On the east coast of India, this Indian state was part emperor Ashoka's territories. Reorganized on November 1, 1956 this is the fifth largest state in India, both in area and population. The state is surrounded by Chhatisgarh and Orissa in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the east, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the south and Maharashtra in the west. Andhra Pradesh forms the major link between the north and the south.

Architecture in Andhra Pradesh ranges from pre-historic Cairns to modern steel and glass facades. The secular architecture with ancient Hindu and Jain temples, Muslim monuments and Sikh and Christian places of worship belonging to eighteenth and nineteenth century is just a glimpse of the rich culture

Handicrafts from Andhra have made a name for themselves the world over. Kalamkari, Bidriwork, Lac bangles are the more famous ones. The traditional dance of the state, Kuchipudi, a blend of music and abhinaya, is Andhra Pradesh’s unique contribution to dance.

Andhra Pradesh’s varied topography and climate, ranging from the seacoast to the hill ranges traversed with river valleys supports 10 different forest habitats creating a home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. There are 4 National Parks and 20 sanctuaries covering an area of 15,273 sq km or 5.6 per cent of the entire geographical area of the State. Among the large sanctuaries like Etunagaram, Kinnersani and Pakhal, the Rajiv Gandhi Tiger Reserve is the most prominent. Besides the tiger, the other wildlife that can be seen in fairly good numbers are panthers, crocodiles, turtles, wild boars, chitals, sambars, nilgais, black buck and wolves.