SOUTH INDIAN CULTURE - TELANGANA

SOUTH INDIAN CULTURE - TELANGANA

On the centre-south stretch of the Indian peninsula, situated on the elevated plane of the Deccan Plateau, is the state of Telangana. On 2 June 2014, it was separated from the north-western part of Andhra Pradesh to become the 29th state of the country. It is bound by the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to the north, east, west and south, respectively.

The state holds Hyderabad as its permanent historic capital, while housing other major cities like Warangal, Nizamabad, Khammam and Karimnagar within its territory.

Hyderabad and Warangal, prove to be the cultural hearts of the state with their notable wealth and renowned historical structures, some of them being Charminar, Golconda Fort, Qutb Shahi Tombs, Chowmahalla Palace, Falaknuma Palace, Birla Mandir and Nagarjun sagar, Bhongir Fort, Warangal Fort, Khammam.

 Telangana culture displays prominent south Indian traditions, while combining some customs and traditions from Persia, as a result of the influence imparted by the Mughals, Qutub Shahis and Nizams, during their rule of the region. The State has a rich tradition in classical music, painting and folk arts such as Burra Katha, shadow puppet show, and Perini Shivatandavam, Gusadi Dance and Kolatam.

Dance

Perini Sivatandavam or Perini Thandavam is a dance from Telangana which originated and prospered in the state during the Kakatiya dynasty. The Perini Thandavam is a dance form usually performed by males. It is called 'Dance of Warriors'. Warriors, leaving to the battlefield enact this dance before the idol of Lord Siva.

During the folk festival of Bonalu, women dressed in vibrant colours, balance pots on their heads and dance to rhythmic tunes in praise of the village diety Mahankali. In the process, Male dancers called Potharajus precede the female dancers to the temple while lashing whips and neem leaves.

Music

Telangana music is diverse and ranges from Carnatic music to Folk music. Bhakta Ramadasu or Bhadrachala Ramadasu was a 17th-century Indian composer of Carnatic music. He is one among the famous vaggeyakaras, or one who composes lyrics and sets them to music, in the Telugu language. The folk songs of Telangana had left a profound impact on the Telangana movement or the movement for the creation of a new state of Telangana, from the pre-existing state of Andhra Pradesh in India.

Religion

Buddhism was the dominant religion in the state of Telangana up to the 6th century after which Hinduism and Islam prove to be the major religions practised by the people, where the former was revived in the 12^th century and the latter started spreading in the 14^th century. Islam is the second most influential religion, following Hinduism. Mosques began to come up in many parts of the region during the Muslim rule. Christianity began to spread from 1701.

There are religious worship centres of different religions in the state.

Hindu worship destinations include Bhadrachalam Temple, Gnana Saraswati Temple, Yadagirigutta Temple, Ramappa Temple, Vemulawada Raja Rajeswara temple, the Thousand Pillar Temple.

The Muslim worship destinations include Makkah Masjid near Charminar, Khairtabad Mosque, Koh-e-qaim, Mian Mishk Masjid, Toli Masjid and Spanish Mosque.

Christian worship centers include the Diocese of Dornakal of the Church of South India, Bahe Church of South India, and Medak Cathedral. There are also some Buddhist destinations, such as Nelakondapalli, Dhulikatta, Phanigiri and Kolanpaka.

Literature

The state of Telangana has been home to poets such as Pothana, Kancherla Gopanna or Bhakta Ramadasu, Malliya Rechana, Gona Budda Reddy, Palkurthi Somanatha, and Hulukki Bhaskar from the early era and modern era poets such as Kaloji Narayana Rao, Daasarathi Krishnamacharyulu, and C. Narayana Reddy, as well as P. V. Narasimha Rao.

Language

About 76% of the population of Telangana speak Telugu, 12% speak Urdu, and 12% speak other languages.

Cuisine

Telangana has two types of cuisines, the Telugu cuisine and Hyderabadi cuisine. Telugu cuisine is the part of South Indian cuisine characterized by their highly spicy food. The Telangana diet includes more millet and roti (leavened bread) based dishes with,  Jowar and Bajra featuring prominently in their cuisine.

Festivals

Some of the Festivals celebrated in Telangana are Dasara, Bonalu, Bakrid, Eid ul fitr, Ugadi, Makara Sankranti, Guru Purnima , Sri Rama Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, Raakhi Pournami, Vinayaka Chaviti , Nagula Panchami, Krishnashtami, Deepavali ,Mukkoti Ekadasi, Karthika Purnima and Ratha Saptami, along with certain regional festivals like Batukamma,  Yedupayala Jatara and Sammakka Saralamma, celebrated in the different districts of the state.

BY

FAADILA AISHA