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Rayalaseema Dathamandalam, Hiranya Rashtramu | |
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.JPG)  .jpg)     Clockwise from top:Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary,Lepakshi Monolithic Bull,Tirumala Garudasila, 200 years memorable Pylon inYSR Kadapa,Sri Soumyanatha Swamy Temple (Nandalur), Konda Reddy Fort, andVenkateswara Temple. | |
| Nickname: Cultural Region of Andhra Pradesh | |
 Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Andhra Pradesh |
| District(s) | |
| Largest cities | |
| Area | |
• Total | 77,424 km2 (29,894 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 17 |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 15,184,908 |
| • Density | 226/km2 (590/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Telugu |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| Vehicle registration | AP02, AP03, AP04, AP21, AP39, AP40 |
| Largest airport | Tirupati Airport |
Rayalaseema (IAST:Rāyalasīma) is a geographic region in theIndian state ofAndhra Pradesh. It comprises four southern districts of the State, from prior to the districts reorganisation in 2022, namelyKurnool,Anantapur,Kadapa, andChittoor. Four new districts were created from these, namelySri Sathya Sai,Nandyal,Annamayya, andTirupati.[2] As of2011 census of India, the western four districts (before the district realignment) of the region had a population of 15,184,908 and cover an area of 77,424 km2 (29,894 sq mi).[3]
The region was previously calledCeded districts during the rule of theBritish Raj. This is with reference to the time when theNizam of Hyderabad, Ali Khan, ceded the region to the British as a part of subsidiary alliance. Chilukuri Narayana Rao, a Telugu lecturer and activist from Anantapur, deemed the term "ceded" as derogatory and coined the termRayalaseema.[4] In the Andhra Mahasabha and Ceded Districts Conference held atNandyala in November 1928, he moved a resolution to the effect which was accepted by the other delegates of the conference.
The nameRayalaseema hearkened back to theVijayanagara times, whose Kings used a suffixRāya (tadbhava of Sanskrit Rāja) orRāyalu in Telugu as their regnal title. The boundaries of Rayalaseema roughly match the territorial extent of theAravidu dynasty, the last dynasty to rule the Vijayanagara Empire.[4] People of region coined their land as aRaya Desam.
The four districts of the region were part of theMadras Presidency until 1953.[5] From 1953 to 1956, the region was a part ofAndhra State and in 1956, theTelangana region was merged withAndhra State to formAndhra Pradesh State.[6] On 2 February 1970, three taluks fromKurnool i.e.,Markapur,Cumbum andGiddalur were merged along with some other taluks ofNellore district andGuntur district to formPrakasam district.
In February 2014, theAndhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 bill was passed by theParliament of India for the formation ofTelangana state comprisingten districts.Hyderabad will remain as a joint capital for 10 years for both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.[7] The new State of Telangana came into existence on 2 June 2014 after approval from thePresident of India.[8] The formation of a new state namedTelangana fromAndhra Pradesh is not considered an amendment to the Constitution of India per article 3 and 4 of that document.[9]
Rayalaseema region is located in the southern region of the state of Andhra Pradesh. The region borders the state ofTamil Nadu to the south,Karnataka to the west andTelangana to the north, Nellore, Prakasam districts and bay of bengal in the east. Some areas inCoastal Andhra, such asMarkapur revenue division of Prakasam district, share similar geography, culture and climate to Rayalaseema as they are once part of the Kurnool district.[11]
The road network in region consists of manyNational Highways such as,NH 40,NH 42,NH 44,NH 140,NH 167,NH 340,NH 67,NH 69,NH 71,NH 716.
The rail connectivity is getting better with the projects allocated or being part of the region such as,Nandyal–Yerraguntla,Nadikudi–Srikalahasti,Kadapa–Bangalore sections are the under development projects which forms a part of the region.[12] Most of the region falls under the jurisdiction ofGuntakal railway division ofSouth Central Railway zone.
Rayalaseema region has air connectivity with four airportsTirupati International Airport,Sri Sathya Sai Airport,Kadapa Airport andKurnool Airport.
Dugarajapatnam Port is a proposed port inTirupati district.[13]
Rayalaseema Region has thermal as well solar power plants.Rayalaseema Thermal Power Station is located inKadapa district and Andhra Pradesh government recently sanctioned solar power parks in Rayalaseema districts[14] with a capacity of 4000MW's.Today the state of Andhra Pradesh stood No.1 position in solar power generation with an installed capacity of 1868 MW[15] In India and also offers world's largest solar power park of 1000 MW is also located in Andhra Pradesh.
The only Lake located in the region of Rayalaseema isPulicat Lake. The major part of the Lake is located inSullurpeta division ofTirupati district.
Pulicat Lake is the second largestbrackish waterlagoon inIndia, (afterChilika Lake), measuring 759 square kilometres (293 sq mi). Major part of the lagoon comes underTirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. The lagoon is one of the three important wetlands to attractnortheast monsoon rain clouds during the October to December season. The lagoon comprises the following regions, which adds up 759 square kilometres (293 sq mi) according toAndhra Pradesh.
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy,Damodaram Sanjivayya,Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy,Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy,N. Chandrababu Naidu,Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy,N.Kiran Kumar Reddy andY. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who served asChief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, hail from the Rayalaseema region of the state. The region saw as many as8 chief ministers for the state.[16]
Rayalaseema is home to numerous factional families who are often intertwined with political parties and violently clash with each other. Government employees consider as dead postings in the region. The high crime rate is attributed to Rayalaseema's high poverty rate. Although violence has declined since 2000s. Police records estimate that in the past 35 years, about 2,34,465 civilians have died as a result of factional violence.[17][18]
Based on Sri Bagh act signed on 18 November 1937, Kurnool was made the capital of the new state after the division ofAndhra state from theMadras state.[19][20] As per the second State Resolution Commission, the state capital was shifted toHyderabad upon formation of Andhra Pradesh byStates Reorganisation Act, 1956.[21]
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Media related toRayalaseema at Wikimedia Commons
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