Telaga | |
---|---|
Classification | Forward caste |
Religions | Hinduism |
Languages | Telugu |
Country | India |
Populated states | Major: Andhra Pradesh Yanam Minor: Telangana Orissa West Bengal |
Region | South India |
Telaga is a community found in Coastal Andhra region of India. Telaga is a subcaste of Kapu and both terms are often used synonymously. [9] They are classified as a Forward caste. [18] They are a land-owning agrarian community. [27] Historically, they were a warrior caste known for their honour and bravery. [28] [29]
The origins of Telagas have been linked to Telugu Choda dynasties like Velanati Chodas (1076–1216 CE) who ruled Coastal Andhra and claimed descendant from Karikala Chola .Later they came to be called Telagas over a period of time. [30] Telagas commonly carry the titles Naidu and Dora. [37] Balija and Ontari communities are closely related to Telaga. [44]
Telagas in the erstwhile districts of East and West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Visakhapatnam have called themselves Kapus for a long time, while those in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts are still known as Telagas to distinguish them from the unrelated caste of Turpu Kapus who are also present in the same districts. [45] [46]
Historians like Etukuru Balaramamurthy and Chintamani Lakshmanna note that Telagas are the descendants of Telugu Choda dynasties like Durjayas of Velanadu (1076–1216 CE) who ruled Coastal Andhra. These Telugu Chodas later came to be called Telagas over a period of time. [30]
Various sources mention Telaga as a historically military caste known for their honour and valour. [28] [29] They were also known as Nayakas and later Naidus. Telaga surnames (intiperlu in Telugu) include names of weapons apart from village names. Surnames like Tupakula (musket), Eetela (spear), Bakula (dagger), Soorakattula (knife), Katari (katar) are found among them. [29] Telagas and Kapus of former Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts are referred to as Pedda Kapu when comparing them with Turpu Kapu. [46]
An inscription dating to 1205 CE (1127 Saka year) mentions Teliki Kapulu, which K. Iswara Dutt interprets as referring to Telagas. [57]
During the medieval era, many Nayakas belonged to Telaga community along with Velamas and Balijas. [58] [59] [60] In the late medieval era, Telagas led the right-hand caste faction in Machilipatnam and other places of Andhra. The right-hand caste faction included Komatis and various other castes. [61] At the end of the eighteenth century, Telagas, along with Niyogi Brahmins, were the leaders of the Maha-nad, a multi-caste secret assembly that was created to exact retribution for breaking the rules and rights of castes. [61]
There existed Nayak (Telaga) regiments in the Vijayanagara Empire and they later joined the British army after the fall of Vijayanagara. [62] Telagas of Bobbili served as commanders and generals in armies. [63] They formed a major part of the Bobbili army along with Velamas in the famous Battle of Bobbili in 1757. [64] [65] [66] Telagas in British army held ranks such as Major, Naik, Subedar, Jemadar, Havildar etc. [29] When the British reduced their recruitment in the army, Telagas concentrated on agriculture. [47]
First edition of Charles Philip Brown's Telugu-English Dictionary (1852) mentioned Telaga caste as equivalent to Mahanati Kapu (మహనాటి కాపు). [67] Brown also notes that Mahanati Kapus were leaguesmen and members of the Mahanadu community. [68] [69]
H. A. Stuart wrote in 1891, "The Telagas are a Telugu caste of cultivators, who were formerly soldiers in the armies of the Hindu sovereigns of Telingana. [note 1] This may perhaps account for the name, for it is easy to see that the Telugu soldiers might come to be regarded as the Telugus or Telagas par excellence". [70] [71] During the colonial era, they were noted to be highly Brahmanised and of a high social position. [72] [73] [74] [75]
The early 20th century witnessed caste consciousness in various social groups of Andhra. [76] A Telaga Mahajana Sabha happened at Railway Koduru in Kadapa district in September 1920. [6] The first Telaga Mahasabha (transl. Telaga Grand Assembly) was held on 7 October 1923 in Machilipatnam and declared 'we are Telagas, we are Kapus'. [77] The second Krishna district Telaga Mahajana Sabha was held in February 1925 in Pūlla under the presidentship of the Zamindar of Vallur, Bommadevara Naganna Naidu. [78]
In 1936, Kurma Venkata Reddi Naidu, a leading advocate and Telaga leader was appointed as the Governor of Madras Presidency, one of the only two Indians in history to have held the post. [79] [80] In 1937, he was elected as the Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency, which included the present-day states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu along with parts of Kerala and Karnataka. [80]
Meraka Veedhi in Rajahmundry, Padamati Veedhi in Eluru, Srikakulam, and Bangalore were the localities of some historically prominent Telaga clans. [29] [45]
Telagas are found in Coastal Andhra region in the erstwhile districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, and Prakasam. [3] Telagas in most districts (except Srikakulam and Vizianagaram) are referred to as Kapus in general usage. [6] [3] In Srikakulam and Vizianagaram, they are primarily referred to as Telagas to distinguish them from the more numerous Turpu Kapus who are a distinct caste. [3]
Small communities of Telaga-Kapu also exist in Orissa and Kharagpur, West Bengal. [81] [82] In the 19th and early 20th century, Telagas were among the Telugu migrants to Burma, Malaysia, Mauritius and Fiji. [83] [84] [85] Telagas were said to form the largest caste among the Telugu people of Mauritius. [84] In recent decades, Telagas have migrated to the Anglophone countries like United States. [86] [83]
Telaga, a sub-caste of Kapu, has no relation to the Mudiraj and Teli castes who are sometimes referred to as Telaga. [87]
Andhra Vignanamu (1939) mentions Eluru, Ganapavaram and Akividu in former West Godavari district as places ruled by Telagas. They were called Telaga-prabhuvula-seemalu (transl. Territories of Telaga Lords). [88]
In pre-independent India, Telaga-Kapu also owned various zamindari estates in Coastal Andhra. K. S. Singh noted, "In East and West Godavari districts, quite a few Telaga zamindari families exist, with extensive landholdings. Some of them were bestowed with Diwan Bahadur and Rao Bahadur titles." [89] One of the wealthiest zamindaris in former Krishna district was the Vallur Estate of Bommadevara family. [90] [91] [92] [93] [94] Further, Gopisetti Narayanaswami Naidu, a Telaga, was the receiver of Nidadavolu Estate. [95] [96]
Some of the Telaga zamindaris (samsthanams) include:
Charles Philip Brown's Telugu-English Dictionary (1852) mentions Telaga-Balija (తెలగ బలిజె) as a caste name. [67] [105] Castes and Tribes of Southern India (1909) notes Telaga as a synonym for Balija in Northern Circars. [106] [42] Alvin Texas Fishman wrote in a 1941 study that the main body of Balijas is called Telaga. [38] Andhra Vignanamu (1939) mentions four sections among Telaga caste — Telagas (or Naidus), Ontaris (or Doras), Balijas, and Kapus. [39] Mallampalli Somasekhara Sarma (1946) noted that the Telaga community has three sections — Telaga (proper), Kapu, and Ontari. [40] According to Etukuru Balarama Murthy, Balijas residing in one part of Telugu land are addressed as Telagas. [43]
Various sources note the similarities between Kapu, Telaga, Balija, and Ontari communities and these terms are often used as synonyms. [9] [107] [108] [109] [39] Andhra Pradesh government's Kapu Welfare and Development Corporation refers to Kapu, Telaga, Balija, and Ontari communities collectively as Kapu. [110]
During the 1920s and 1930s, the Telaga community, along with other feudal landed castes, were major supporters of the Justice Party. [111] [112] [113] Prominent Telaga-Kapu personalities like Raghupati Venkataratnam Naidu and Kurma Venkata Reddi Naidu were members of the Justice Party. [114] [111] In the government formed after the first legislative council election to Madras Presidency in December 1920, Venkata Reddy Naidu was one of the three ministers in the Cabinet. In 1936, he was appointed as the Governor of Madras Presidency, one of the only two Indians in history to have held the post. [79] In 1937, he was elected as the Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency. [79]
Selig S. Harrison noted that, in the 1955 legislature of what was then Andhra State, the Telagas had 16 legislators, next only to the Reddis and Kammas. He states that they formed a "newly active political force". [115] Rokkam Lakshmi Narasimham Dora, a Telaga from Srikakulam district served as the second speaker of Andhra State Assembly from 1955 to 1956. [116] [117]
In 1982, Telagas joined the other Kapu castes to form the Kapunadu movement, launched in Vijayawada. The movement held annual/biannual meetings since then. [118] For the 1983 election for the united Andhra Pradesh, the Kapus, in general, supported the newly formed Telugu Desam Party. Among the elected, the Telagas made up six legislators, compared to nine legislators belonging to other Kapu castes from the coastal districts. [119] According to scholar Balagopal, "The Munnuru Kapus, Balijas, Telagas are collectively referred to as 'Kapus'". They attempted to consolidate into a single community, but "it has remained un-consummated". [120] [121]
During the colonial era, Telagas were noted to be of a high social position. [72] [73] [74] In a 1965 study on the history of Guntur district, Robert Eric Frykenberg called Telaga, "a high caste with a tradition of military and police employment." [122] He also categorized them among "elite agricultural (warrior) castes." [72] In 1976, Christopher John Baker in his work on South Indian political history called Telaga, "a respectable cultivator caste of Andhra." [123] In 1982, Barbara D. Miller of Syracuse University noted, "Generally the Telaga-Kapu rank fairly high in status". [124]
Telagas are a community of land-owners and are one of the dominant communities of Andhra Pradesh. [27] [128] In recent years, Telaga along with other related Kapu communities launched an agitation demanding quotas. [129] However, the quota accorded to Kapus was found to be legally untenable. [130] [131] As of 2023, Telagas do not avail any caste-based quotas or reservations and are classified as a Forward caste both by the Central Government of India as well as the Andhra Pradesh Government. [132] [18]
Kamma is a 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.
Naidu is a native Telugu surname commonly used by some Telugu castes. 'Nayudu/Naidu' (నాయుడు) is a contraction of the Telugu word 'Nayakudu' (నాయకుడు) meaning leader, chief, headman. Telugu castes such as the Balija,Kapu/Telaga, Kamma, Gavara, Golla, Mudiraju, Turpu Kapu, Velama and Boya use the title.
Velama is a caste found mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The earliest occurrence of Velama as a term for a community dates from the 17th century.
The Nayak, or Naik is a historic Indian title conferred on military generals and governors of feudal states in the Middle Ages. Today it is also a surname. Nayaks are mostly Hindu and few Sikhs, who follow Hinduism and Sikhism respectively.
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.
The Balija are a Telugu-speaking mercantile community primarily living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and in smaller numbers in Telangana and Kerala. They are known as Banajiga in Karnataka and Gavara in Tamil Nadu.
Gavara is a term used to refer to four different South Indian communities.
Rao Bahadur Sir Kurma Venkatareddi NaiduKCSI was an Indian politician, lawyer, diplomat, and professor who served as the Prime Minister of Madras Presidency. He also served as the Governor of Madras Presidency — one of the only two Indians in history to have held the post. He was the only person to have held both the posts of Prime Minister and Governor of the Madras Presidency. As a prominent leader of the Justice Party, he formulated policies that promoted social equality, abolition of untouchability, and social reform. He also established the first women's college in Andhra region in Eluru.
Kodi Rammurthy Naidu was an Indian strongman, bodybuilder, wrestler and an important figure in India’s physical culture history. He was renowned for his strength and physical prowess and for feats such as stopping two cars using his muscle power and taking an elephant on his chest. He was awarded the title of "Indian Hercules" by King George V. He is also known by the epithets "Kaliyuga Bhima", "Indian Sandow", "Malla Marthanda".
Kammanadu is a historical region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It consisted of parts of the present day Guntur and Prakasam districts.
Munnuru Kapu is a Telugu-speaking caste primarily found in the Indian state of Telangana. Traditionally, they are a community of cultivators and are distributed across Telangana. They are also present in Nanded and Latur districts of Maharashtra. Munnuru Kapus are distinct from the Kapu caste of Coastal Andhra.
Settibalija refers to two distinct and completely unrelated communities in Andhra Pradesh, India. The term Setti Balija historically referred to a sub-caste of the Balija community. These Setti Balijas were a prominent mercantile community of South India with a history dating back to the Vijayanagara Empire. They are currently found in the Rayalaseema region and are classified as a Forward Caste.
Kālingi is a Hindu caste residing in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. In Andhra, they are primarily found in the erstwhile Srikakulam district with smaller numbers in neighbouring districts. They are predominantly a caste of cultivators. Some of the community members also served as temple priests in the past. They are categorized as an Other Backward Classes (OBC) by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
Malaysian Telugus, consists of people of full or partial Telugu descent who were born in or immigrated to Malaysia. Most Malaysian Telugus are descended from migrants from Madras Presidency during the colonial period. Historically, most Malaysian Telugus originated from the Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam regions of what is now Andhra Pradesh. More recent migrants came from the states of Telangana, Orissa and Bengal. While most Telugus came to Malaysia as crop labourers, some were professionals and traders who arrived as refugees, for example, in the 1930s following anti-Indian riots in Burma and during World War II, when the Japanese invaded Burma.
Turpu Kapu is an Indian caste in the state of Andhra Pradesh. They are primarily found in the erstwhile districts of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram, with smaller numbers in other regions of the state. Traditionally, they are an agrarian caste. They are a politically prominent community in the Uttarandhra region of the state.
The Golla are a Telugu-speaking pastoral community primarily living in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana with smaller numbers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. They are related to other pastoral-herding castes like Gulla, Gullar, Gollewar, Gavli and Dhangar and are a part of the larger Yadav community. They are classified as a Backward Caste.
Koppula Velama or Koppu Velama is a Telugu farmer caste found in Andhra Pradesh, India. They are primarily found in the Uttarandhra region with smaller populations in other districts of the state. They are classified under the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. They are politically well-represented in the Uttarandhra region. Koppula Velama is similar to Velama caste.
Rayudu is a title used by South Indian Telugu castes such as Balija, Kamma and Velama,Kshatriya Perika. Rayudu title is native to Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states in India. Rayudu is a Telugu name and synonym for the word "Royal". The word "Rayudu" means "king", or "a man with rich background".
Linga Balija is a subcaste of the Indian Balija caste.
Citations
The Kapus of Godavari Districts are quite well off and politically dynamic. They proudly declare themselves as Telagas.
The term Kapu is variously used in different regions of Andhra Pradesh. They are equated with Reddis in Rayalaseema districts (Thurston, 1909). In East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, and Guntur districts, the same term refers to a forward caste, often synonymously used with the Telaga and Ontari.
The Kapus constitute a separate caste in the Coastal districts of West Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam. The Kapus of Coastal regions are politically dynamic. They proudly declare themselves as Telagas.
The Kapu form the bulk of the population and are agriculturists and horticulturists. The Kapus of the East Godavari call themselves Telaga or Pedda (Big) Kapus.
Telagas termed themselves as Kapus and by profession were agriculturists. The first Telaga Mahajana Sabha of the region met at Railway Kodur in Kadapa district in September 1920. The later Telaga Conferences were held mostly in the Coastal Andhra areas than in the Rayalaseema region since the population of Telagas was more in the former region than in the latter. But some of the leaders of the region participated in these conferences as they had good rapport, with the prominent Coastal Andhra leaders like Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu, who seldom visited the region.
The Telaga are a Telugu speaking dominant cultivator community, concentrated in all the coastal towns and hinterlands of East and West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Nellore districts of Coastal Andhra and in all the ..... Today we find the Kapu, Ontari and Balija of the state often call themselves Telaga, and the Telaga in some parts also use Kapu as synonym. The Telaga occupy a higher status in the hierarchy among these groups.
Taking Andhra Pradesh alone, all the populous land-owning castes such as Reddy, Kamma, Kapu, Telaga, Velama, Raju, etc. (which are among the forward sections), constitute definitely more than nine percent of the total population which is the proportion of the land-owning castes in the above extrapolation for northern India.
It is also seen that Brahmin, Vysya, Telaga, Kapu who are considered to be socially and economically forward castes ....
Other forward communities are Brahmins, Vaishyas, Kshatriyas, Telagas, Khaists.
The Brahmin, Raju (Kshatriya), Komati (Vaisya) and Telaga castes are considered 'forward communities' in the district.
Among the forward communities, Vysya, Telaga and Brahmin communities had higher representation in that order.
The Kapus who are otherwise popularly known as Telagas in these parts primarily belong to a caste of cultivators and land owners. They are among the most respected of the non-Brahmins. It is said that in the past they were soldiers in the armies of the Hindu Sovereigns.
About half the 153 households in the village are from the dominant Telaga caste of landed farmers ....
It was because of the caste composition of land ownership, for most of the agricultural land is owned by the dominant castes - Kamma, Reddy, Velama, Telaga, and Kshatriya communities.
Now let us look at the various castes associated with our epics. Those associated with the Palnati Katha are Telaga, Velamas, and Kammas—all traditionally landowning castes.
(p. 97) తాము చతుర్ధ వంశస్టులమని, దుర్జయ కులోద్భవులమని వెలనాటి చోడులు చెప్పుకున్నారు. మిగతా తెలుగు చోడులు తాము సూర్యవంశజులమని, కరికాల చోళుని వంశస్థులమని చెప్పుకున్నారు. కాని వాస్తవానికి అందరూ ఒకే కుదురునుండి ప్రారంభమైన చతుర్ధ వంశస్థులే తప్ప వేరు కారు. వీరందరికీ కాలక్రమేణా తెలగాలు లేక కాపులు అను పేరు స్థిరమైంది. (p. 114) కోట బేతరాజు మొదలైనవారు తెలుగుచోడులు. వీరు క్రమంగా తెలగాలుగా మారారు.
But Reddis, Kammas, and Telaga Naidu are equal in social rank. They are originally agricultural castes.
Another important division of the infantry was ekkatlu, the plural form of the term ekkati, a contracted form of Ekkatidu. Ekkati, otherwise called Ontari, was, as his name indicates, brought into the field of battle almost at the end of the fight, when it was a losing game, and was ordered to take part in hand to hand fight. Ekkati kayyamu, the combat of singles, began only after every prospect of victory was lost. The ekkati forces served probably as the reserve army, and each fighter in this division was probably a great wrestler and wielded also heavy weapons like maces and the like. There were ekkatis in every important town and village in the kingdom. The ekkatis of Velanturu (Vellaturu), Tangeda and Polepalli are mentioned in the records of the Reddi period. From the way in which these ekkatis made gifts to local gods, we come to know that they were remunerated for their services by grants of land. All these sections of infantry are mentioned in the Palnativiracaritra, produced in this period. In this work ekkatlu are referred to as Ontarlu (Selagola prajalanu heccu vantarla; Vantari is the corrupt form of Ontari). Ekkati and its synonym Ontari seem to have been the vernacular equivalents of the Sanskrit word Ekangavira, the hero who fights the combat singly. These ekkatis of the Reddi period gradually formed into a separate military caste or community, and are now popularly called Vantarlu. These now form one of the three sections of the Telaga community, the other two being the Telaga (proper), and the Kapu.
The Telaga were once a military caste, and were till recently recruited for the native regiments of the British army, but now they are cultivators of a moderately high position, and only differ from their neighbours in being somewhat more fully Brahmanised.
... local warrior castes such as Rajus, Kammas, Velamas, Kapus, and Telagas dominated military occupations.
High castes (like Brahmins) and dominant castes (like Patels in Gujarat and Kapu and Kamma in Andhra Pradesh) constitute over 90 percent of Indians in America.
In East and West Godavari districts, quite a few Telaga zamindari families exist, with extensive landholdings. Some of them were bestowed with Diwan Bahadur and Rao Bahadur titles.
.... granted by Gopisetti Narayanaswami Nayudu garu, son of Narasimhulu Nayudu garu, Telaga, residing at .....
K. V. S. Ramachandra Rao garu, Zamindar of Dharmavaram: This gentleman, born in 1870, comes of a respectable Telaga family of Merakaveedhi, Rajahmundry, in the Godavari District, Madras Presidency.
The group is also known as Kapu, Naidu, Telaga in coastal districts of the state and is ethnically similar to Balija Naidus of Rayalaseema area of Andhra Pradesh.
The Kapus, concentrated in Guntur, Krishna, West and East Godavari districts are listed among the forward castes. In Rayalaseema districts they are known as Balijas.
In Andhra Pradesh, at the state level, one might mention a few castes such as Reddy, Velama, Kamma, Raju, Kapu / Telaga / Balija castes as the dominant (cultivator) castes.
The Kapu (Telaga) community in the Circar districts of Andhra was entirely in the grip of the Justice Party ... One of the staunch leaders of the Justice Party was Sir Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu, a leading advocate of Eluru, who was closely related to the rich landlords of the Kapu community in the Circar districts. ... But it was felt that the backing of the Kapu community was also essential to the Congress, as that community was in a considerable position and status in the Circars.
Mr. Raghupati Venkataratnam Naidu who was one of the three pillars of Brahmo in Andhra became a member of the Telaga Sangham and Justice Party in 1917, in the year of its founding.
The Telaga is one of the numerically and socio-economically dominant castes distributed almost all over Andhra Pradesh.
Bibliography