Reddy Catholics

Last updated
Reddy Catholics
రెడ్డి కతోలికులు, ரெட்டி கத்தோலிக்கர்கள் (Reddy Katholikulu, Reddy Katholickkarkal)
Regions with significant populations
Rayalaseema, Guntur district, Rangareddy District, Hyderabad, Chengalpattu district, Chennai, Kancheepuram district, Vellore district
Diaspora: United States, Australia, Singapore
Languages
Telugu, Tamil
Religion
Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Reddy people, Roman Catholic Kshatriyas, Tamil people, Telugu people, Reddiar

Reddy Catholics are a loose sect or association of Catholics that grew out of the first Christian converts in Andhra Pradesh, India. They generally speak Telugu or Tamil and often retain some of their Hindu customs. There are branches in many parts of the world. [1]

Contents

History

The first convert to Christianity in Andhra Pradesh was Thumma Hanumantha Reddy, also known as Manda Reddy. [2] [3] Manda Reddy, along with thirty Reddy families of Muddiguba and some other Reddy families in Alamuru, embraced Christianity in 1715. [4] In the Rayalaseema region, many Reddies began visiting churches and converted to Christianity (Catholicism). [5] By 1735, in South Andhra, there were thousands of Christians, most of whom belonged to the Reddy and traditional weaver communities.

Many Reddies in Guntur district have converted in to Roman Catholisim. Reddies who converted to Roman Catholicism still kept some the Hindu traditions like thali, bottu. Some of the Catholic Reddies migrated to Telangana via Krishna river. In Telangana they named their village as Guntur pally, Reddypuram or Reddypalem. [6] By 1750, Christianity further spread to the Circar Districts due to the migration of Christian Reddies into those areas. [6] In the early 18th century, many Catholic Reddies had migrated from Rayalaseema to some parts of Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.

Reddy Catholics mainly live under

Migration to Tamil Nadu

The Catholics belonging to reddi community came to be settled in the villages of Thatchur, Irusamanallur, Bathur, Boodur, Palnellore, Pallipattu(Lakshmi Narayana Puram), K.K.Pudur, Reddipalem, Kattupadi, Kallambedu, Eraiyur and Kaariyendal in the districts of Kanchipuram, Chingleput, Tiruvallur and Vellore in Tamilnadu. Presently most of the people who settled in Tamil Nadu speak Tamil and got assimilated with local culture.

See also

Related Research Articles

Kamma is a largely Hindu caste from South India. The community of Kammas is believed to have originated from agriculturists of the Kammanadu region of the erstwhile Guntur district and Ongole division in Andhra Pradesh. Propelled by their military activity in the Vijayanagara Empire, Kammas are believed to have spread out from the region during the Vijayanagara period, followed by some in-migration during the British period and out-migration again during the twentieth century. Today they are regarded as the richest group in Andhra Pradesh and are a dominant caste from Coastal Andhra with socio-economic and political prominence throughout the Telugu-speaking regions of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal Andhra</span> Geographic region of Andhra Pradesh, India

Coastal Andhra or Kosta Andhra is a geographic region in the States and union territories of India of Andhra Pradesh. Vijayawada is the largest city in this region. Region share borders with Uttarandhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana. It was part of Madras State before 1953 and Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. According to the 2011 census, it has an area of 91,915 square kilometres (35,489 sq mi) which is 57.99% of the total state area and a population of 34,193,868 which is 69.20% of Andhra Pradesh state population. This area includes the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh on the Circar Coast between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal, from the northern border with Odisha to Rayalaseema in the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rayalaseema</span> Geographic region of Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh, India

Rayalaseema is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises four southern districts of the State, from prior to the districts reorganisation in 2022, namely Kurnool, Anantapur, YSR, and Chittoor. Four new districts were created from these, namely Sri Sathya Sai, Nandyal, Annamayya, and Tirupati. As of 2011 census of India, the western four districts of the region had a population of 15,184,908 and cover an area of 77,424 km2 (29,894 sq mi).

Reddy is a caste that originated in India, predominantly settled in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They are classified as a forward caste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telugu Brahmin</span> Community of Telugu speaking Brahmins

Telugu Brahmins are Telugu-speaking Brahmin communities native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They fall under the Pancha Dravida Brahmin classification of the Brahmin community in India. Telugu Brahmins are further divided into sections like Vaidiki, Niyogi, Deshastha, Dravida, Golkonda Vyapari among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madiga</span> Caste in South India

Madiga is a Telugu caste from southern India. They mainly live in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, with a small minority in Tamil Nadu. Madigas are historically associated with the work of tannery, leatherwork and small handicrafts. Today, most are agricultural labourers. They are categorized as a Scheduled Caste by the Government of India. Within the Madiga community, there are various sub-castes include Bindla, Chindu, Dakkali, Mashti, Sangaris and the priestly class is known as Madiga Dasu.

Kapu is a Hindu caste mainly found in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. They are classified as a Forward caste. They are a community of land-owning agriculturists. Historically, they have also been warriors and military generals (Nayakas) in Hindu armies. They are a dominant caste of Andhra Pradesh. Kapus commonly carry the title Naidu. They are primarily present in Coastal Andhra with major concentration in the Godavari-Krishna delta region.

Politics in South India is typically dominated by regional parties than by the larger national political parties such as the Indian National Congress (INC), Communist Party of India (Marxist) or Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, both the BJP, INC and CPI(M) have had some success in forging alliances with regional parties. Unlike in North India, where religion plays an important role in driving local politics, South India's political issues of contention are mainly language and ethnicity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Andhra Pradesh</span>

The recorded history of Andhra Pradesh, one of the 28 states of 21st-century India, begins in the Vedic period. It is mentioned in Sanskrit epics such as the Aitareya Brahmana. Its sixth-century BCE incarnation Assaka lay between the Godavari and Krishna Rivers, one of sixteen mahajanapadas. The Satavahanas succeeded them, built Amaravati, and reached a zenith under Gautamiputra Satakarni.

Ravipadu is a Village in Palnadu district of the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Narasaraopet mandal of Narasaraopet revenue division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Medak of the Church of South India</span>

The Diocese of Medak is one of the prominent Dioceses in the Church of South India, a Protestant Uniting Church with its headquarters in Medak comprising nearly 200 Presbyters ministering to Telugu, Lambadi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindustani, English and other linguistic groups numbering nearly 1/3rds of a million spread over 105 pastorates and administered through 3 District Church Councils (DCC), namely, the Town DCC, the Medak DCC and the Godavari DCC geographically located in the erstwhile civil districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Medak, Rangareddy, Hyderabad and Mahboobnagar in Telangana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konijeti Rosaiah</span> Indian politician (1933–2021)

Konijeti Rosaiah was an Indian politician who served as the 15th chief minister of Andhra Pradesh from 2009 to 2010. He also served as the Governor of Tamil Nadu from 2011 to 2016 and the Governor of Karnataka for two months. He was previously an MLC, MLA and MP from the Indian National Congress numerous times and handled many ministerial posts over his political career spanning over half a century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thurakapalem</span> Place in Andhra Pradesh, India

Thurakapalem is a village located in Muppalla Mandal of Guntur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India This village comes under the jurisdiction of Sattenapalli Assembly Constituency and Narasaraopet Parliamentary Constituency.

Sribagh Pact is an agreement between the political leaders of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions during the separate Andhra on 16 November 1937. Historically, the Sribagh Agreement has been an important subject matter to the people of the Rayalaseema region regarding developmental issues due to the attitude of the then-Andhra leaders.

Telugu Christians or Telugu Kraistava are a religious community who form the third-largest religious minority in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. According to the 2001 Census of India, there are over a million Christians in Andhra Pradesh, constituting around 1.51% of the state's population. This is a decrease from the 1971 census figure which put the percentage of Christians in state as 2%, and this decrease is mainly a result of low birth rates and emigration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samaikyandhra Movement</span>

Samaikya Andhra Movement was a movement organized to keep the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh united, and to prevent the division of the state - separating the Telangana districts of the state into a separate Telangana state. The movement was supported by government employees, advocates in Coastal Andhra & Rayalaseema regions along with students from 14 universities, various occupational, caste & religious groups of Coastal Andhra & Rayalaseema regions. The last set of protests were triggered after the Congress Working Committee decision to divide the state came to an end after President of India gave nod to Telangana Bill which would make the latter to come into existence from 2 June 2014.

Vankayala is an Indian surname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Territories of Catholic dioceses in India</span>

This article gives a list of the territories of the dioceses of the Catholic Church in India.

K. Frederick Paradesi Babu is the current President of the Protestant Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society. He had his ministerial formation at the Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad, a Seminary affiliated to the nation's first university, the Senate of Serampore College (University).

The Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020 is an act of Andhra Pradesh Legislature aimed at the decentralisation of governance in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The bill was proposed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to establish three capitals at different places in the state namely Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, and Kurnool, which will serve as executive, legislative and judicial capitals respectively.

References

  1. "American Telugu Reddy Catholic Association | ATRCA" . Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  2. The Quarterly Review of Historical Studies. Institute of Historical Studies. 2002. p. 14.
  3. Pandey, Alpana (2015-08-11). Medieval Andhra: A Socio-Historical Perspective. Partridge Publishing. p. 119. ISBN   9781482850178.
  4. Itihas. 2002. p. 111. ISBN   9789854420769.
  5. Jangam, Chinnaiah (2013). "The Story of a Jailed Prince: Feudal Roots of Democratic Politics in Andhra Pradesh". Economic and Political Weekly. 48 (25): 11–15. ISSN   0012-9976. JSTOR   23527964.
  6. 1 2 Hrangkhuma, F. (1998). Christianity in India: Search for Liberation and Identity. Indian Society. p. 67. ISBN   9788172144579.