Includes Index.

Rayalaseema was carved out of the erstwhile Madras Presidency in 1953. Kurnool became the capital of Andhra State. The capital was later shifted to Hyderabad. Andhra Pradesh emerged by amalgamating Telangana region on Nov.1. 1956. Rayalseema produced many Chief Ministers. But this region suffered a lot both economically and socially. Geographically this rain shows region receives an average of 550 mm of rainfall. Only 24 per cent of the Rayalaseema area is irrigated in planned period, whereas in the State of Andhra Pradesh this figure is 41 percent. Productivity and production of crops have not risen consistently in the Rayalseema region. Foodgrains area and production have significantly fallen and farmers have shifted to commercial crops. Lawlessness was abundantly prevailing in many parts of the faction-ridden villages of the Rayalaseema region. This menace made the villagers lose their confidence and sense of security of life and property. Owing to this ugly hydra-headed menace both agriculture and industrialization expansion were increasingly retarded in the Rayalaseema region. Apart from the agrarian and economic issues, the book contains comprehensive sections on education, urbanisation and women development as well as profiles of some of the great sons of the soil like Jiddu Krishnamurti, Madabushi Ananthasayanam Iyengar and Pappuru Ramacharyulu.