river deltas were renowned for their formidable military strength—second only to the Maurya Empire in the subcontinent. The first major Andhra polity was the Satavahana dynasty (2nd century BCE–2nd century CE) which ruled over the entire Deccan Plateau and even distant areas of western and central India. They established trade relations with the Roman Empire, and their capital, Dhanyakataka, was the most prosperous city in India during the 2nd century CE. Subsequent major dynasties included the Vishnukundinas, Eastern Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagara Empire, and Qutb Shahis, followed by British rule. After gained independence, Andhra State was carved out of Madras State in 1953. In 1956, it merged with Telangana, comprising the Telugu-speaking regions of the former Hyderabad State, to form Andhra Pradesh. It reverted to its earlier form in 2014, when the new state of Telangana was bifurcated from it.
Madras State was a state in the Indian Republic, which was in existence during the mid-20th century as a successor to the Madras Province of British India. The state came into existence on 26 January 1950 when the Constitution of India was adopted and included the present-day Tamil Nadu, Kerala and parts of neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Andhra state was separated in 1953 and the state was further re-organized when states were redrawn linguistically in 1956. On 14 January 1969, the state was renamed as Tamil Nadu.
Tanguturi Prakasam (23 August 1872 – 20 May 1957), also known as Prakasam Pantulu, was an Indian jurist, politician, and Gandhian anti-colonial nationalist. During a demonstration against the Simon Commission in Madras, he exposed his chest to armed police and dared them to shoot. A major anti-colonial leader, his actions earned him the epithet 'Andhra Kesari' (lit. 'Lion of Andhra') among his admirers. He served as the premier of the Madras Presidency from 1946 to 1947 and played a major role in the abolition of Zamindari in the region. Following Indian independence, Tanguturi served as the first chief minister of the newly created Andhra State, from 1953 to 1954.
Hyderabad State was a state in the Dominion and later Republic of India, formed after the accession of the State of Hyderabad into the Union on 17 September 1948. It existed from 1948 to 1956. Hyderabad State comprised present day Telangana, Marathwada, and Hyderabad-Karnataka.
Following the States Reorganisation Act, which implemented a linguistic reorganisation of states, the Hyderabad state was dissolved. Its different regions were merged with Andhra State, Mysore State and Bombay State respectively.
The Gentlemen's agreement of Andhra Pradesh was signed between Telangana and Andhra leaders before the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh of India on 20 February 1956. The agreement provided safeguards with the purpose of preventing discrimination against Telangana by the government of Andhra Pradesh. The violations of this agreement are cited as one of the reasons for formation of separate statehood for Telangana.
Andhra Pradesh, retrospectively referred to as United Andhra Pradesh or Undivided Andhra Pradesh, was a state in India formed by States Reorganisation Act, 1956 with Hyderabad as its capital and was reorganised by Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The state was made up of three distinct cultural regions of Telangana, Rayalaseema, and Coastal Andhra. Before the 1956 reorganisation, Telangana had been part of Hyderabad State, whereas Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra had been part of Andhra State, formerly a part of Madras Presidency of British India.
Mysore State, colloquially Old Mysore, was a political territory within the Dominion of India and the subsequent Republic of India from 1947 until 1956. The state was formed by renaming the Kingdom of Mysore, and Bangalore replaced Mysore as the state's capital when Parliament passed the States Reorganisation Act in 1956. Mysore State was considerably enlarged when it became a linguistically homogeneous Kannada-speaking state within the Republic of India by incorporating territories from Andhra, Bombay, Coorg, Hyderabad, and Madras States, as well as other petty fiefdoms. It was subsequently renamed Karnataka in 1973.