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Telangana

India's newest state — carved out in 2014 — and one of its richest. The home of Hyderabad: "Cyberabad", a great IT hub, and the "Vaccine Capital of India". The Kakatiya and Qutb Shahi land of the Charminar and Golconda, of the Ramappa temple and the Bathukamma festival — home to ~3.5 crore people.

Capital Hyderabad · Formed 2 June 2014 · India's 29th state

  • India's newest state — formed in 2014
  • Hyderabad — "Cyberabad", a top IT hub
  • The "Vaccine Capital of India"
  • Highest income among the large states
  • The Charminar & Golconda Fort
  • Ramappa — a UNESCO World Heritage temple
Tap a district to highlight it

The 33 districts, from open data — a reference, not an official survey map.

The Basics

Telangana at a Glance

A landlocked state on the Deccan plateau, born in 2014 from the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh — the youngest of India's states, built around the historic and high-tech city of Hyderabad.

  • Hyderabad Capital and largest city — its sole capital since the shared arrangement with Andhra Pradesh ended in 2024
  • 2 June 2014 Formed as India's 29th state, under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act
  • 112,077 km² Area — India's 11th-largest state
  • 33 districts From just 10 at its formation, reorganised up to 33
  • Telugu & Urdu Two official languages — Telugu (a classical language) and Urdu
  • 119 + 40 A bicameral legislature — Assembly (119) and Council (40); 17 Lok Sabha seats
  • Landlocked No coastline — bordered by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka
  • Godavari & Krishna The two great rivers that water the state, across the Deccan plateau
  • Doli Gutta At ~965 m, the highest point, on the Chhattisgarh border
  • State emblem Combines the Kakatiya Kala Thoranam arch and the Charminar — past and present
  • State symbols Animal: jinka (deer) · Bird: palapitta (roller) · Tree: jammi · Flower: tangedu

People

Population & Society

A Telugu-majority state with a large Urdu-speaking community in Hyderabad — the "City of Pearls". The figures below are from Census 2011, the last full count (taken while part of Andhra Pradesh).

  • 3.50 cr Population, 2011 (35,003,674) — about India's 12th most populous state
  • 312 /km² Population density, 2011 — near the national average
  • 988 Sex ratio — females per 1,000 males, 2011
  • 66.5% Literacy rate, 2011 — below the national average
  • 38.9% Urbanisation, 2011 — relatively high, led by Hyderabad
  • Hyderabad India's 4th-largest city (~7.7 million in its urban area) — the "City of Pearls"
  • Telugu & Urdu Telugu ~76%, with a large Urdu-speaking population (~12%), mostly in Hyderabad
  • Faith Hindu ~85%, Muslim ~13% (2011) — a notable Muslim community, centred on Hyderabad
  • SC & ST ~15% Scheduled Castes and ~9% Scheduled Tribes — the Gond, Lambadi & Koya peoples

Economy

Cyberabad & the Vaccine Capital

A young, fast-growing, services-led economy — with the highest per-capita income of any large Indian state — powered by Hyderabad's software industry and its world-leading pharma cluster.

  • ₹18.0 L cr GSDP 2025-26 (budget estimate, current prices)
  • ~12% Nominal GSDP growth, 2025-26 (budget estimate)
  • Highest income The highest per-capita income of any large state (2024-25)
  • ~28% Outstanding debt as % of GSDP — rising in recent years

What the economy is made of — share of GSVA (2023-24)

  • ~67% Services — IT, pharma, trade & finance, led by Hyderabad
  • ~18% Agriculture & allied — a higher share than most southern states
  • ~16% Industry — pharma, manufacturing & construction

The Hyderabad engine

  • #3 in IT India's 3rd-largest software exporter — Cyberabad and HITEC City, having overtaken Tamil Nadu
  • Vaccine capital Genome Valley is said to make about a third of the world's vaccine doses
  • Bulk drugs The "Bulk Drug Capital of India" — a leading pharmaceutical producer
  • Global hub Google, Microsoft and Amazon run some of their largest campuses here
  • The Hyderabad effect: the capital generates the bulk of the state's output — its IT and pharma industries make Telangana one of India's richest states by income per head.
  • Figures here are the latest Telangana Budget estimates (2025-26). The India GDP page compares all states at FY2024-25, so its Telangana figure is for that earlier year.

Agriculture & Irrigation

The New Rice Bowl

A wave of new irrigation turned Telangana into one of India's biggest rice producers — alongside cotton, turmeric and chillies — though its flagship lift-irrigation project has had setbacks.

  • Rice #1 India's largest rice producer in 2023-24, having overtaken Punjab as irrigation expanded
  • Cotton India's 3rd-largest cotton producer, and the largest in the south
  • Turmeric A leading turmeric producer — Nizamabad hosts the National Turmeric Board
  • Chillies & maize Khammam & Warangal are big chilli markets; a leading maize grower too
  • Kaleshwaram On the Godavari — described as the world's largest multi-stage lift-irrigation project
  • Medigadda setback Piers of the project's Medigadda barrage sank in 2023, prompting a major inquiry
  • Rythu Bandhu A pioneering direct-cash farm-support scheme; with Mission Kakatiya tank revival

Administrative

The Districts

Telangana has 33 districts. It began with just 10 at its formation in 2014, then split them repeatedly — to 31 in 2016 and 33 by 2019. Pick a district on the interactive map to highlight it above.

    The map and this list share the same data. Clicking a district highlights it on the interactive map in the hero.

    What Makes Telangana Unique

    Tech, Pharma & the Kakatiyas

    A brand-new state with deep roots — the IT and vaccine capital of Hyderabad, a UNESCO temple of the Kakatiyas, and the world's largest film studio.

    Heritage

    • Ramappa The 13th-century Kakatiya temple — Telangana's first UNESCO World Heritage Site (2021)
    • Qutb Shahi Charminar, Golconda Fort & the Qutb Shahi tombs — on India's UNESCO tentative list
    • Classical Telugu Telugu — a classical language of India, declared in 2008
    • Ramoji Film City Near Hyderabad — the world's largest film studio complex (Guinness)

    Industry & science

    • Vaccine capital Genome Valley — said to make about a third of the world's vaccine doses
    • Cyberabad HITEC City & the Financial District — a top Indian IT-export hub
    • Highest income The highest per-capita income of any large Indian state
    • Rice & pharma A rare mix — both a leading rice producer and a global pharma centre

    Culture & Traditions

    Bathukamma, Biryani & Ikat

    From the floral festival of Bathukamma and the folk worship of Bonalu to Hyderabadi biryani, the ikat silks of Pochampally and the bangles of the Laad Bazaar.

    • Bathukamma The state's floral festival — women build conical stacks of flowers each autumn
    • Bonalu The Hyderabad folk festival honouring the goddess Mahakali
    • Pochampally The "Silk City" — its ikat weaving is GI-tagged and a UN "Best Tourism Village"
    • Crafts Karimnagar silver filigree, Cheriyal scroll paintings, Nirmal toys & Gadwal sarees
    • Cuisine Hyderabadi dum biryani, the GI-tagged haleem, Irani chai & Osmania biscuits
    • Tollywood The Telugu film industry, centred on Hyderabad — one of India's largest

    Places to Visit

    Forts, Temples & a Film City

    The monuments of the Qutb Shahis and the Kakatiyas, a lake-island Buddha, and the world's largest film studio — Telangana's sights span six centuries.

    • Charminar Hyderabad's 1591 landmark — four arches and four minarets
    • Golconda Fort The great granite fortress — once the world's diamond market (the Koh-i-Noor)
    • Qutb Shahi Tombs The domed necropolis of the sultans, beside Golconda
    • Ramappa & Warangal The UNESCO Ramappa temple, Warangal Fort & the Thousand Pillar Temple
    • Hussain Sagar Hyderabad's lake, with its monolithic island Buddha statue
    • Bhadrachalam The Rama temple on the banks of the Godavari
    • Ramoji Film City The world's largest film studio complex, just outside Hyderabad
    • Palaces The Nizams' Chowmahalla and Falaknuma palaces in old Hyderabad

    Modern Telangana

    IT, Pharma & a Startup Hub

    Hyderabad anchors a modern services economy — global tech campuses, a vast biotech cluster, a large metro and one of India's biggest startup incubators.

    • HITEC City "Cyberabad" — the IT corridor, the Financial District & Genome Valley
    • Global campuses Microsoft, Google & Amazon run some of their largest campuses outside the US here
    • T-Hub A government-built innovation campus — among India's largest startup incubators
    • Hyderabad Metro A ~67 km network, running since 2017 — built largely under a public-private partnership
    • Airport Rajiv Gandhi International, Shamshabad — India's 4th-busiest, an award-winning airport
    • Outer Ring Road A 158 km expressway rings Hyderabad; a wider Regional Ring Road is planned

    Road, Rail & Air

    Metro, Rail & the Ring Roads

    A well-connected capital region — a busy airport, a growing metro, commuter rail and the expressways that ring the city.

    • Airport Rajiv Gandhi International at Shamshabad — India's 4th-busiest, handling ~29 million a year
    • Metro Hyderabad Metro — three lines, about 67 km, running since 2017
    • Railways South Central Railway is headquartered at Secunderabad; the MMTS commuter trains
    • Vande Bharat Fast trains run from Secunderabad to cities across the south
    • Ring roads The 158 km Outer Ring Road, with a Regional Ring Road under development
    • TS-iPASS A single-window clearance system — part of a strong ease-of-business reputation

    People & Heritage

    Icons of Telangana

    A warrior queen, a city-founder, the last Nizam, a tribal hero and a Prime Minister — a few of the figures bound to this land.

    • Rani Rudrama Devi The 13th-century Kakatiya queen of Warangal — one of India's few women rulers
    • Quli Qutb Shah Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, who founded Hyderabad and built the Charminar in 1591
    • Mir Osman Ali Khan The last Nizam of Hyderabad — once reputed the world's richest man
    • Komaram Bheem The Gond tribal hero of the anti-Nizam revolt — "Jal, Jangal, Zameen"
    • Sarojini Naidu The "Nightingale of India", poet and freedom fighter, born in Hyderabad
    • P. V. Narasimha Rao Prime Minister of India and reformer, born near Karimnagar; a Bharat Ratna

    Through the Ages

    A Short History of Telangana

    From the Kakatiyas of Warangal and the Qutb Shahis of Golconda to the Nizams and a state of its own — a few milestones that shaped Telangana.

    Key milestones in the history of Telangana, from the 12th century to 2021.
    WhenMilestone
    12th–14th c.The Kakatiyas rule from Warangal — Rani Rudrama Devi and the Ramappa temple (1213)
    1323The Delhi Sultanate sacks Warangal; the Kakatiya kingdom falls
    1518The Qutb Shahi dynasty founds the Golconda Sultanate
    1591Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah founds Hyderabad and builds the Charminar
    1687The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb captures Golconda
    1724The Asaf Jahi Nizams establish Hyderabad State
    1946–51The Telangana Rebellion against the Nizam and the feudal landlords
    1948Operation Polo: Hyderabad State joins the Indian Union
    1956Telangana is merged into Andhra Pradesh
    1969The first mass agitation for a separate Telangana
    2 June 2014Telangana becomes India's 29th state
    2021The Ramappa temple is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

    Spotted an error, or know this state well?

    This profile is compiled from Census 2011, the Telangana budget (via PRS), STPI, the Ministry of Agriculture, UNESCO and IBEF sources. If you find an inaccuracy or have a better source, tell us and we'll review and correct it.

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