Culture

Andhra Pradesh has many museums, the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, which features a varied collection of sculptures, paintings, and religious artifacts, including the Archaeological Museum at Amaravati near Guntur City that features relics of nearby ancient sites,and the Visakha Museum in Visakhapatnam, which displays the history of the pre-Independence Madras Presidency in a rehabilitated Dutch bungalow. Victoria Jubilee Museum in Vijayawada has a good collection of ancient sculptures, paintings, idols, weapons, cutlery and inscriptions. Other ancient sites include dozens of ancient Buddhist stupas in Nagarjunakonda which is now an island in Nagarjuna Sagar, an artificial lake that formed after the construction of Nagarjuna Sagar Dam. The Island has a large museum that houses many Buddhist relics.

Festivals
New Year (1st January), Day of Ashura, Sankranthi, Maha Shivaratri, Ugadi (Telugu New Year), Sri Rama Navami, Bonalu, Nagula Chavithi, Varalakshmi Vratham, Rakhi poornima Vinayaka Chavithi, Dasara, Deepavali, Eid ul-Fitr, Bakr-Id, Muharram, Milad-un-Nabim, Bonalu and Batukamma, Chhat Puja and Christmas these festivals are celebrated in Andhrapradesh

Cuisine
The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is one of the spiciest of all Indian cuisines. There are many variations to the telangana cuisine (all involving rice) depending on geographical regions, caste, and traditions. Pickles and chutneys, called thoku also called as pachadi in Telugu, are particularly popular in Andhra Pradesh and many varieties of pickles and chutneys are unique to the State. Chutneys are made from practically every vegetable including tomatoes, brinjals (eggplant), and roselle (Gongura). Avakaya (mango) is probably the best known of the Andhra Pradesh pickles.

Hyderabadi Biryani, fish curry, brinzal curry, and Gongura pachadi. Especially Hyderabadi cuisine is influenced by the Muslims. It is rich and aromatic, with a liberal use of exotic spices and ghee (clarified butter). Lamb, chicken, and fish are the most widely used meats in the non-vegetarian dishes. Biriyani is perhaps the most distinctive and popular dish of Hyderabadi cuisine.

Dance
Kuchipudi is the state’s best-known classicaldance form. The various dance forms that existed through the state’s history are Bonalu, Dappu , Chenchu Bhagotham, Kuchipudi, Bhamakalapam, Burrakatha, Veeranatyam, Butta bommalu, Tappeta Gullu, Lambadi, Dhimsa, Kolattam, and Chindu. Jaanapadam theenmar is a popular folk dance.

Sports
The major outdoor game played in Andhra Pradesh is cricket and other outdoor games include Football,Kabaddi, Kho Kho, Gilli-danda, Gilli Kaama, Gooti Billa, Gujjana Goollu, Gotilu, lingosh, Kothi Kommachi, Nalugu Stambhalata, Nalugu Rallu Aata, Tokkudu Billa, Goleelu, and Nela-Banda. Indoor board games include Puli Joodam, Carroms,Ashta Chamma, Dahdi, Vamagunatalu, Vaikuntapali, Gavalu Aataa, and Chintha Ginjallu Aataa. Achenagandlu,Ramudu Sita,star, ashtachamma are indoor games played by children and elders.

Literature
Nannayya, Tikkana, and Yerrapragada form the trinity who translated the great Sanskrit epic Mahabharata into Telugu. BommeraPothana is the poet who composed the classic SriMad Maha Bhagavatamu, a Telugu translation of Sri Bhagavatham, authored by Veda Vyasa inSanskrit. Nannayya (c. 11th century AD), the earliest know Telugu author, was patronized by the king Rajaraja Narendra who ruled from Rajamahendravaram (now Rajahmundry). The Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya wrote Amuktamalyada. The Telugu poet Vemana, a native of Kadapa, is notable for his philosophical poems. Telugu literature after Kandukuri Veeresalingam (1848–1919) is termed modern literature. Known as Gadya Tikkana, Satyavathi Charitam was the author Telugu-language social novel, Satyavathi Charitam. Jnanpith Award winners include Sri Viswanatha Satya Narayana and Dr. C. Narayana Reddy. The Andhra Pradesh native and revolutionary poet Sri Sri brought new forms of expressionism into Telugu literature.

Other modern writers include Gunturu Seshendra Sarma, the only person nominated from India for a Nobel prize in literature since Rabindranath Tagore. Shri Puttaparthi Narayanacharyulu is one of the scholarly poets of Telugu literature. He wrote the books Sivatandavam and Panduranga Mahatyam.

Other notable writers from Andhra Pradesh include Srirangam Sreenivasarao, Gurram Jashuva, Chinnaya Suri, Viswanatha Satyanarayana andVaddera Chandidas.

Movies
Tollywood produces the largest number of movies in India per year. Andhra Pradesh has around 3,300 cinema halls. The state produces about 200 movies a year. It has around 40% (330 out of 930) of the Dolby Digitaltheatres in India. It houses an IMAX theatre which was the biggest 3D IMAX screen in the world when it was built in 2007: the Prasads IMAX.

Music
Tollywood produces the largest number of movies in India per year. Andhra Pradesh has around 3,300 cinema halls. It has around 40% (330 out of 930) of the Dolby Digitaltheatres in India. It houses an IMAX theatre which was the biggest 3D IMAX screen in the world when it was built in 2007: the Prasads IMAX.

Pilgrimages
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple(Tirupati) is a very important pilgrimage site for Hindus throughout India. It is the richest piligrimage city of any religious faith in the world. The temple is dedicated to the god Venkateswara.

Other temples and pilgrimage sites in Andhra Pradesh include: Srisailam Temple (Lord Shiva), Bhadrachalam Temple (Lord Rama), Kanaka Durga Temple (Goddess Kanaka), Gnana Saraswati Temple (Goddess Saraswati), Birla Mandir (Lord Venkateswara),

Source: Wikipedia