Andhra Pradesh The heart of the south is Andhra. Here, the Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu faiths formed a brilliant mosaic of cultures. And, with its eyes on the Pacific Rim countries there is a growing port which could become the most powerful in Asia by the 21st century.

Hyderabad, the capital was built by Mohammed Qul of the Qutab Shahi dynasty. When the Qutab Shahis were defeated by the Mughals, the princely Nizams took over as hereditary governors and later became rulers in their own right, reputedly the richest princes in the British Empire.