The vertical structure of atmospheric aerosols and their spatial characteristics, extinction coefficient profiles, and aerosol subtypes were systematically analyzed over the Andhra Pradesh (AP) State in South India. The study utilised Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) observations at a wavelength of 532 nm during 2006-2020 in both all-sky and cloud-free conditions. The CALIPSO AOD shows strong consistency with MODIS (r = 0.78) and moderate agreement with MERRA-2 (r = 0.64), with slight underestimations in both. The validation metrics (MAE approximate to 0.23-0.30; RMSE approximate to 0.25-0.30) confirm reliable performance while highlighting algorithmic and retrieval methods. The interannual variations in AOD showed notable changes during specific years due to population growth, topography, rapid urbanization, and industrialization. Whereas the seasonal mean spatial distributions of AOD depicted elevated aerosol loading during summer in the North and South regions of AP, followed by winter, post-monsoon, and monsoon seasons, driven mainly by polluted dust aerosols. The annual and seasonal vertical profiles of aerosol extinction coefficient (AEC) showed peak values below 2 km. While all the aerosol types depicted with high values during the summer and winter seasons up to 2 km are due to the major contribution of dust and polluted dust particles. The winter season showed high AEC due to dust and polluted dust, while in summer, the dust type of aerosols exhibited dominance in all-sky conditions. The seasonal frequency occurrences of AEC showed larger frequencies of polluted dust and elevated smoke aerosols in the winter and summer seasons. Whereas the zonal variations indicated a high AEC of 0.15 km-1 at 1 km extends to 4 km during summer in the All-sky and cloud-free conditions, attributed to the influence of meteorological conditions and anthropogenic activities.Graphical AbstractThe graphical abstract provides a comprehensive visual summary of the study that employs CALIPSO Level-3 Version 4.20 aerosol products to investigate the spatial, temporal, and vertical distribution of aerosols over the Andhra Pradesh State in South India from June 2006 to December 2020. Both all-sky and cloud-free datasets are utilized to ensure complete representation of aerosol conditions in South India. The framework begins by illustrating the integration of CALIPSO data with MODIS and MERRA-2 for inter-satellite comparison, establishing cross-satellite consistency and identifying potential regional biases in aerosol optical depth (AOD). The spatial maps present the annual and seasonal distributions of AOD and aerosol subtypes such as dust, smoke, and polluted dust, under both cloud-free and all-sky conditions. The study reveals major aerosol hotspots over the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal, as well as pronounced seasonality in the monsoon season. Vertical and zonal cross-sections of aerosol extinction coefficient (AEC) depict distinct behavior over altitude with surface-dominant pollution layers during winter and elevated dust layers during the summer season. The investigation of Frequency and zonal changes further highlights differences in aerosol loading and subtype composition between cloud-free and all-sky datasets. This demonstrates that all-sky retrievals capture enhanced aerosol concentrations due to the inclusion of partially cloudy conditions. Collectively, the graphical abstract encapsulates the objectives, methodology, and principal findings of the study. Further, the study emphasizes the importance of dataset selection in interpreting aerosol climatology and showcases the robustness of CALIPSO Level-3 products for long-term aerosol monitoring across spatial, seasonal, and vertical dimensions in South India.