Reddy Catholics

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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 (Reddies) 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 Southern Andhra, there were thousands of Christians, most of whom belonged to the Reddy and traditional weaver communities.

Many Reddies in Guntur district have converted to Roman Catholicism and many still keep some Hindu traditions like Thali and bottus. 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 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, many of the people who settled in Tamil Nadu speak Tamil and have assimilated into local cultures and customs.

See also

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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.