Andhra Pradesh is also considered the Rice bowl of India. The two major rivers, Godavari and Krishna crosses the state. Andhra means "leader in battle" and Pradesh means "region" or "state".

Andhra is an ancient society of India. There are several references about Andhras in epics like Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, and Buddhist Jataka Tales. They confirm the ancient existence of Andhra society.

Andhra Pradesh state is broadly divided into three regions, they are Coastal Andhra (Kosta), Telangana and Rayalaseema.

The Coastal Andhra (Kosta) occupies the coastal plain between Eastern Ghats ranges, which run the length of the state, and the Bay of Bengal.

Telangana lies west of the Ghats on the Deccan plateau. The Godavari River and Krishna River rise in the Western Ghats of Karnataka and Maharashtra and flow east across Telangana to empty into the Bay of Bengal in a combined river delta.

Rayalaseema lies in the southeast of the state on the Deccan plateau, in the basin of the Penner River. It is separated from Telangana by the low Erramala hills, and from Coastal Andhra by the Eastern Ghats.

The Krishna and Godavari rivers together irrigate thousands of square kilometres of land, and create the largest perennial cultivable area in the country. Andhra Pradesh leads in the production of Rice (Paddy) and that’s why Andhra is also called as India's Rice Bowl.

There are many religious pilgrim centres in Andhra Pradesh. Most famous Tirupati, the abode of Lord Venkateswara (Tirupati Balaji), has the richest and most visited Hindu temple in India. Puttaparthi hosts the ashram of popular guru Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Srisailam, the abode of Sri Mallikarjuna, is one of twelve Jyothirlingalu in India and Yadagirigutta, the abode of an avatara of Vishnu, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. The Ramappa temple at Warangal is famous for some fine temple carvings. Even the state has many Buddhist centres at Amaravati, Bhattiprolu, Nagarjuna Konda, and Phanigiri.

From tourism point of view, in Andhra Pradesh, there are many interesting places like Golconda Fort, Chandragiri Fort, Charminar, and Falaknuma Palace are some of the monuments in the state. One-million-year old limestone caves at Borra, picturesque Araku Valley, Hill resorts of Horsley Hills, Godavari racing through a narrow gorge at Papi Kondalu, waterfalls and rich bio-diversity at Talakona, the beaches of Vizag and last but not the least beautiful golden beaches at Visakhapatnam are some of the natural attractions in Andhra Pradesh state.

For more information, please contact at:
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Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC)
"Tourism House", # 3-5-891, Himayatnagar,
Hyderabad - 500 029. Andhra Pradesh, India.
Tel: +91 40 2326 2151 / 52 / 53 / 54 / 57
Fax: +91 40 23261801
E-mail:info@tourisminap.com