Telugu Brahmin

A Telugu Brahmin performing rituals.

Telugu Brahmins ^{[lower-alpha 1]} are Telugu-speaking Brahmin communities native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. ^{[1] [2]} 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. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

History

The Apastamba Dharmasutra is posited to have been composed in the region of modern-day Andhra Pradesh between the Godavari and Krishna rivers, but this is not certain. ^{[6] [7]} It is dated to approximately 600-300 BCE, ^[8] and more narrowly to between 450 and 350 BCE. ^[9]

Sub-divisions

Telugu Brahmins fall under the Pancha Dravida Brahmin classification of the Brahmin community in India. ^[10] They are further divided into various sections based on their occupation, denomination, region etc. ^[4]

Sub-groups

Vaidiki (Velanati,Veginati, Telaganya, Mulukanadu), Niyogi (Aruvela, Pakanati, Prathamasaki etc.), Golkonda Vyapari, Deshastha and Dravida.^{[ citation needed ]}

Denominational divisions

Smartha, Madhva, Vaikhanasa, Sri Vaishnava, Shaiva and Shakta.

• Even though in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions majority of Vaidikis and Niyogis are Smartas, who follow Advaita Vedanta of Adi Shankara, there are some sections among them who migrated and settled in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu region that follow Dvaita Vedanta of Madhvacharya. ^{[11] [12] [13]}

• Sri Vaishnavas and Telugu Madhvas are Telugu Brahmins who converted to Ramanuja and Madhvacharya faith respectively. ^{[14] [15]}

• Niyogis are further subdivided into Aruvela Niyogis, Pakanati Niyogis and others. ^[16]

• Golkonda Vyaparis were said to be a part of Niyogis, but they consider themselves as separate group and have their own community organizations. The word vyapari means trader. Golconda Vyaparis are Vaishnavas and have both Madhvas and Sri Vaishnavas among them. ^{[17] [18]}

• Telugu Madhvas and Deshastha Madhvas are mainly followers of Uttaradi Matha, Raghavendra Matha and Vyasaraja Matha. ^[19]

• Deshastha Brahmins are mainly divided into two groups Deshastha Madhva Brahmins and Deshastha Smartha Brahmins. ^[20] In Telangana, Deshastha Brahmins are spread throughout all the districts of the state, while in Andhra Pradesh, they are mainly concentrated in Rayalaseema, Nellore, and Godavari-Krishna delta, especially in the cities of Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa, Chittoor, Nellore, Rajahmundry, Guntur and Hyderabad. ^{[21] [22] [23] [24]} Marriage alliance between Deshastha Brahmins, other Telugu Brahmins and Karnataka Brahmins takes place quite frequently. ^[25]

• Dravidulu are migrants from Tamil Nadu dating to Chalukya era and speak Telugu at their homes. ^{[26] [27]}

Occupation

Pre-Independence

Niyogi Brahmins served as village record keepers (karanams), poets, and sometimes ministers. Deshastha Brahmins also served as village record keepers (karanams) ^[28] and many also served as high-level administrators and bureaucrats such as Deshmukhs, Sheristadars, Tehsildars, Deshpandes and Majumdars under Qutb Shahis of Golkonda and Nizams of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. ^[29]

Niyogi Brahmins and Deshastha Brahmins also ruled Andhra Pradesh as zamindars. In Guntur district, one of the four major zamindars i.e., Chilakaluripet zamindari and Sattenapalle zamindari were ruled by Deshastha Brahmins, whose title was "Deshmukh", ^{[30] [31]} The Polavaram zamindari of West Godavari district and Lakkavaram zamindari of Prakasam district were ruled by Niyogi Brahmins. Due to their secular occupations, marriage alliances between Deshastha Brahmins, Golkonda Vyapari Brahmins and Niyogi Brahmins was very common since centuries. ^{[32] [33]} Vaidiki Brahmins and Dravidulu are priests and teachers. ^{[34] [35]}

Post-Independence

After the implementation of the Land Ceiling Reforms Act in 1973, Niyogi Brahmins and Deshastha Brahmins who had huge amounts of land lost their lands and properties as a result of this. ^[36] In 1983, after becoming Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. T. Rama Rao abolished Patel–Patwari system prevailing in Andhra Pradesh. As a result of this many Brahmins who had control over the villages as Karanams (revenue officers) lost their control over villages as well as many of their lands and properties. ^[37]

Population distribution

As per the 1931 census, Brahmins were about three percent in the region constituting present-day Andhra Pradesh (then part of Madras State). ^[38] According to a survey by Outlook India in 2003, Brahmins were estimated to be around 5% of United Andhra Pradesh population. ^{[39] [ citation needed ]}

Notable people

Religious leaders

• Nimbarkacharya, Hindu theologian, chief proponent of Dvaitadvaita or "dualistic–non-dualistic" philosophy, and the founder of Nimbarka Sampradaya. ^[40]

• Vallabhacharya, Hindu theologian, chief proponent of Suddhadvaita or "purely non-dual " philosophy, and the founder of Vallabha Sampradaya or Pushtimarg. ^[41]

Social Activists

• Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Father of the Telugu Renaissance movement. ^[42]
• Goparaju Ramachandra Rao, Indian social reformer, atheist activist and a participant in the Indian independence movement. ^[43]
• Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, First Indian land reformer. He eradicated the system of jagirdar and mukthedar in Telangana and introduced the law of tenancy. ^[44]

Politics

• K. B. Hedgewar, the founder and the first Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). ^[45]
• Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras, the third Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). ^[46]
• N. Subba Rao Pantulu, an Indian social reformer, a politician, served as a member of the Madras Legislative Council and one of the founders of The Hindu. ^[47]
• P. V. Narasimha Rao, an Indian lawyer and politician who served as the 9th Prime Minister of India from 1991 to 1996. ^[48]

Bureaucrats

• P. V. R. K. Prasad, an Indian civil servant who served as Media Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, P. V. Narasimha Rao from 1991 to 1996. ^[49]

Music

• S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Indian playback singer. ^[50]

Films

• Sobhita Dhulipala, ^[51] Actress

See also

• Caste system in India

Notes

1. Now they are sometimes referred as Andhra Brahmins and Telangana Brahmins after the bifurcation of the states.

References

1. Abstracts: Daśam Antarrāshṭrīya Nr̥vaijñānika evaṃ Nr̥jātīya Vijñāna Mahāsammelana : Xth International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, India, December 10 to 21, 1978, Volume 3. National Committee for ICAES. 1978. p. 3.
2. Bhattacharya, Jogendra Nath (1896). Hindu Castes and Sects. Thacker, Spink. p. 98. ISBN   1298966337.
3. Lakshmanna, Chintamani (1973). Caste Dynamics in Village India. Nachiketa Publications. p. 21.
4. Journal of the Indian Anthropological Society, Volume 26. Indian Anthropological Society. 1991. p. 230. The Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh who speak Telugu can be divided into Vaishnavites, Smarthas and Madhwas. They are strictly vegetarians.
5. Robert Eric Frykenberg; Richard Fox Young (2009). India and the Indianness of Christianity: Essays on Understanding -- Historical, Theological, and Bibliographical -- in Honor of Robert Eric Frykenberg. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 70. ISBN   9780802863928.
6. Patrick Olivelle 1999, p. xxvii.
7. Robert Lingat 1973, pp. 21–22.
8. Robert Lingat 1973, p. 22.
9. Patrick Olivelle 1999, p. xxxi.
10. Kumar Suresh Singh (1998). India's communities, Volume 1; Volume 5. Oxford University Press. p. 552. ISBN   9780195633542. (pg 552) In Andhra Pradesh, all the Brahman groups except the Oriya Sahu Brahman are Pancha Dravida and are divided into Tamil Srivaishnava, Andhra Srivaishnava, Kamme Brahman and Maharashtra Desastha Brahman.
11. Karnataka State Gazetteer: Mysore. Director of Print, Stationery and Publications at the Government Press. 1988. p. 157. The Madhwas are followers of the Dwaitha philosophy of Madhwacharya and have sub-sects like the Badaganadu, Aravelu, Aravathuvokkalu, Deshastha, etc.
12. Kumar Suresh Singh (1998). India's Communities, Volume 6. Oxford University Press. p. 2044. ISBN   9780195633542. In Tamil Nadu, the Madhwa Brahmins are migrants from Karnataka. They have six sub-groups, they are Aruvela, Aruvanththuvakkalu, Badaganadu, Pennaththurar, Prathamasaki and Desastha and Badaga. They are concentrated in the Madras, Coimbatore, Coonoor and in Ooty.
13. Mysore Narasimhachar Srinivas (1978). Marriage and Family in Mysore. AMS Press. p. 27. ISBN   9780404159757. The Nanda Vaidikas come from the Telugu country and include both Smarthas and Madhvas.
14. Y. Subhashini Subrahmanyam (1975). Social change in village India: an Andhra case study. Prithvi Raj Publishers. pp. 73–74.
15. Journal of the Andhra Historical Society, Volume 36, Parts 2-4. Andhra Historical Research Society. 1976. p. 70. The Brahmans were either Smartas, Vaishnavas or Madhwas accordingly as they are followers of Sankaracharya, Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya.
16. Sekaram, Kandavalli Balendu (1973). The Andhras Through the Ages. Sri Saraswati Book Depot. p. 28. Among the Niyogis, there are Aruvela Niyogis, Pakanati Niyogis and others.
17. "Madras' milieu beheld from the eyes of a dewan". The Times of India. 15 November 2016. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 2 August 2023.
18. Subrahmanyam, Y. Subhashini (1975). Social Change in Village India: An Andhra Case Study. Prithvi Raj Publishers. p. 71.
19. Sharma, B. N. Krishnamurti (2000). A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, 3rd Edition. Motilal Banarsidass (2008 Reprint). p. 227. ISBN   978-8120815759.
20. Kumar Suresh Singh (1998). India's Communities, Volume 6. Oxford University Press. p. 3317. ISBN   978-0195633542. The Deshatha Brahman in Andhra Pradesh have two groups, namely Smartha and Madhva which are divided into exogamous surnames (intiperu) to indicate one's ancestry and regulate marriage alliances.
21. Robert Eric Frykenberg; Richard Fox Young (2009). India and the Indianness of Christianity: Essays on Understanding -- Historical, Theological, and Bibliographical -- in Honor of Robert Eric Frykenberg. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 70. ISBN   9780802863928.
22. People of India: A - G., Volume 4. Oxford University Press. 1998. p. 3317. In Andhra Pradesh, the Deshastha Brahman have settled in various parts, particularly in the cities of Rayalaseema, Anantapur, Kurnool, Tirupati, Cud- dapah and Hyderabad.
23. K. S. Singh (1998). India's Communities. Oxford University Press. p. 552. ISBN   9780195633542. The Maharashtra Desastha Brahman are distributed in the districts of Telangana.
24. David Goodman Mandelbaum (1970). Society in India: Continuity and change . University of California Press. p.  18. ISBN   9780520016231.
25. Maharashtra, Land and Its People. Gazetteers Department, Government of Maharashtra. 2009. p. 45. Marriage alliance between Deshastha Rigvedi and Telugu and Karnataka Brahmins takes place quite frequently.
26. Kandavalli Balendu Sekaram (1973). The Andhras through the ages. Sri Saraswati Book Depot. p. 29. One of the very important sections among the Telugu Brahmins are Dravida Brahmins. Their very name indicates their South Indian or Tamil origin. A very large number of Brahmin families migrated from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh
27. Bh. Sivasankaranarayana (1967). Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: Kurnool. Director of Print. and Stationery at the Government Secretariat Press; [copies can be had from: Government Publication Bureau, Andhra Pradesh]. p. 150. There are also a few Dravida Brahmin migrants especially from the Tamilnad speaking either Tamil or Telugu or both.
28. Rajagopal Vakulabharanam (2004). Self and Society in Transition: A Study of Modern Autobiographical Practice in Telugu. University of Wisconsin--Madison. pp. 57–58.
29. Appasaheb Ganapatrao Pawar (1971). Maratha History Seminar, May 28-31, 1970: papers. Shivaji University. The ascendancy of the Qutb-shahis of Golkonda resulted in several Maratha Brahmins of the Madhwa sect, generally called Desasthas, being appointed to high positions. This is evident from several terms such as Deshmukh, Deshpande, Majumdar, Mannavar etc. used in the districts of Andhra to signify certain administrative posts.
30. Frykenberg, Robert Eric (1965). "Elite Groups in a South Indian District: 1788-1858". The Journal of Asian Studies . 24 (2): 261–281. doi:10.2307/2050565. ISSN   0021-9118. JSTOR   2050565. S2CID   153984852.
31. Coenraad M. Brand (1973). State and Society: A Reader in Comparative Political Sociology. University of California Press. p. 116. ISBN   9780520024908.
32. Journal of the Andhra Historical Society, Volume 29, Parts 1-2. Andhra Historical Research Society. 1964. p. 11.
33. Coenraad M. Brand (1973). State and Society: A Reader in Comparative Political Sociology. University of California Press. p. 112. ISBN   9780520024908.
34. Alpana Pandey (11 August 2015). Medieval Andhra: A Socio-Historical Perspective. Partridge Publishing. p. 34. ISBN   9781482850178 . Retrieved 11 August 2015.
35. Kumar Suresh Singh (1992). People of India: Andhra Pradesh (3 pts.). Anthropological Survey of India. p. 567. ISBN   9788176710060. Traditionally, the Dravidulu were engaged as priests by the local rulers, zamindars and chieftains, and donated to them Agraharams. Some of them followed the vedic texts and engaged themselves as purohits and acharyas.
36. B. A. V. Sharma (1980). Political Economy of India: A Study of Land Reforms Policy in Andhra Pradesh. Light & Life Publishers. p. 521.
37. Kalyani Shankar (2005). Gods of Power: Personality Cult & Indian Democracy. Macmillan. p. 147. ISBN   9781403925107.
38. India Briefing 2001. Taylor & Francis. 16 September 2016. p. 105. ISBN   9781315291192. In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, for instance, the brahmins represented about 3 percent of the population according to the 1931 census.
39. "Distribution Of Brahmin Population". Outlook India. Retrieved 16 June 2003.
40. "Nimbarka | Indian philosopher". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
41. Ballard, Roger; Banks, Marcus (1994). Desh Pardesh: The South Asian Presence in Britain. Hurst. p. 172. ISBN   978-1-85065-091-1.
42. Anjaneyulu, D. (1976). Kandukuri Veeresalingam. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
43. Parthiban, Praveena (1 October 2019). "How Gandhi's views on caste, race and God evolved through the years". The Federal. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
44. Harrison, Selig S. (8 December 2015). India: The Most Dangerous Decades. Princeton University Press. p. 254. ISBN   978-1-4008-7780-5.
45. Andersen, Walter; Damle, Shridhar D. (15 June 2019). Messengers of Hindu Nationalism: How the RSS Reshaped India. Oxford University Press. p. 261. ISBN   978-1-78738-289-3. Dr. Hedgewar, a Telugu Brahmin, was a trained medical practitioner, and founded the RSS in 1925
46. Prakash Louis (2000). The Emerging Hindutva Force: The Ascent of Hindu Nationalism. Indian Social Institute. p. 38. ISBN   9788187218319. The third head of RSS, Balasaheb Deoras was another Telugu Brahmin.
47. The Calcutta Historical Journal, Volume 18. University of Calcutta. 1996. p. 44. The second Andhra Conference, held at Bezwada (Vijayawada) under the presidentship of Nyapati Subba Rao Pantulu, a (Maratha-Telugu Brahman) Desastha descended from a long line distinguished civil servants, unanimously passed the resolution demanding a separate province for Andhras which had been drawn up the previous year in Bapatla
48. Robert Oberst (27 April 2018). Government and Politics in South Asia, Student Economy Edition. Routledge. p. 53. ISBN   9780429962325. P. V. Narasimha Rao Congress (IP) 1921 2004 Jun. 1991–May 1996 Brahmin (Hindu) Telugu, South (AP)
49. Prasad 2008, p. 305.
50. "SP Balasubrahmanyam honoured with centenary award". Deccan Herald. 20 November 2016. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
51. Salvadore, Sarah (26 March 2013). "I embody the spirit of Vizag: Sobhita Dhulipala - Beauty Pageants - Indiatimes". Femina Miss India. Retrieved 15 February 2022.

Bibliography

• Prasad, P. V. R. K. (2008). When I Saw Tirupati Balaji. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN   978-8121209335.
• Robert Lingat (1973). The Classical Law of India. University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-01898-3.
• Patrick Olivelle (1999). Dharmasutras: The Law Codes of Ancient India. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-283882-7.

External links

• Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh