Andhra Pradesh (English: , Telugu: [ãːndʱrɐ prɐdeːʃ] (listen) abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of 162,975 km2 (62,925 sq mi) and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants,. It is bordered by Telangana to the north-west, Chhattisgarh to the north, Odisha to the north-east, Tamil Nadu to the south, Karnataka to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east. It has the second longest coastline in India after Gujarat, of about 974 km (605 mi). Andhra Pradesh was the first state to be formed on a linguistic basis in India on 1 October 1953. On 1 November 1956, Andhra State was merged with the Telugu-speaking areas of the Hyderabad State to form Andhra Pradesh. Amaravati serves as the capital with the largest city being Visakhapatnam.Andhra Pradesh was once a major Buddhist pilgrimage site in the country and a Buddhist learning center which can be seen in many sites in the state in the form of monastery ruins, chaityas and stupas. It is also known for being the land of Koh-i-Noor and other globally known diamonds from Kollur Mine. It is also a major producer of rice known as the "Rice bowl of India". Its official language is Telugu; one of the classical languages of India, the fourth most spoken language in India and the 13th-most spoken language in the world. Andhra Pradesh's second official language is Urdu.Early inhabitants were known as the Andhras, tracing their history back to the Vedic period, when they were mentioned in the 8th century BCE Rigvedic text Aitareya Brahmana. According to the Aitareya Brahmana, the Andhras left North India from the banks of the Yamuna river and migrated to South India. The Assaka Mahajanapada (700–300 BCE) was an ancient kingdom located between the Godavari and Krishna rivers in southeastern India. Accounts that people in the region are descended from the Viswamitra are found in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas. The region also derives its name from the Satavahanas, who are also known as Andhras, the earliest kings of Andhra Pradesh and India.People of the said era supported local art and culture by building temples and sculptures of the Buddhist monuments in the state. It was ruled by the Mauryan Empire, Satavahana dynasty, Salankayanas, Andhra Ikshvakus, Pallavas, Vishnukundinas, Eastern Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Cholas, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagara Empire, Gajapati Empire, Mughal Empire, Deccan sultanates, Qutb Shahi dynasty, and Asaf Jahis. In the 3rd century BCE, Andhra was a vassal kingdom of Ashoka, but after his death Andhra became powerful and extended its empire to the whole of Maratha country and beyond.Andhra Pradesh comprises three major regions namely Rayalaseema in the south-west, Coastal Andhra bordering the Bay of Bengal in the east and Uttarandhra at north-east. The state has 26 districts, 6 in Uttarandhra, 12 in Coastal Andhra and 8 in Rayalaseema. The state also borders a union territory, Yanam – a district of Puducherry, which lies to the south of Kakinada in the Godavari delta on the eastern side of the state. The economy of Andhra Pradesh is the 8th largest in India, with a gross state domestic product (GSDP) of ₹8.84 trillion (US$110 billion) and has the country's 17th-highest GSDP per capita of ₹170,000 (US$2,100). Andhra Pradesh ranks 27th among Indian states in Human Development Index (HDI). It has a jurisdiction over almost 15,000 square kilometres (5,800 sq mi) of territorial waters.Andhra Pradesh hosted 121.8 million visitors in 2015, a 30% growth in tourist arrivals over the previous year, making it the third most-visited state in India. The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati is one of the world's most visited religious sites, with 18.25 million visitors per year. The region is also home to a variety of other pilgrimage centres, such as the Pancharama Kshetras, Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga and Kodanda Rama Temple. The state's natural attractions include the beaches of Visakhapatnam, hill stations such as the Araku Valley and Horsley Hills, and the deltas of Konaseema in the Godavari river, and Diviseema in the Krishna river.

Tallapaka Annamacharya (Telugu: తాళ్ళపాక అన్నమాచార్య, romanized: tāḷḷapāka annamācārya) (22 May 1408 – 4 April 1503), also popularly known as Annamayya, was a Telugu musician, composer, and a Hindu saint. He is the earliest known Indian musician to compose songs called samkirtanas. His devotional samkirtanas were in the praise of Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu. Annamayya is said to have composed as many as 32,000 samkirtanas (songs) in the praise of Venkateswara of which only about 12,000 are available today. He wrote the highest number of Kirtanas of all time in the praise of Lord Vishnu The musical form of the kirtana songs that he composed, which are still popular among Carnatic music concert artists, have strongly influenced the structure of Carnatic music compositions. His compositions are classified as Adhyatma (spiritual) and Sringara (romantic). Annamacharya is remembered for his saintly life, as one of the greatest musicians and is honoured as a great devotee of Vishnu by devotees and saintly singers. He was one of the first few who opposed the social stigma towards the untouchable castes in his era. He is believed to have been the avatar of Nandaka, the sword of Vishnu. He is widely regarded as the "Andhra Pada kavitā Pitāmaha" (Grandfather of Telugu song-writing).