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Telugu Historyతెలుగు చరిత్ర

How the map changed

How the borders and districts of the Telugu country changed from the Company's take-over of the coast and Rayalaseema (1766–1800) to the division of Andhra Pradesh in 2014: the Madras districts and the Nizam's dominions, the Andhra State of 1953, the reorganisation of 1956, the boundary changes of 1959–60, the new districts of 1953–1979, and the ten districts that became Telangana.

The borders of the Telugu country were redrawn many times between 1766 and 2014.12 For a century and a half the coast and Rayalaseema were ruled from Madras, and Telangana from Hyderabad.13 In 1953 and 1956 the Telugu districts were brought together, first as the Andhra State and then as Andhra Pradesh.45 In 2014 the state was divided again.2

This page follows those changes in time order. The elected houses of these states are described on Legislatures & government, 1952–2014.

The coast and Rayalaseema pass to the Company, 1766–1800

In August 1765 the East India Company obtained a grant (farman) of the five Circars from the Mughal emperor Shah Alam.1 By a treaty of 12 November 1766, Nizam Ali Khan handed over the Circars of Rajahmundry, Eluru, Mustafanagar, Srikakulam and Murtazanagar.1 The story is told on the page The Nizams & the British.

In 1798 the Nizam accepted a British subsidiary force: troops stationed in his lands at his cost.3 In 1800 he ceded to the Company the lands he had received after the wars with Tipu Sultan, to pay for a larger force.36 These lands became known as the Ceded Districts.6

In 1808 the Company split the Ceded Districts into two districts, Cuddapah (now Kadapa) and Bellary.7 Bellary then included the later district of Anantapur.7 The other Telugu districts of the Madras Presidency, and the years in which they were formed, are shown on the map The Telugu districts of the Madras Presidency.

The Telugu districts of the Madras Presidency (1858–1947)

The Telugu districts of the Madras Presidency (1858–1947)GodavariKrishnaVizagapatam 1802Agency tractsBhadrachalam 1860East Godavari 1925West Godavari 1925Kistna 1859Guntur 1904Nellore 1801Kurnool 1858Cuddapah 1808Anantapur 1882Bellary 1808Chittoor 1911VizagapatamVizagapatamVizianagaramVizianagaramBobbiliBobbiliCocanadaCocanadaPithapuramPithapuramRajahmundryRajahmundryDowlaishweramDowlaishweramBhadrachalamBhadrachalamRekapalliRekapalliElloreElloreBezwadaBezwadaMasulipatamMasulipatamGuntur (Murtazanagar)Guntur (Murtazanagar)OngoleOngoleNelloreNelloreVenkatagiriVenkatagiriSrikalahastiSrikalahastiChittoorChittoorCuddapahCuddapahKurnoolKurnoolAnantapurAnantapurBellary (Ballari)Bellary (Ballari)KarvetinagarN0100 km
  • Unified Andhra Pradesh (pre-2014)
  • Present-day state borders, for orientation
  • Approximate extent

The Telugu districts of the Madras Presidency as they stood after 1925, each with the year in which it was formed: Vizagapatam (1802), Nellore (1801), Cuddapah and Bellary (1808), Kurnool (1858), Godavari and Kistna (1859), Anantapur (1882), Guntur (1904), Chittoor (1911) and West Godavari (1925), the remainder of Godavari becoming East Godavari. The Bhadrachalam and Rekapalli taluks were ceded by the Nizam in 1860, and the hill country of Vizagapatam and Godavari was governed as the Agency tracts under special laws. The seats of the great zamindaris are marked. The shaded areas are rough sketches after the census maps of 1921 and 1931, not surveyed boundaries.

Historical boundaries are approximate. Base map: Natural Earth (opens in a new tab) (public domain). Redrawn from: Madras Presidency (key map), Census of India, 1931, Vol. XIV, Madras, Part I (opens in a new tab), Survey Office, Madras, 1932 (Public domain). Attributions

The Nizam’s dominions

What remained to the Nizam became Hyderabad State.3 Its Telugu-speaking districts formed the region called Telangana.89 The districts of 1931 are shown on the map The districts of the Nizam’s Dominions.

On 1 October 1953 Hyderabad State formed a new district, Khammam, from five taluks (sub-divisions) of Warangal district.1011 The District Census Handbook of 1981 says this was done for easier administration.11

The districts of the Nizam's Dominions (1931)

The districts of the Nizam's Dominions (1931)GodavariKrishnaAdilabadKarimnagarNizamabadMedakWarangalNalgondaAtraf-i-BaldaMahbubnagarAurangabad subaGulbarga subaHyderabadHyderabadWarangalWarangalKarimnagarKarimnagarKhammamKhammamNalgondaNalgondaSuryapetSuryapetBhongirBhongirMahbubnagarMahbubnagarMedakMedakSangareddySangareddyPatancheruPatancheruNizamabadNizamabadBodhanBodhanAdilabadAdilabadNirmalNirmalAurangabadAurangabadRaichurRaichurN0100 km
  • Unified Andhra Pradesh (pre-2014)
  • Present-day state borders, for orientation
  • Approximate extent

The districts of Hyderabad State as the census of 1931 maps them. The eight Telangana districts, where most people spoke Telugu, are drawn one by one: Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Nizamabad in the Warangal suba (division); Medak, Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar in the Medak suba; and Atraf-i-Balda, the Nizam's own district round Hyderabad. The Marathi and Kannada districts of the west are shown as the Aurangabad and Gulbarga subas. Medak district was governed from Sangareddy. The boundaries are rough sketches after the census map, not surveyed lines.

Historical boundaries are approximate. Base map: Natural Earth (opens in a new tab) (public domain). Redrawn from: Census 1931 Map of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions (Census of India 1931, Vol. XXIII, Part I: Report) (opens in a new tab), G. Ahmed Khan, Census Commissioner (Government Central Press, Hyderabad), 1933 (Public domain). Attributions

The Andhra State, 1953

The Andhra State was formed on 1 October 1953 from the Telugu districts of Madras State.4 It had eleven districts:4

  • Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and West Godavari4
  • Krishna, Guntur and Nellore4
  • Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa (then Cuddapah) and Chittoor4

Three taluks of Bellary district were added to these.4 The Election Commission recorded that, under the Andhra State Bill, a part of Bellary district was to go from Madras State to Mysore State.12 Madras city stayed out of the new state.4

The reorganisation of 1956

The States Reorganisation Commission reported in 1955.9 It proposed to take three groups of districts away from Hyderabad State:91314

  • Raichur and Gulbarga, to go to a new Karnataka State139
  • the Marathwada districts of Osmanabad, Bhir, Aurangabad, Parbhani and Nanded, to go to Bombay14
  • what was left, the Telugu-speaking districts, to stay for the present as a smaller Hyderabad State9

The last proposal was not carried out.95 On 1 November 1956 the Telangana districts were joined to the Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh.5 The police history lists them as Hyderabad, Medak, Mahbubnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, Khammam, Nalgonda, Karimnagar and most of Adilabad.5 The Election Commission’s report of 1962 confirms that the Marathi-speaking areas of Hyderabad went to Bombay State in 1956.15

The making of Andhra Pradesh is shown on the map The making of Andhra Pradesh (1953–1956).

The making of Andhra Pradesh (1953–1956)

The making of Andhra Pradesh (1953–1956)GodavariKrishnaAndhra State 1953Telangana 1956SrikakulamSrikakulamVisakhapatnamVisakhapatnamGuntur (Murtazanagar)Guntur (Murtazanagar)NelloreNelloreKurnoolKurnoolAnantapurAnantapurKadapa (Cuddapah)Kadapa (Cuddapah)ChittoorChittoorHyderabadHyderabadMedakMedakNizamabadNizamabadAdilabadAdilabadKarimnagarKarimnagarWarangalWarangalKhammamKhammamNalgondaNalgondaMahbubnagarMahbubnagarN0100 km
  • Unified Andhra Pradesh (pre-2014)
  • Present-day state borders, for orientation
  • Approximate extent

The two parts that were joined on 1 November 1956 to form Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra State was formed on 1 October 1953 from eleven Telugu districts of Madras State and three taluks of Bellary, with its capital at Kurnool. The Telangana districts of Hyderabad State (Hyderabad, Medak, Mahbubnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, Khammam, Nalgonda, Karimnagar and most of Adilabad) were joined to it in 1956, and Hyderabad city became the capital. The shaded areas are rough sketches, not surveyed boundaries.

Historical boundaries are approximate. Base map: Natural Earth (opens in a new tab) (public domain). Redrawn from: Andhra Pradesh district map (ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ పటము), Andhra Pradesh, Vol. 1, No. 1 (November–December 1956), p. 85 (opens in a new tab), Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, 1956 (Public domain in India). Attributions

Boundary changes, 1959–1960

In 1959 the Bhadrachalam taluk and the Nugur sub-taluk moved from East Godavari district to Khammam district.1610 The East Godavari gazetteer gives two reasons: the taluks were next to Khammam, and the change made administration easier.16

A long dispute over the border with Madras State was settled in 1959.17 H. V. Pataskar, Governor of Madhya Pradesh, gave an award at the request of the two Chief Ministers.17 Under it, the two states exchanged villages:17

  • 319 villages of three taluks of Chittoor district, and some forest, went to Madras17
  • 148 villages of Chingleput district and three villages of Salem district, with some forests and tanks, came to Andhra Pradesh17

Parliament gave effect to the award by the Andhra Pradesh and Madras (Alteration of Boundaries) Act, 1959.17 The Act came into force on 1 April 1960.17 The villages that came to Andhra Pradesh were formed into one taluk, Sathyavedu.17

New districts, 1970–1979

The census of 1981 records three new districts formed after 1961:18

  • Prakasam, on 2 February 1970, from parts of Guntur, Nellore and Kurnool districts18
  • Vizianagaram, from parts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam districts18
  • Rangareddi, from areas of Hyderabad district18

Prakasam district was named after Tanguturi Prakasam, the first Chief Minister of the Andhra State.18 The Portrait of Population gives 12 April 1979 for Vizianagaram and 25 August 1979 for Rangareddi.18 The District Census Handbook of Rangareddi gives a different date, 15 August 1978.19 It says the district was first called Hyderabad (rural) district.19

In 1981 the census counted 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh.20 Going clockwise from the north-east, it names them as Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa, Anantapur, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar, Rangareddi, Hyderabad, Medak, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam and Nalgonda.20

New districts of Andhra Pradesh (1953–1979)

New districts of Andhra Pradesh (1953–1979)GodavariKrishnaKhammamKhammamWarangalWarangalBhadrachalamBhadrachalamOngoleOngoleGuntur (Murtazanagar)Guntur (Murtazanagar)NelloreNelloreKurnoolKurnoolVizianagaramVizianagaramSrikakulamSrikakulamVisakhapatnamVisakhapatnamHyderabadHyderabadN0100 km
  • Unified Andhra Pradesh (pre-2014)
  • Present-day state borders, for orientation

The districts formed in the Telugu country between 1953 and 1979. Khammam was carved out of Warangal on 1 October 1953, and the Bhadrachalam taluk was moved to it from East Godavari in 1959. Prakasam was formed on 2 February 1970 from parts of Guntur, Nellore and Kurnool. Vizianagaram was formed from parts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam, and Rangareddi from the rural areas of Hyderabad district, at the end of the 1970s. The census of 1981 counted 23 districts. Only towns are marked; the base map has no district boundaries.

Base map: Natural Earth (opens in a new tab) (public domain).

Division, 2014

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 received the President’s assent on 1 March 2014.2 It formed the new State of Telangana from ten districts:2

  • Adilabad, Karimnagar, Medak and Nizamabad2
  • Warangal, Rangareddi and Nalgonda2
  • Mahbubnagar, Khammam (except certain villages) and Hyderabad2

The remaining districts stayed in the State of Andhra Pradesh.2 A member speaking in the Lok Sabha debate on the Bill on 18 February 2014 spoke of the state’s 23 districts.21 The Act names the ten Telangana districts but not the districts that stayed in Andhra Pradesh.2

Where the sources disagree

  • When Rangareddi district was formed. The census Portrait of Population gives 25 August 1979.18 The District Census Handbook of Rangareddi gives 15 August 1978, twice.1922

Footnotes

  1. Hemingway, Godavari (1907), p. 33 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)); Henry George Briggs, The Nizam, Vol. I (1861), p. 227 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (Act No. 6 of 2014), ss. 2–4, pp. 1–2 (Gazette copy (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  3. Imperial Gazetteer: Hyderabad (1909), p. 16 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)); Imperial Gazetteer: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 184 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. “Prime Minister’s Statement on Andhra”, 25 March 1953, printed in Madras Legislative Assembly Debates, 2 April 1953, appendix, pp. 823–825 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)); The History of the Andhra Pradesh Police (1861–1961) (1961), pp. 249–250 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  5. History of the Andhra Pradesh Police (1961), p. 260 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  6. Francis, Anantapur (1905), p. 23 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  7. Imperial Gazetteer of India, Provincial Series: Madras, Vol. I (1908), p. 433 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  8. Report of the States Reorganisation Commission (1955), p. 101 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  9. Report of the States Reorganisation Commission (1955), p. 257 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  10. S. S. Jaya Rao, Census of India 1981, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Khammam District (1986), PDF p. 17 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  11. Jaya Rao, District Census Handbook, Khammam District (1986), PDF p. 21 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  12. Election Commission, Report on the Second General Elections in India, 1957, Vol. I (1959), p. 33 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  13. Report of the States Reorganisation Commission (1955), p. 93 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  14. Report of the States Reorganisation Commission (1955), p. 118 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  15. Election Commission, Report on the Third General Elections in India, 1962, Vol. I (1965), p. 2 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  16. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: East Godavari (1979), p. 2 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  17. Election Commission, Report on the Third General Elections in India, 1962, Vol. I (1965), p. 5 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  18. Purnachandra Rao, Portrait of Population (1981), p. 16 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  19. S. S. Jaya Rao, Census of India 1981, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Rangareddi District (1987), PDF p. 20 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  20. Ch. Purnachandra Rao, Census of India 1981, Andhra Pradesh: Portrait of Population (1981), p. 13 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  21. Lok Sabha Debates, 18 February 2014, discussion on the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2014, PDF p. 18 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  22. Jaya Rao, District Census Handbook, Rangareddi District (1987), PDF p. 24 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

References

Sources (16)
  1. F. R. Hemingway, Madras District Gazetteers: Godavari, Vol. I (opens in a new tab), Government Press, Madras, 1907, pp. 33. [Public domain]
  2. Henry George Briggs, The Nizam: His History and Relations with the British Government, Vol. I (opens in a new tab), Bernard Quaritch, London, 1861, pp. 227. [Public domain]
  3. Government of India, Imperial Gazetteer of India, Provincial Series: Hyderabad State (opens in a new tab), Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta, 1909, pp. 16. [Public domain]
  4. Government of India, Imperial Gazetteer of India, Provincial Series: Madras, Vol. I (opens in a new tab), Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta, 1908, pp. 184, 433. [Public domain]
  5. W. Francis, Madras District Gazetteers: Anantapur (opens in a new tab), Government of Madras (Addison & Co.), 1905, pp. 23. [Public domain]
  6. Madras Legislative Assembly, Prime Minister's Statement on the Establishment of Andhra State (Assembly debates, 2 April 1953) (opens in a new tab), Madras Legislative Assembly, 1953, pp. 823–825. [Public domain in India]
  7. Inspector-General of Police, Andhra Pradesh, The History of the Andhra Pradesh Police (1861-1961) (opens in a new tab), Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, 1961, pp. 249–250, 260. [Public domain in India]
  8. Election Commission, India, Report on the Second General Elections in India, 1957, Vol. I (General) (opens in a new tab), Manager of Publications, Delhi (Government of India Press, Faridabad), 1959, pp. 20, 33. [Public domain in India]
  9. States Reorganisation Commission (S. Fazl Ali, H. N. Kunzru, K. M. Panikkar), Report of the States Reorganisation Commission (opens in a new tab), Government of India (Manager of Publications, Delhi), 1955, pp. 93, 118, 257. [Public domain in India]
  10. Election Commission, India, Report on the Third General Elections in India, 1962, Vol. I (General) (opens in a new tab), Election Commission, India, 1965, pp. 2, 5. [Public domain in India]
  11. S. S. Jaya Rao (Census of India 1981), Census of India 1981, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Khammam District (opens in a new tab), Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, 1986, PDF pp. 17, 21. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  12. N. Ramesan, Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: East Godavari (revised edition) (opens in a new tab), Government of Andhra Pradesh (Government Central Press, Hyderabad), 1979, pp. 2. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  13. Ch. Purnachandra Rao (Census of India 1981), Census of India 1981, Andhra Pradesh: Portrait of Population (opens in a new tab), Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, 1981, pp. 13, 16. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  14. S. S. Jaya Rao (Census of India 1981), Census of India 1981, Andhra Pradesh: District Census Handbook, Rangareddi District (opens in a new tab), Director of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, 1987, PDF pp. 20, 24. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  15. Parliament of India, The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (Act No. 6 of 2014) (opens in a new tab), Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 1 (1 March 2014), 2014, pp. 1–2 (ss. 2–4). [Public domain (Indian enactment; Copyright Act 1957, s. 52(1)(q))]
  16. Lok Sabha, Discussion on the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2014 (Lok Sabha debates, 18 February 2014) (opens in a new tab), Lok Sabha Secretariat, 2014, PDF p. 18. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]

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