The Making of Andhra State & Potti Sriramulu (1953)
In short: Potti Sriramulu's sacrifice, Andhra State (1953), Kurnool and Tanguturi Prakasam.
Andhra Pradesh Statehood & Movements › The Idea of Andhra Pradesh (1948–1970) · 40 min read · Free to read · English & Telugu
Bilingual study notes for the Andhra Pradesh Police SI & Constable exams (SLPRB AP) by AP Police Hub, a product of Anvil Academy.
From the Andhra Movement and the Sribagh Pact to the fast-unto-death of Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu — how the first Indian state formed on a linguistic basis was born on 1 October 1953, with Kurnool as capital and Tanguturi Prakasam as its first Chief Minister, and the road that led on to Vishalandhra in 1956.
1. The Andhra Movement — Demand for a Telugu Province
Under the British, the Telugu-speaking districts of the coast and Rayalaseema lay inside the vast, multilingual Madras Presidency, whose administration, courts and jobs were dominated by the Tamil elite of the south. From the early 20th century, Telugu leaders argued that their language, people and interests were being sidelined — and launched the Andhra Movement for a separate province of their own.
- First Andhra Mahasabha — Bapatla, 1913 — The first Andhra Mahasabha met at Bapatla in 1913 (26–27 May), the founding assembly of the demand for a separate Andhra. Konda Venkatappayya served as its secretary; the body pressed the case that Telugu people were suppressed in the Tamil-dominated Presidency.
- 'Andhra' vs 'Madras' — The movement wanted Telugu speakers united in one linguistic province, with their own capital, secretariat and services — rather than remaining a junior partner in a Presidency run from Madras city.
- A twin caution — Do not confuse this coastal-Andhra Andhra Mahasabha with the separate Telangana Andhra Mahasabha that fought the Nizam inside Hyderabad State — a favourite examiner trap.
2. The Sribagh Pact (1937) — Coast & Rayalaseema Unite
The Andhra demand had a fault line of its own: the prosperous, populous Coastal Andhra deltas feared they would swamp the drier, less-developed Rayalaseema. To keep the two regions united behind a single Andhra province, their leaders struck the historic Sribagh Pact on 16 November 1937.
- Where & who — It was signed at 'Sribagh', the Madras residence of the journalist-patriot Kasinathuni Nageswara Rao ('Desoddharaka'), between the leaders of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema — which is why it is a 'gentlemen's agreement' named after the house.
- The core bargain — split capital & High Court — To decentralise development, Rayalaseema would get the first choice between hosting the capital or the High Court, with the other going to Coastal Andhra — so no single region would hold both.
- Extra safeguards for Rayalaseema — The pact also promised Rayalaseema a fair share of irrigation water, and protection in education and jobs, until it caught up with the developed coast.
3. After Independence — the Dhar & JVP Reports
After 1947 the demand revived, but a shaken young nation — with Partition fresh and princely states still being integrated — was wary of redrawing its map along language lines. Two enquiries in quick succession poured cold water on the Andhra demand.
- Dhar Commission (1948) — The Linguistic Provinces Commission under S. K. Dhar was set up on 17 June 1948 and reported in December 1948. It advised against reorganising states on language, favouring administrative convenience and national unity instead.
- JVP Committee (1948–49) — Congress then set up the JVP Committee — Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel and Pattabhi Sitaramayya — which reported in 1949. It too was cautious, though it left a small door open: an Andhra state might be considered if its people gave up their claim to Madras city.
4. The Madras City Deadlock
The single hardest knot was Madras city (now Chennai). It was the Presidency's great port, capital and commercial hub — and Telugu leaders wanted it as the capital of the new Andhra state, arguing Telugu money and people had helped build it. Tamil leaders refused absolutely. Because the two sides could not agree on the city, the whole Andhra proposal stalled for years.
5. Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu & the Fast-Unto-Death
Potti Sriramulu (born 16 March 1901) was a devout Gandhian who had given years to Harijan upliftment and the freedom struggle. Losing patience with the endless delay, he began a fast-unto-death at the Madras house of Bulusu Sambamurthy on 19 October 1952, vowing not to eat until a separate Andhra state was granted.
- A slow-burning fire — The fast began without fanfare — even the Andhra Congress committee publicly disavowed it — but as the days passed and his health failed, it caught the imagination of the entire Telugu country.
- 58 days — He fasted for 58 days. In modern Indian history, only Jatindra Nath Das had actually fasted to death before him — a mark of how rare and total his sacrifice was.
6. Martyrdom & the Government's About-Turn
Potti Sriramulu died on the night of 15–16 December 1952. News of the martyrdom set the Telugu districts ablaze: mass mourning turned to riots, hartals and attacks on government property across the coast and Rayalaseema. Within three days, on 19 December 1952, the Prime Minister announced in Parliament that a separate Andhra state would be created — a decision the government had resisted for years.
7. The Birth of Andhra State (1 October 1953)
Andhra State was inaugurated on 1 October 1953, carved from the eleven Telugu-speaking districts of Madras State — seven of Coastal Andhra and four of Rayalaseema. It holds a unique place in Indian history as the first state created purely on a linguistic basis, the model every later linguistic state would follow.
Andhra State, 1953 — the founding facts| Feature | Detail |
|---|
| Formed on | 1 October 1953 |
| Carved from | 11 Telugu districts of Madras State (7 Coastal + 4 Rayalaseema) |
| Distinction | First Indian state on a linguistic basis |
| Capital | Kurnool (Rayalaseema) |
| High Court | Guntur (Coastal Andhra) |
| First Chief Minister | Tanguturi Prakasam ('Andhra Kesari') |
| First Governor | C. M. Trivedi |
- Why Kurnool & Guntur — Both flowed straight from the Sribagh Pact (1937): Rayalaseema took the capital (Kurnool), Coastal Andhra took the High Court (Guntur) — the promised capital-vs-court split, honoured at last.
- Tanguturi Prakasam — 'Andhra Kesari' — The veteran freedom fighter Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu, famed for baring his chest to police guns during the Simon-Commission protests (earning the title 'Andhra Kesari' — Lion of Andhra), became the first Chief Minister.
8. The Kurnool Years & the Road to Vishalandhra (1956)
Andhra State lasted just three years. Kurnool proved a difficult makeshift capital, and Telugu leaders on both sides of the old British–Nizam border dreamed of Vishalandhra — a 'Greater Andhra' uniting all Telugu speakers, including the Telangana districts of the neighbouring Hyderabad State.
- States Reorganisation Commission (1953) — The success of Andhra forced the centre to appoint the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) in December 1953 — Fazl Ali (chair), K. M. Panikkar and H. N. Kunzru — which reported in 1955. It was sympathetic to the ideal of Vishalandhra but urged caution on an immediate merger.
- Gentlemen's Agreement (1956) — To reassure the less-developed Telangana, Andhra and Telangana leaders signed the Gentlemen's Agreement on 20 February 1956, promising safeguards — a Telangana Regional Council, a share of cabinet posts, a Deputy CM slot and protection of jobs for Mulkis (local Telangana residents).
- Andhra Pradesh — 1 November 1956 — Under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, Andhra State merged with the Telangana districts of Hyderabad State to form Andhra Pradesh on 1 November 1956, with Hyderabad as capital. Andhra State — and the Kurnool capital — thus ceased to exist.
9. Timeline — 1913 to 1956
The whole arc, from the first stirrings of the Andhra demand to the birth of Andhra Pradesh, in one glance.
Andhra State — chronology| Date | Event |
|---|
| 1913 (Bapatla) | First Andhra Mahasabha — demand for a separate Andhra begins |
| 16 Nov 1937 | Sribagh Pact — Coastal Andhra & Rayalaseema agree on capital/HC split |
| 1948 | Dhar Commission advises against linguistic states |
| 1949 | JVP Committee — cautious; ties Andhra to giving up Madras city |
| 19 Oct 1952 | Potti Sriramulu begins his fast-unto-death in Madras |
| 15/16 Dec 1952 | He dies after 58 days — riots sweep the Telugu districts |
| 19 Dec 1952 | PM announces a separate Andhra state will be created |
| 1 Oct 1953 | Andhra State formed — first linguistic state; Kurnool capital, Prakasam CM |
| Dec 1953 | States Reorganisation Commission (Fazl Ali) appointed |
| 20 Feb 1956 | Gentlemen's Agreement — safeguards for Telangana |
| 1 Nov 1956 | Andhra Pradesh formed (Vishalandhra); Hyderabad capital |
10. At a Glance — Quick Revision
The most-tested one-liners of the chapter, gathered in one place.
Andhra State 1953 — must-remember anchors| Question hook | Answer |
|---|
| 'Amarajeevi' | Potti Sriramulu |
| His fast — start & death | 19 Oct 1952 → 15/16 Dec 1952 (58 days) |
| First Telugu-province assembly | First Andhra Mahasabha, Bapatla (1913) |
| Coast–Rayalaseema pact | Sribagh Pact, 16 Nov 1937 |
| Anti-linguistic-state committee (J-V-P) | Nehru, Patel, Pattabhi Sitaramayya (1948–49) |
| Andhra State formed | 1 Oct 1953 — first linguistic state |
| Capital / High Court | Kurnool / Guntur |
| First CM ('Andhra Kesari') | Tanguturi Prakasam |
| First Governor | C. M. Trivedi |
| SRC chairman (1953) | Fazl Ali (+ Panikkar, Kunzru) |
| Andhra Pradesh formed | 1 Nov 1956 (Vishalandhra; Hyderabad capital) |