Music

Main article: Music of Andhra Pradesh

Many composers of Carnatic music like Annamacharya, Tyagaraja, Kshetrayya, Syama Sastri and Bhadrachala Ramadasu were of Telugu descent. Modern Carnatic music composers like Ghantasala, M.S Subbalakshmi and Sri M. Balamuralikrishna are also of Telugu descent.

The local film industry hosts many music composers and playback singers such as S. P. Balasubrahmanyam.

Folk songs are popular in the many rural areas of the state. Forms such as the Burra katha and Poli are still performed today.^[44]

[edit]Religion

Religious affiliations

Religion	Population	Total
hindu	67,836,651	88.30%
muslim	6,986,856	9.16%
Christian	1,181,917	1.7%
Sikhs	30,998	0.04%
Jains	41,846	0.05%
Other religions	131,739	0.17%

Andhra Pradesh has a mixture of all religions with Hinduism followed by the majority in rural areas. Consequently, the state has many notable Hindu-pilgrimage places. Andhra Pradesh is home to Hindu saints of all castes. An important figure is Saint Yogi Sri Potuluri Virabrahmendra Swami. He was born in the Vishwabrahmin (goldsmith) caste and had Brahmin and Dalitdisciples.^[45] Fisherman Raghu was a Shudra saint.^[46] Saint Kakkayya was a chura (sweeper) Harijan saint.

Islam in Hyderabad, with historical patronizing by the rulers, has a strong Sufi influence, with various moments active in the last two decades. Hyderabad has also produced many renowned religious scholars of representing different Islamic sects and trends, including Abul Ala Maududi, Turab-ul-Haq Qadri, and Allamah Rasheed Turabi.^[47]

Several important Hindu modern-day saints are from Andhra Pradesh. These include Nimbarka, who founded Dvaitadvaita; Mother Meera, who runs an ashram in Madanapalle; Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Sri Sivabala Yogi Maharaj who advocates religious unity in worship; Swami Sundara Chaitanyanandaji of the Aurobindo Mission; and Brahmarshi Subhash Patri, founder of the pyramid spiritual societies movement.