Telugu people

Telugus, also known by the ethnonym Āndhras, are a Dravidian ethnic group native to the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and the union territory of Puducherry (Yanam district). They natively speak the Telugu language and form the most populous Dravidian linguistic group. A significant number of Telugus also reside in the Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Maharashtra; with a significant diasporic population spread across the Western world, with larger concentrations in North America, the Far East, Mauritius, the Gulf Arab states, Malaysia, Burma, Australia and other parts of the world, Telugu is the 3rd most spoken language in India with 96 million speakers in the country and 14th most spoken language in the World with 110 million speakers across the globe.

Telugu is the fourth most spoken language in India and the 14th most spoken native language in the world. Telugu is the fastest-growing language in the United States. It is also a protected language in South Africa.

Andhra is an ethnonym used for Telugu people since antiquity. The earliest mention of the Andhras occurs in Aitareya Brahmana (c. 800 BCE) of the Rigveda. In the Mahabharata, the infantry of Satyaki was composed of a tribe called the Andhras, known for their long hair, tall stature, sweet language, and mighty prowess. They were also mentioned in the Buddhist Jataka tales. Megasthenes reported in his Indica (c. 310 BCE) that the Andhras, living in the Godavari and Krishna river deltas, were famous for their formidable military strength, which was second only to that of the Maurya Empire in the entire Indian subcontinent. 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. They established trade relations with the Roman Empire, and their capital city near Amaravathi was the most prosperous city in India during the 2nd century CE. Inscriptions in Old Telugu script (Vengi script) were found as far away as Indonesia and Myanmar.

In the 13th century, Kakatiyas unified various Telugu-speaking areas under one realm. Later, Telugu culture and literature flourished and reached its zenith during the late Vijayanagara Empire. After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, various Telugu rulers called Nayakas established independent kingdoms across South India serving the same function as Rajput warriors clans of northern India. Kandyan Nayaks, the last dynasty to rule Sri Lanka were of Telugu descent. In this era, Telugu became the language of high culture throughout South India. Vijaya Ramaswamy compared it to the overwhelming dominance of French as the cultural language of modern Europe during roughly the same era. Telugu also predominates in the evolution of Carnatic music, one of two main subgenres of Indian classical music.

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. Mahayana, the predominant Buddhist tradition in China, Japan, and Korea and the largest Buddhist denomination in the world, was developed among Telugus in Andhra.

Telugu is one of six languages designated as a classical language by the Government of India. It has been in use as an official language for over 1,400 years and has an unbroken and diverse literary tradition of over a thousand years. Telugu performing arts include the classical dance form Kuchipudi, as well as Perini Sivatandavam, and Burra Katha. The Telugu shadow puppetry tradition, Tholu Bommalata, dates back to the 3rd century BCE, and is the ancestor of Wayang, the popular Indonesian art form that has been a staple of Indonesian tourism. Telugu cinema is the largest film industry in India in terms of box office as well as admissions. The industry has produced some of India's most expensive and highest-grossing films, influencing Indian popular culture well beyond Telugu-speaking regions.