India's 29th - Interesting facts about Telangana

Telangana was part of the princely state of Hyderabad, which was ruled by the Nizams during the British Raj. It became part of the Union of India in 1948. In 1956, the state of Hyderabad was abolished and Telangana merged with Andhra to form the state of Andhra Pradesh.

On June 2, 2014, after much deliberation, Telangana became the 29th state of India. The city of Hyderabad will serve as the joint capital of Telangana and the remainder of Andhra Pradesh for up to ten years.

Here are some facts about Telangana, the newest state of the Indian Union.

1. The newly formed state of Telangana is large enough to be the world’s 33rd largest country.

2. Splitting a state into two, despite the fact that people in both states speak the same language, is a first for the Indian Union.

3. The demand for Telangana was as old as the state of Andhra Pradesh, which was crowned in 1956.

4. About 77 percent of Telangana people speak Telugu, 12 percent speak Urdu, while 11 percent speak other languages.

5. Telangana consists of ten districts namely Hyderabad, Adilabad, Khammam, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy and Warangal.

6. Telangana is a geographically arid region, although it is drained by two major South Indian rivers, Krishna and Godavari.

Photo of River Krishna (by Amit Chattopadhyay)

7. Osmania University was the epicenter of the Telangana movement. It was founded in 1918 and named after the last Nizam.

8. The total area of the state is 1.14 square kilometers, making it the third largest in India. This makes Andhra Pradesh the 6th largest state after the division. Previously it was ranked 4th.

9. Telangana has 17 Lok Sabha seats and 119 assembly seats.

10. The best time for tourists to visit Telangana is from November to February because of the fantastic weather.

Here are some more facts about Telangana. It is literally the land of waterfalls. Visit the Kuntala, Kanakai or Gayatri waterfalls and be surprised by the wonders of nature. There are many well-preserved forts in the state that are worth a visit. The Golconda Fort and Warangal Fort deserve special mention.

The many temples are the other top attraction of this newly formed state. The best time to plan a trip to India’s newest state is during winter. Send us photos if you visit the state. And don’t forget to share and like.