Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu vaaru, also rendered as Telugus, are a Dravidian ethnic group who speak Telugu as their native language and/or trace their ancestry to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. There is also a large significant Telugu population in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Telugu language is the third-most spoken native language in India[3] and the fourth most in the Indian subcontinent, following Hindi, Bengali and Marathi.
Telugu villagers in organic farming training | |
Total population | |
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c. 84 million[1][2] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
81,127,740 (2011)[1] | |
Other | See Telugu diaspora |
Languages | |
Telugu | |
Religion | |
Predominantly: Minority: | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Part of a series on |
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana |
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History and Kingdoms |
Dynasties
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History
Telugu is a South-Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India, where it is an official language. Early inscriptions date from 575 AD and literary texts from the 11th century, Telugu Script evolved into the [[Telugu-Kannada alphabet|Old Kannada script
Culture
Literature
Arts
Kuchipudi is a famous Classical Indian dance from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India.
- Kuchipudi
- Vilasini Natyam
- Perini Shivatandavam
- Oggu Katha
- Burra Katha
- Andhra Natyam
- Telugu Cinema
- Kalankari - The art Kalamkari is pronounced as Kalankari (కలంకారి) in Andhra Pradesh
Clothing
- Male
- Uttareeyam (Uttariya) or Pai Pancha (Angavastram or veil)
- Pancha (Dhoti)
- Jubba (Kurta) The top portion
- Lungi (Casual dress)
- Girls
Festivals
Important festivals celebrated by Telugu people include:
- Bhogi, Makara Sankranti, Kanuma in January. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
- Maha Shivaratri in February/March. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
- Ugadi or the Telugu New Year in March/April. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
- Sri Rama Navami celebrated in March/April, 9 days after Ugadi. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
- Bonalu celebrated in Ashada masam (July/August). (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
- Hanuman Jayanti in March/May/June. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
- Vaikuntha Ekadashi in December /January . (The exact date may vary as per Hindu calendar.)
- Varalakshmi Vratam in August. (The exact date may vary as per Hindu calendar.)
- Krishna Janmashtami in August. (The exact date may vary as per Hindu calendar.)
- Vinayaka Chaviti in August. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
- Bathukamma celebrated for nine days during Durga Navratri.
- Dasara in September/October. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
- Atla Tadde 3rd day in bright half of Ashviyuja month (falls in September/October in Gregorian calendar). However, the exact date may vary according to the Hindu calendar.
- Deepavali date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
- Nagula Chaviti in October/November. (The exact date may vary as per the Hindu calendar.)
- Ramadan, Eid Al Adha, Eid Al Fitr, Moharram, Vesak Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas are among the minorities.
Population
Distribution
Telugu is the third most spoken language after Hindi and Bengali in India.[3] Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are the principal resident states for Telugu people.
Telugu people form the majority speakers in South India with over 75 million speakers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This is followed by 3.7 million in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu making them the second largest language groups in those neighboring states.[4]
In Karnataka, Telugu people are predominantly found in the border districts with majority in Bangalore city. In Tamil Nadu, Telugu people who migrated during the Vijayanagara period have spread across several northern districts.
In Maharashtra the Telugu population is over 1.4 million, followed by 0.7 million in Orissa. Other states with significant populations include West Bengal and Chhattisgarh with 200,000 and 150,000 respectively.[4]
The overseas Telugu diaspora numbers more than 800,000 in the United States, with the highest concentration in Central New Jersey, Texas, and California.
Notable Telugu people
See also
References
- "Scheduled Languages in descending order of speaker's strength - 2011" (PDF). Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
- "Telugu population figure worldwide". Ethnologue. August 2019.
- "Nearly 60% of Indians speak a language other than Hindi". The Times of India.
- "Kannadigas outnumber Malayalis 2:1 in Tamil Nadu". The Times of India. 15 April 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Telugu people. |