Telugu people
Ethnolinguistic group native to southeastern India / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Telugu people (Telugu: తెలుగువారు, romanized: Teluguvāru), also called Andhras, are an ethno-linguistic group who speak the Telugu language and are native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Yanam district of Puducherry. They are the most populous of the four major Dravidian groups. Telugu is the fourth most spoken language in India[15] and the 14th most spoken native language in the world.[16] A significant number of Telugus also reside in the Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Maharashtra. Members of the Telugu diaspora are spread across countries like United States, Australia, Malaysia, Mauritius, UAE, and others. By 2024 Telugu is spoken by 95.7 million people all over world, which makes it the third largest Indian diaspora after Hindi and Bengali.[17] Telugu is the fastest-growing language in the United States.[18] It is also a protected language in South Africa.[19]
Telugu vāru తెలుగు వారు | |
---|---|
Total population | |
c. 95.7 million[1][2] Native speakers worldwide (2024) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Andhra Pradesh Telangana Yanam | |
India | 81,127,740 (2011)[2] |
United States | 1,239,000 (Telugu Americans)[1][3] |
Saudi Arabia | 383,000[4] |
Myanmar | 138,000[5] |
Malaysia | 126,000[6] |
Australia | 59,400[7] |
Canada | 54,685[8] |
Bangladesh | 40,000[9] |
United Kingdom | 33,000[10] |
Fiji | 34,000[11] |
Mauritius | 20,000[12] |
Bahrain | 18,700[1] |
Oman | 13,300[1] |
New Zealand | 5,754[13] |
South Africa | 5,000[14] |
Other | See Telugu diaspora |
Languages | |
Telugu | |
Religion | |
Majority: Hinduism Minority: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Other Dravidian peoples: |
Person | Telugu |
---|---|
People | Teluguvāru |
Language | Telugu |
Country | Telugu Nāḍu |
Andhra is an ethnonym used for Telugu people since antiquity.[20] The earliest mention of the Andhras occurs in Aitareya Brahmana (c. 800 BCE) of the Rigveda.[21][22][23] They were also mentioned in the Mahabharata and Buddhist Jataka tales.[24] In the Mahabharata the infantry of Satyaki was composed by a tribe called Andhras, known for their long hair, tall stature, sweet language, and mighty prowess. Megasthenes reported in his Indica (c. 310 BCE) that Andhras were living in the Godavari and Krishna river deltas and were famous for their military strength which was second only to Mauryans in all of India.[25] The first major Andhra polity was the Satavahana dynasty (2nd century BCE–2nd century CE) which ruled over the entire Deccan plateau and even distant areas of western and central India.[26][27][28] They established trade relations with the Roman Empire and their capital city, Amaravati was the most prosperous city in India in 2nd century CE.[29] Inscriptions in Old Telugu script (Vengi script) were found as far away as Indonesia and Myanmar.[30]
In the 13th century, Kakatiyas unified various Telugu-speaking areas under one realm.[31] Later, Telugu culture and literature flourished and reached its zenith during the late Vijayanagara Empire.[32] After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, various Telugu rulers called Nayakas established independent kingdoms across South India and served the same function as Rajput warriors clans of northern India.[33][34] Kandyan Nayaks, the last dynasty to rule Sri Lanka were of Telugu descent.[35][36] In this era, Telugu became the language of high culture across Southern India.[37][38][39] Vijaya Ramaswamy compared it to the overwhelming dominance of French as the cultural language of modern Europe during roughly the same era.[39] Telugu also predominates in the evolution of Carnatic music, one of two main subgenres of Indian classical music.[39][40][41][42]
The architecture developed by Andhras in Krishna river valley in early first centuries CE, called the Amaravati School of Art, is regarded as one of the three major styles of ancient Indian art and had a great influence on art in South India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia.[43][44][45] Mahayana, the predominant Buddhist tradition in China, Japan, and Korea and the largest Buddhist denomination in the world, was developed among Telugus in Andhra.[46][47][48]
Telugu is one of six languages designated as a classical language by the Government of India. It has an inscriptional history dating back to c. 400 BCE.[49][50] It has an unbroken and diverse literary tradition of over a thousand years.[51][52] Telugu performing arts include the classical dance form Kuchipudi, as well as Perini Sivatandavam, Burra Katha. Tholu Bommalata, the Telugu shadow puppetry tradition dates back to 3rd century BCE.[53] It is the ancestor of Wayang, the popular Indonesian art form which has been a staple of Indonesian tourism.[54][55][56] Telugu cinema is the largest film industry in India in terms of box-office as well as admissions.[57][58] The industry has produced some of India's most expensive and highest-grossing films of all time.