Telugu people
| తెలుగు ప్రజలు | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| c. 80 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 India
|
74,002,856 |
| Languages | |
| Telugu | |
| Religion | |
|
Predominantly: Hinduism Minorities: |
|
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Brahuis | |
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu (Telugu: తెలుగు ప్రజలు) are the people who natively speak Telugu. The majority of Telugus reside in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The Telugu language is the most spoken language in South India, the third-most spoken language in India and the fourth most in the Indian subcontinent, following Hindi, Bengali and Punjabi.
Andhra in Indian epic literature first appears at the time of the death of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 232 BC. This date has been considered to be the beginning of the Andhra historical record. Various dynasties have ruled the area, including the Satavahana dynasty, Sakas, Andhra Ikshvakus, Eastern Chalukyas, Pallava dynasty, Pandyan dynasty, Chola dynasty, Telugu Cholas, the Bobbili, the Vijayanagara Empire, the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golconda, the Nizams of Hyderabad and the Kakatiya dynasty.
The term Kalinga has been historically relevant to this region, incorporating northeast Andhra Pradesh and modern day Odisha. Buddhist references to Andhras are also found.
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