Religion in Andhra Pradesh

Tirupati Temple/Source: Wikimedia

According to the 2011 population census, majority of Andhraites believe in Hinduism, followed by Islam and Christianity. Hindus make up 88.46% of the total population. Muslim counts for 9.56%. Christian comes third with 1.34% and other religions such as Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism make up less than 1% of the total population.

Religion	Percentage
Hindu	88.46%
Muslim	9.56%
Christian	1.34%
Sikh	0.05%
Buddhist	0.04%
Jain	0.06%
Other Religions	0.01%
Not Specified	0.48%

In Hinduism, most of the Andhra people either follows the Vaishanism or Shaivism. The Saivites are divided into lingayaths and the nonlingayaths. On other hand, the Vaishnavites can be divided into Vaishnavas and Madhavas.

The famous Vaishanavite Pilgrimage site Tirupati Venkateswara Temple lies on the land of Andhra Pradesh. It is also known for rare a Vaishnava Hindu site Undavalli caves, where one can find a reclining Vishnu idol.

The major Saivite pilgrimage sites in Andhra Pradesh are Srisailam, Kalahasthi and Alampur.

The Hindu community of Andhra Pradesh still follows a strict caste system and more or less patriarchal society. Having said that, they are also known celebrating Ammas (Village Goddesses) such as Gangamma, Poleremma, Yellamma and Maramma.

The Muslim population is concentrated in Hyderabad region. The major districts with Muslim population are Kurnool, Guntur and Anantpur.

If we trace back the history of the region, it has played an important role in the development of Mahayana Buddhism along-with Magadha in north India.