Telangana: History and Culture

1. Ancient and Medieval Telangana: Satavahanas to the Nizams

Telangana has a long history. Kingdoms such as the Satavahanas, Kakatiyas, Qutb Shahis and the Asaf Jahi Nizams ruled here and left forts, temples, lakes and cities. Questions on these dynasties, their capitals and their monuments are common in TGPSC exams.

Early kingdoms

• The Satavahanas were among the earliest major dynasties of the Deccan. Coins of the early king Simuka have been found at Kotilingala in present-day Jagtial district.
• Satavahana king Hala is credited with the Prakrit poetry collection Gathasaptashati. Dhulikatta in Peddapalli district has remains of a Buddhist stupa of this period.
• Later the Ikshvakus, the Vishnukundins, the Vemulawada Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas and the Kalyani Chalukyas ruled parts of Telangana.
• The Kurkyala inscription (10th century) in Karimnagar district has some of the earliest known Telugu verses in the kanda metre.

The Kakatiyas (12th century to 1323 CE)

• The Kakatiyas, earlier feudatories of the Kalyani Chalukyas, became independent in the 12th century. They first ruled from Hanamkonda and later from Orugallu (Warangal). The Warangal Fort and its stone gateways (Kakatiya Kala Thoranam) are famous.
• Rudradeva built the Thousand Pillar Temple at Hanamkonda. Ganapati Deva had one of the longest reigns and expanded the kingdom.
• Rudrama Devi, daughter of Ganapati Deva, was one of the few women rulers of medieval India. The traveller Marco Polo praised her rule.
• The Ramappa (Rudreswara) Temple at Palampet in Mulugu district was built in 1213 CE under Ganapati Deva by his general Recherla Rudra. It is named after its sculptor Ramappa.
• Ramappa Temple became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2021. Its light 'floating' bricks and fine sculptures are well known.
• The Kakatiyas built many irrigation tanks such as Pakhal, Ramappa and Laknavaram. The kingdom ended in 1323, during the reign of Prataparudra, when the Delhi Sultanate army captured Warangal.

The Qutb Shahis (1518 to 1687)

• Quli Qutb Mulk founded the Qutb Shahi dynasty in 1518 with Golconda as the capital. Golconda was famous for diamond trade.
• Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah founded the city of Hyderabad on the banks of the Musi and built the Charminar in 1591.
• Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah was also a poet and is known as one of the earliest poets with a collection (diwan) in Dakhni Urdu.
• Kancherla Gopanna (Bhakta Ramadasu) built the Sri Rama temple at Bhadrachalam during the time of the last ruler, Abul Hasan Tana Shah.
• Mughal emperor Aurangzeb captured Golconda in 1687, ending the dynasty. The Qutb Shahi Tombs stand near Golconda Fort.

The Asaf Jahi Nizams (1724 to 1948)

• Nizam-ul-Mulk (Asaf Jah I) founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty in 1724. Later the capital moved from Aurangabad to Hyderabad.
• In 1798 the Nizam signed a Subsidiary Alliance with the British. Hyderabad remained a princely state under British paramountcy.
• Mir Osman Ali Khan (Asaf Jah VII) was the last Nizam (ruled 1911 to 1948). Osmania University was founded in 1918, with Urdu as the medium of instruction.
• After the great Musi flood of 1908, the Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs were built to protect Hyderabad and supply water.
• In 1919 a Nizam's order (firman) laid down the Mulki rules, which reserved government jobs for local residents (mulkis).

💡 Learn each dynasty as a set of four: founder, capital, famous ruler and famous monument. Exams often mix these up in the options.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

2. From Hyderabad State to Telangana State (1946 to 2014)

Between 1946 and 2014 Telangana went through an armed peasant struggle, the end of Nizam rule, the merger into Andhra Pradesh and a long movement for a separate state. This period is the core of Group 2 Paper IV. Learn the events in order with their years.

Armed struggle and the end of Nizam rule

• The Telangana armed struggle (1946 to 1951) was a peasant uprising against feudal landlords (deshmukhs and jagirdars) and the Nizam's rule. It was led mainly by communists working through the Andhra Mahasabha.
• Doddi Komaraiah was killed at Kadavendi (in present-day Jangaon district) in July 1946. Chakali Ilamma of Palakurthi became a symbol of resistance to a landlord.
• The Razakars, an armed militia led by Qasim Razvi, attacked people who opposed the Nizam's government.
• India's police action, Operation Polo, took place from 13 to 17 September 1948. The Nizam's forces surrendered and Hyderabad State joined the Indian Union.
• The Telangana government observes 17 September as Praja Palana Dinotsavam (People's Governance Day). The Union government observes it as Hyderabad Liberation Day.
• The armed struggle was formally withdrawn in October 1951.

Hyderabad State and the merger of 1956

• Hyderabad State held elections in 1952. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao became its first elected Chief Minister.
• In 1952 there was an agitation in Hyderabad demanding that the Mulki rules be followed in jobs ('non-mulki go back').
• The States Reorganisation Commission (Fazal Ali Commission, 1955) suggested that Telangana could remain a separate state for some years before deciding on a merger.
• On 20 February 1956 leaders of Andhra and Telangana signed the Gentlemen's Agreement, with safeguards for Telangana in jobs, education, land and spending.
• Andhra Pradesh was formed on 1 November 1956 by merging Andhra State with the Telangana region of Hyderabad State. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was its first Chief Minister.

1969 agitation and later safeguards

• In 1969 a large agitation, led by students and the Telangana Praja Samithi (headed by M. Chenna Reddy), demanded a separate Telangana, saying the safeguards had not been followed.
• In the 1971 Lok Sabha election the Telangana Praja Samithi won 10 of the 14 seats in the region.
• In 1972 the Jai Andhra movement in the Andhra region demanded a separate Andhra state.
• The Six-Point Formula (1973) led to Article 371D of the Constitution (32nd Amendment) and the Presidential Order of 1975 on local reservation in jobs and education.
• In 1985 the state issued G.O. 610 to correct violations of local recruitment rules.

The statehood movement and formation (2001 to 2014)

• K. Chandrashekar Rao founded the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on 27 April 2001 to work for a separate state. In 2022 it was renamed Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
• Professor K. Jayashankar is regarded as a leading ideologue of the movement. The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) was chaired by Professor M. Kodandaram.
• In November 2009 K. Chandrashekar Rao began a fast. On 9 December 2009 the Union Home Minister announced that the process of forming Telangana would begin.
• The Srikrishna Committee (2010) studied the issue. Protests such as the Million March (2011) and Sakala Janula Samme (general strike, 2011) followed.
• Parliament passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill in February 2014 (Lok Sabha on 18 February, Rajya Sabha on 20 February). The Act was notified on 1 March 2014.
• Telangana was formed on 2 June 2014 as India's 29th state. K. Chandrashekar Rao became its first Chief Minister. Hyderabad was the common capital for both states for 10 years, until 2 June 2024.

💡 Draw one timeline: 1919, 1946, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1969, 1973, 2001, 2009, 2014. Most Paper IV questions hang on these years.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

3. Telangana Culture: Festivals, Arts and Literature

Telangana's culture is a mix of Telugu, Deccani and tribal traditions. Festivals like Bathukamma and Bonalu, tribal fairs like Medaram, folk arts and crafts, and writers in Telugu and Urdu are all asked in exams.

Festivals and fairs

• Bathukamma is a flower festival celebrated mainly by women for nine days, ending with Saddula Bathukamma. The government celebrates it as a state festival.
• Bonalu is celebrated in the Ashada month in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Women offer cooked rice in decorated pots (bonam) to goddess Mahankali and other village goddesses.
• The Sammakka Saralamma Jatara at Medaram in Mulugu district is held once in two years. It honours two tribal heroines and is one of the largest tribal gatherings in Asia. The 2026 Maha Jatara was held from 28 to 31 January.
• The Nagoba Jatara at Keslapur (Adilabad district) is a major festival of the Gond tribe, led by the Mesram clan.

Dance, music and crafts

• Perini Sivatandavam is a vigorous warrior dance of the Kakatiya period. Nataraja Ramakrishna revived it using sculptures and texts of that time.
• Gussadi is a dance of Raj Gond men of Adilabad, performed during the Dandari festival with tall peacock-feather headgear.
• Oggu Katha and Burra Katha are folk storytelling forms. Cheriyal scroll paintings tell stories in bright colours.
• Pochampally Ikat sarees and Karimnagar silver filigree have Geographical Indication (GI) tags. Nirmal is known for its wooden toys and paintings.
• Pochampally village was selected as one of the Best Tourism Villages by the UN World Tourism Organization in 2021.

Writers and literature

• Bammera Potana, from Bammera in Jangaon district, wrote the Telugu Andhra Maha Bhagavatamu. Palkuriki Somanatha wrote the Basava Puranamu in the dwipada metre.
• Suravaram Pratapa Reddy compiled Golkonda Kavula Sanchika (1934), a collection of Telangana poets. His Andhrula Sanghika Charitra won the first Kendra Sahitya Akademi award for Telugu.
• Kaloji Narayana Rao (born 9 September 1914) was a people's poet. His birthday is observed as Telangana Language Day. He received the Padma Vibhushan.
• Dasarathi Krishnamacharyulu wrote 'Agnidhara' and the famous line 'Naa Telangana Koti Ratanala Veena'. The state gives a literary award in his name.
• C. Narayana Reddy, from Karimnagar district, won the Jnanpith Award in 1988 for 'Vishwambhara'.
• 'Jaya Jaya He Telangana', written by poet Ande Sri, was released as the official state song on 2 June 2024, with music by M. M. Keeravani.

💡 Pair each festival or art with a place and a community: Medaram with Koya tribals, Nagoba with Gonds, Gussadi with Raj Gonds, Bonalu with Hyderabad.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.