The culture of Telangana is the mixture of traditional Telugu culture and the Persian tradition that comes from Mughals and the Nizams of Hyderabad. The culture of Telangana is closely interlinked with the culture of Andhra Pradesh, as the state Telangana is formed in the year 2014. Telangana is a newly formed state with Hyderabad as its capital for 10 years with Andhra Pradesh.
Religion of Telangana
Telangana is a newly formed state, with Hyderabad as its capital for 10 years. The major religions of the people of Telangana are Hinduism and Islam. Though Buddhism was the dominant religion up to the 6th century, it is the home of Mahayana Buddhism as revealed by the monuments of Nagarjunakonda. Acharaya Nagarjuna presided over the World University at Sri Parvata. Hinduism was revived at the time of the Chalukya Dynasty and the Kakatiya Dynasty in the 12th century. The Vijayanagar rule saw the glorious days of Hinduism when the famed emperors, Krishnadeva Raya in particular, built new temples and beautified the old ones. In the latter half of the medieval era, Islam occupies the second place. It started spreading from the 14th century onwards. The mosques began to come up in many parts of the region during the Muslim rule. Christianity began to spread from the year 1701. Later during the colonial empire, the 18th and 19th centuries saw the upheaval of Christianity. Christianity influenced the people of South India from the rule of the British East India Company.
Festivals of Telangana
Like the people of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana also celebrates the festivals like Bonalu Festival, Bathukamma Festival, Ugadi Festival, Dasara Festival, Makar Sankranti, Guru Purnima, Sri Rama Navami Festival, Hanuman Jayanti Festival, Raakhi Pournami, Vinayaka Chaviti Festival, Nagula Chaviti Festival, Krishnashtami Festival, Deepavali Festival, Mukkoti Ekadasi Festival, Karthika Purnima and Ratha Saptami Festival. Other festivals of Telangana are Yedupayala Jatara in Medak District of Telangana, Samakka Saarakka Jaathara of Warangal District, Peerla Panduga, Ramzan, Christmas and Eid Ul Fitr. Other festivals in Telangana are Nomulu Vrathalu Kedareswara Vratam Festival, Madana Dwadasi Vratam Festival, Vinayaka Vratam, Saraswati Vratam Festival, Varalakshmi Vratam Festival, Krishanshtami Vratam Festival, Ananta Padmanabha Vratam Festival, Margasira Lakshmi Varapu Nomu Katha Festival, Polala Amavasya Vratam , Kumkuma Gowri Nomu,Sraavana Mangalavara Nomu Katha, and Karthika Deepala Nomu Festival.
Languages of Telangana
As Telangana is a South Indian state, the Telugu speaking people are dominant. About 76 percent of the population of Telangana speaks Telugu, 12 percent speak Urdu and 12 percent speak other languages. Before 1948, the Urdu language was the official language of Hyderabad, now the capital of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. But due to a lack of Telugu-language educational institutions, the Urdu language became the language of the educated elite of Telangana. After 1948, Hyderabad State joined the new Republic of India and Telugu language became the language of government, and was introduced as the medium of instruction in schools and colleges. From that time, the use of Urdu language among non-Muslims decreased.
Literature in Telangana
From ancient times, Telangana is enriched with the literary creations of the different poets, dramatists, novelist and the short story writers. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah was the first Saheb-e-dewan Urdu poet of Telangana. Other poets of Telangana from the early era include Kancherla Gopanna or Bhakta Ramadasu, Gona Budda Reddy, Palkuriki Somanatha, Mallinatha Suri, and Hulukki Bhaskara. In the modern times, the poets include such figures as Kaloji Narayana Rao, Daasarathi Krishnamacharyulu, Vachaspathi Puraskar award recipient Sribhashyam Vijayasarathi and Jnanpith Award recipient C. Narayana Reddy. Samala Sadasiva was selected for the Kendra Sahitya Puraskaram distinction. His book Swaralayalu on the subject of Hindustani classical music won the award for the year 2011.
Costumes of Telangana
Telangana is the abode of royal clothing. It came from the Mughals and the Nizams. Telangana has the name to make the finest historical clothes and dying traditions of the world. Its rich cotton production, with innovative plant dye extraction history, stands next to its diamond mining of Golconda. The traditional women of the Hindu community in Telangana wear sari in most parts of the state. Langa Voni, Shalwar kameez, and Churidaar are popular among the unmarried women of Telangana. Some of the famous saris made in Telangana are Pochampally Saree, Gadwal sari and many others. Pochampally sarees have been popular since the early 1800s. In the 19th century, the popular sarees were exported by traders in the silk route which symbolized luxury and power. Male clothing includes the traditional dhoti of Mughal style also known as Pancha. The Hyderabadi Sherwani was the dress of choice of the Nizam of Hyderabad and Hyderabadi nobles. Hyderabadi sherwani is longer than normal sherwani reaching below the knees. Sherwani is usually worn during the wedding ceremonies by the groom. A scarf called a "dupatta" is sometimes added to the sherwani.
Cuisine of Telangana
The cuisine of Telangana is the conglomeration of Hyderabadi cuisine, Persian cuisine, Mughlai, Telugu, and Turkish cuisines. The cuisine of Telangana is developed by the Qutb Shahi Dynasty and the Nizams of Hyderabad. It comprises a broad repertoire of rice, wheat and meat dishes and various spices and herbs. Telangana has two types of cuisines, the Telugu cuisine and Hyderabadi cuisine that came from the Nizams. Telugu cuisine is the part of South Indian cuisine characterized by its highly spicy food. The Telangana state lies on the Deccan plateau and its topography dictates more millet and roti based dishes. Jowar and Bajra feature more prominently in their cuisine. Due to its proximity with Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and northwest Karnataka, the food of Telangana shares some similarities of the Deccan plateau cuisine. The region has the spiciest food amongst all other Telugu and Indian cuisines. Telangana has some unique dishes in its cuisine, such as Jonna rotte (sorghum), sajja rotte (penisetum), or UppudiPindi (broken rice). In Telangana cuisine, gravy or curry is called Koora and Pulusu (Sour) is based on Tamarind. Sakinalu is the sweet dish also called Chakinalu, which is one of the most popular savories in Telangana. It is often cooked during the Makara Sankranti festival season. This is a deep-fried snack made of rice flour, sesame seeds and flavored with ajwain (carom seeds or vaamu in Telugu). These savories are harder and spicier than the varieties of Andhra Pradesh cuisine. Garijelu is a dumpling dish similar to the Maharashtrian karanji, which in Telangana is cooked with sweet stuffing or a savory stuffing with mutton or chicken kheema.
Dance of Telangana
Dances of Telangana include the dances and the music of South India. Perini Sivatandavam or Perini Thandavam is an ancient dance form from Telangana which has been revived in recent times. It originated and prospered in Telangana during the Kakatiya dynasty of Warangal, now the Warangal District of Telangana. Perini Thandavam is a dance form usually performed by males. It is called the "Dance of Warriors". Warriors before leaving for the battlefield enact this dance before the idol of Lord Shiva. Perini Sivatandavam reached its pinnacle during the rule of the Kakatiyas Dynasty who established their dynasty at Warangal and ruled for almost two centuries with much pomp and power.
Music of Telangana
Telangana has a diverse way of music. The music of Telangana shows the variation of Carnatic Music to Folk Music. Kancherla Gopanna, popularly known as Bhakta Ramadasu or Bhadrachala Ramadasu was a 17th-century Indian devotee of Lord Rama and a composer of Carnatic music. He is one of the famous vaggeyakaras (a person who not only composes the lyrics but also sets them to music in the Telugu language. The folk songs of Telangana had left a thoughtful impact on the Statehood movement as it played a significant role in the success of the Dhoom-Dham, a cultural event that was a vital part of the agitations. Oggu Katha is a conventional art of folklore singing, praising and narrating the stories of South Indian Hindu Gods like Mallana, Beerappa, and Yellamma. It originated among the Yadavas and Kuruma Golla communities of Telangana, who devoted themselves to the singing of ballads in praise of Lord Shiva.
Entertainment of Telangana
Entertainment of Telangana includes drama, theatres and the cinemas. Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is a part of Indian cinema producing films in the Telugu language. Ramoji Film City is the center of film shooting in South India.