Physical Features
Location, climate and rainfall. Agro-climatic zones/Land use patterns, soil types, economic classification of population, No. of districts, etc.:
The Telangana region was part of the Hyderabad state from Sept 17th 1948 to Nov 1st 1956, until it was merged with Andhra state to form the Andhra Pradesh state. The State of Telangana was carved out of the erstwhile State of Andhra Pradesh and formed on the 2nd June 2014. This is the 29th State of Indian Republic. The state has an area of 1,12,077 Sq. Km. and has a population of 3,50,03,674.
Telangana is surrounded by Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh in the North, Karnataka in the West and Andhra Pradesh in the South and East directions. Major cities of the state include Hyderabad, Warangal, Nizamabad, Nalgonda, Khammam and Karimnagar.
The State comprises of 33 districts viz., Adilabad, Bhadradri, Hyderabad, Jagtial, Jangaon, Jayashankar, Jogulamba-Gadwal, Kamareddy, Karimnagar, Khammam, KomaramBhim, Mahabubabad, Mahabubnagar, Mancherial, Medak, Medchal Nagar Kurnool, Nalgonda, Niraml, Nizamabad, Peddpalli, RajannaSircilla, Ranga Reddy, Sanga Reddy, Siddipet, Suryapet, Vikarabad, Wanaparthy, Warangal, Hanumakonda and Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, Narayanpet and Mulugu. The capital of the state is Hyderabad which was built by Nizam Dynasty. The State is having 74 Revenue Divisions, 141 towns, 13, Municipal Corporations, 128 Municipalities, 32Zilla Parishads, 539 Mandal Praja Parishads, 12,765 Gram Panchayats, 593 revenue mandals and 10434 revenue villages, 9834 inhabited villages and 600 un-inhabited villages. As per 2011 census of India, the population of Telanagana is about 352.86 lakhs (Male -176.12 lakh & female- 173.92 lakhs with male female ratio of 988) . Of which Rural population is 213.95 lakh & Urban population is 136.09 lakh. ST population- 54.09 lakhs, ST population is 31.78 Lakhs. Literates -206.97 lakh and the literacy rate is 66.54% (Male literacy rate is 75.04%). Total workers in Telangana – 163.42 lakhs (Main workers -137.20 lakhs and margin workers 26.22 lakhs) The density of the population is 312 persons per square kilometer. The Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana State
- Total Member of Parliamentary constituencies -17
- Total Members of Legislative Assembly -119
- Total Members of Legislative Council – 40
Culture
South of North and North of South,’ Telangana State has long been a meeting place for diverse languages and cultures. It is easily the best example for India’s composite culture, pluralism and inclusiveness. Located on the uplands of Deccan plateau, Telangana is the link between the North and South of India. It is thus no surprise that the region on the whole came to be known for its Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb and the capital Hyderabad as a ‘miniature India!’.
Geography, Polity and Economy of the region determined the culture of Telangana. Satavahanas, the earliest known rulers of the region sowed the seeds of independent and self-sufficient village economy, the relics of which can be felt even today. In the medieval times, the Kakatiya dynasty's rule, between the 11th and 14th centuries with Warangal as their capital, and subsequently the Qutub Shahis and Asafjahis, who ruled the Hyderabad state defined the culture of the region.
Art forms
Some classical art forms received the royal patronage and attained finesse. However, the art forms of the innumerable communities spread across the length and breadth of the State give Telangana its distinct identity.
While the Kakatiya rule led to evolution of dance forms such as Perini Sivatandavam, also known as ‘dance of warriors’, the commoners, faced with the challenges of daily life developed traditions of story-telling coupled with solutions to tide over them through GollaSuddulu, OgguKathalu and Gotralu etc.
Several art forms like above mingled and new forms emerged. The ubiquitous ‘Dhoom Dham’ is one such evolved and composite art form. They generally were about the struggle and exploitation. People adopted the old sensibilities of theatre and art changing the content as per the case and place.
A variant of Yakshagana, ChinduBhagavatham is performed widely across Telangana. It is a theatre art form that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques with a unique style and form. The word ‘Chindu’ in Telugu means ‘jump’. As their presentation is interspersed with leaps and jumps, it gained the name of Chindu Bhagavatam. Most of the stories narrated are from ‘Bhagavatam’.
Qawali, Ghazals and Mushairas evolved under the patronage of Qutub Shahi and the Asafjahi rulers in and around the capital city of Hyderabad.
Festivals
The Hindu festivals like Ugadi, Srirama Navami, Bonalu, Vinayaka Chaturthi, Dasara,Deepavali, Sankranti, Holi, Mahashivaratri are celebrated with pomp, gaiety and devotion. Dasara is the main festival with the epithet ‘peddapanduga.’
Bathukamma, a part of Dasara festivities, is unique to Telangana. This colourful festival hashistoric, ecological, societal and religious significance. Women clad in glittering costumes and jewellery carry beautifully stacked Bathukammas with flowers like Tangedu, Gunugu, Chamanti and others to the villageorstreet’smeetingpoint.
Making circles around the assembled Bathukammas, womenfolk recite songs in a group. The songs have their roots in Puranas, History and even in the recent political and social developments of the particular region. The fete culminates in Saddula Bathukamma where the villagers immerse the flowerstacks in the nearby tanks and lakes.
Bonalu is a Hindu Festival, celebrated during the Telugu month of Ashadam (translates to June/ July of Gregorian calendar) wherein Goddess Mahakali is worshiped. The festival is also considered a thanksgiving to the Goddess for fulfilling the desires of devotees.
As part of the festival, Bojanam or Meal is offered to the presiding Mother Goddess. Women prepare rice cooked with Milk, Jaggery in a Brass or Earthen Pot adorned with Neem Leaves, Turmeric, Vermilion putting a Lighted Diya on top of the Ghatam.
An important part of the festival is Rangam (prophecy). Women standing atop of an earthen pot ‘invokes’ goddess Mahankali onto her and turns an Oracle.
Next is Ghattam. A copper pot is decorated in the form of Mother Goddess. The Ghattam is carried by a priest and is taken in procession accompanied by ‘Pothurajus’ and musical instruments like trumpets and drums for the immersion. Pothurajus are considered the brother of Mother Goddess and are represented by well-built, bare-bodied men, wearing a small tightly draped red dhoti and bells on ankles with turmeric on bodies and vermilion on the foreheads.
While Ramzan is the main festival of Muslims, Moharram too is celebrated on a large scale in Telangana. It is known famously as ‘peerlapanduga.’ Pir means Master. Many Hindus take part in the festival.
Chirstians, mainly in and around Hyderabad celebrate Christmas and Good Friday with great fervor and religiosity.
Arts and Crafts
Telangana is a great place for arts and crafts with many astounding handicrafts.
Bidri Craft
The unique art of silver engraved on metal. Black, gold and silver coatings are applied on this. It involves various several stages like casting, engraving, inlaying and oxidizing. The name of this art form is derived from a town called Bidar (currently part of Karnataka) of the erstwhile Hyderabad state.
Banjara Needle Crafts
Banjara Needle Crafts are the traditional handmade fabrics made by Banjaras (the tribal Gypsies) in Telangana. It is a form of embroidery and mirror work on fabrics employing the needlecraft.
Dokra Metal Crafts
Dhokra or Dokra is also known as bell metal craft and is widely seen in Jainoor Mandal, Ushegaon and Chittalbori in Adilabad district. The tribal craft produces objects like figurines, tribal gods, etc. The work consists of folk motifs, peacocks, elephants, horses, measuring bowl, lamp caskets and other simple art forms and traditional designs.
Nirmal Arts
The renowned Nirmal oil paintings use natural dyes for depicting themes from the epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata. Also, the wood paintings and other wooden articles, has great aesthetic expression. The origin of the Nirmal craft is traced back to the Kakatiya era. The motifs used for Nirmal craft are floral designs and frescoes from the regions of Ajanta and Ellora and Mughal miniatures
Bronze Castings
Telangana is famous world-wide for its amazing Bronze castings. While using solid casting of icons, the mould is created using several coatings of different clays on a finished wax model. This process then imparts fine curves to the cast image.
The Telangana government has announced the following four icons for the State:
- The State Bird - Palapitta (Indian Roller or Blue Jay).
- The State Animal - Jinka (Deer).
- The State Tree - JammiChettu (Prosopis Cineraria).
- • The State Flower - Tangedu (Tanner’s Cassia).
These icons reflect the culture and tradition of Telangana state and three of them - Tangedu flowers, Blue Jay and JammiChettu - are associated with the popular festivals of Batukamma and Dasara. While Tangedu flowers are used in stacking of Batukammas, spotting the Blue Jay on Dasara is considered a good omen and people worship JammiChettu on that day.
Awards
Telangana bags 12 ‘Swachh Survekshan’ awards
Telangana State is one of the top two performing States and is a winner in 12 categories at the national-level sanitation challenges and competitions conducted by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoUHA). States were evalueated under the categories such as ‘Swachh Survekshan’ and ‘Garbage Free City Rating’ & ‘Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge’, aimed at improving the overall sanitation condition, enhancing citizen awareness and engagement towards waste management across the 4,300 Indian cities and towns. While GHMC was declared a winner under Swachh Survekshan-2021 and Garbage Free City Rating-2021 categories, Karimnagar Municipal Corporation won under the Safai Mitra Suraksha Challenge.
Telangana bags 12 national Panchayat awards
Telangana had a rich haul of 12 awards in the National Panchayat Awards 2021 (Appraisal year 2019-20) announced by the Union Panchayat Raj Ministry. As many as nine Gram Panchayats, two Mandal parishads and one Zilla Parishad have bagged awards in different categories in the Deendayal Upadhyay Panchayat SashaktikaranPuraskar 2021
Telangana State Police bag Skoch Gold Award for its work during Covid-19 pandemic
The prestigious Skoch Gold award, was presented to Telangana State Police for contributing to outstanding, and timely support to vulnerable people such as daily wage, migrant workers and to many others during the devastating period of corona virus pandemic. Since Day 1 of the lockdown began, Telangana State Police have ensured that no child/ family in the state sleeps hungry. To achieve the same, and tackle the disaster in a humane way, the department brought together all the Nodal Police Officers, NGO's, Corporate bodies, Pharmaceutical companies, Retail agencies, banks and other organisations under one common group called the- 'Food Partners', so as to serve and assist every family in need.
AGRICULTURE
The total geographical area of the state is 114.84 lakh hectares, out of the total geographical area 40.5 per cent is under net area sown, 23.9 per cent is under forests, 10.5 per cent is under current fallow lands, 7.7 per cent is under non-agricultural uses and 5.4 per cent is under barren land uncultivable land
The Department of Agriculture has been created mainly to provide Agricultural Extension services to farmers and to transfer the latest technical knowledge to the farming community. The objectives of the Department are to assess requirements of agriculture inputs well in advance and to regulate their production and monitor timely supply of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, implements, credit etc., to farmers. The Department also performs the statutory functions under various acts and regulations (i.e., quality control) to ensure supply of quality inputs i.e., Seeds, Fertilizers and Pesticides to farmers etc.
The Department of Agriculture is performing following functions in the process of sustainable agricultural development.
Services -
- Ensuring quality & timely input supply
- Input Regulation
- Soil Testing
- Fertilizer Testing
- Seed Testing
- Pesticides Testing
- Generating Land Resources Database
- Facilitating Credit
- Facilitating Crop Insurance
- The department has enabled the delivery of some of above mentioned services like soil testing, fertilizer, seed, pesticide testing, Input regulation and farm mechanization to farmers through use of Information Technology
Capacity building of farmers -
- Organizing pre seasonal Training – Rythu Chaitanya Yatra
- Organizing RythuSadassu
- Regular Trainings & Demonstrations through Farmers Trainings Centres
- Fertilizer Testing
- Exposure visits
- Pesticides Testing
- Special training for Farm Women
Re-engineering of Extension Approach
- Annual orientation / capacity enhancement of all the Agril. Extension Staff
- Workshops on Crop Specific Strategies
- Regional Conferences
- Training to staff at SAMETI
Strengthening Research & Extension Linkage
Cropping Pattern
Telangana grows 27 important crops in Kharif and Rabi seasons put together covering an area of about 53.51 lakh ha. The important crops grown are Rice (14.19) lakh ha, Maize (6.63) lakh ha, Pulses (6.11) lakh ha, Groundnut (1.89) lakh ha, Cotton (18.13) lakh ha, Chillies (0.83) lakh ha and Sugarcane (0.41) lakh ha. Etc. 78.76% of the area is grown in Kharif and the remaining 21.24% is cultivated in Rabi.
Agro Climatic Zones
Based on climatic parameters i.e. Rainfall, Soils and cropping pattern etc., the state is divided in to 4 Agro-climatic zones.
(Source: Telangana State Portal)