SOURCE: ANDHRADESA THROUGH AGES: Ruler's Perspective & Social Status https://www.amazon.in/ANDHRADESA-THROUGH-AGES-Rulers-Perspective-ebook/dp/B07BF6BYCG ANDHRADESA THROUGH AGES is the concise history of the Andhradesa from the pre-historic period to the end of British rule. Along with the history, it also deals with the major changes happening in the society and the ruling tribes. Telugu castes like Kamma, Kapu, Reddy & Velama have their warrior history well preserved in the modern books since the time of Kakatiyas (12th century CE). But no book exactly deals with the origin and history of these castes pre medieval period. This book attempts to provide the unbiased accurate history of these castes after going through lots of research and collecting points from various sources of respective periods. This book also gives a brief history of the kingdoms ruling over the Deccan. The book also focuses on the religious aspects of Hinduism like Varna and Gotra, which will help us to understand their importance in tracing the ancestry and history.

1. HISTORY OF
TELUGU WARRIOR CASTES
“KAMMA, KAPU,
REDDY & VELAMA”

2. KAMMA
The word ‘Kamma’ literally means ‘Earring’ in Telugu. Some inscriptions
suggest that Kamma community people got their name, as they were the
residents of Kammanadu/Kammarashtra.
Selig Harrison said in 1956 that -
“Kamma lore nurtures the image of a once proud warrior clan reduced by
reddy chicanery to its present peasant status. Reciting voluminous records to
prove that Kammas dominated the Kakatiya court, Historian K. Bhavaiash
Choudary suggest that the Reddis, also influencial militarists at the time,
struck a deal at kamma expense with the moslem conquerors of the kakatiya
regime. The Kammas lost their noble rank and were forced into farming.”
There are 36 sub divisions in the Kamma caste. Some of them are PEDDA
KAMMA, GAMPA, GODAJATI, BANGARU, ILLUVELLANI, GANDIKOTA,
GODAVARI, KAVALI, VADUGA, CHINNA, KAVITIS, ERADIS and RACHAS.

3. KAPU
The word ‘Kapu’ literally means ‘Protector’ in Telugu. Some historians say it
is another form of the origin ancient tribe ‘Kaampu’ as mentioned in
Ramayana.
“In Gazetteer of Anantapur, they are described as great land holding body in
the Telugu districts, who are held in much respect as substantial, steady going
and next to the Brahmans, are the leaders of the Hindu society.”
On the basis of the occupation they perform, they are named as:
i. Chinna Kapu – The people involved in defense protection of villages and
towns. (Soldiers)
ii. Pedda Kapu – The people involved in administration and ruling of
societies and kingdoms. (Commanders and Rulers)
The major Sub-divisions in Kapu caste are BALIJA, MUNNURU KAPU,
NAIDUS, ONTARI KAPU, TELAGA and TURPU KAPU. Many more regional
sub groups are present.

4. REDDY
The word ‘Reddy’ literally means a ‘king’ or ‘head’. They are also found as
Reddi, Raddi, Reddiar and Reddappa. They trace their origin from the word
‘Ratti’ or ‘Rathi’, meaning warrior of ancient times.
“At one time, they were a warrior caste, and later became feudal overlords
and peasant proprietors. Historically they belong to the regal ruling class
analogous to Kshatriyas of Brahmanical society.”
There are more than 50 sub castes in the Reddy caste.

5. VELAMA
The word ‘Velama’ literally means ‘foreigner’ or ‘away’. They appeared first
in the inscriptions of 12th century during the era of kakatiyas, but formed
as a caste in late Vijayanagara times.. They are believed to be the residents
of Velanadu regions.
Historians consider it as -
“The Velamas are the group of people who held zamindari positions from the
17th century and in the following century, which gave them considerable
position over small regions of Telugu country.”
There are 4 major Sub-divisions of Velama caste. They are ADI VELAMA,
PADMA / PADMANAYAKA VELAMA, KOPPI (KOPPULA) VELAMA and
PALNATI (POLLINATI) VELAMA.

6. RELATION BETWEEN THEM
Mr. W. Francis, while writing about the Kammas, Kapus or Reddis, Velamas,
and Telagas, states that -
“All four of these large castes closely resemble one another in
appearance and customs, and seem to have branched off from one and
the same Dravidian stock. Originally soldiers by profession, they are
now mainly agriculturists and traders, some of them in the north are
zamindars (land-owners).”
The Kakatiya literature like Velugotivari Vamsavali and Padmanayaka
Charitra mentions -
“Kaalachoditamuna kaakateevarugolchi Kaapulella Velama
Kammalairi…”.
Telugu poet Srinatha in his Bhimeswara Puranamu states -
“Kapulu andu Padmanayakalana, Velamalana, Kammalana trimarga
gangapravahambulumbolle gotrambulanniyeni jagat pavitrambulai
pravahimpachunda”.

7. The Ancient tribe, KAPU in the period of Kakatiya, was divided into sub-
castes on the basis of territory or Profession.
TERRITORIAL DIVISION:
● Telingana (Telangana) = Telaga Kapu = Telaga
● Kammanadu = Kamma Kapu = Kamma
● Velanadu = Velanati Kapu = Velama
● Renadu = Renati Kapu
● Palnadu = Palnati Kapu
● Pakanadu = Pakanati Kapu
● Panta = Panta Kapu
● Orugallu = Oruganti Kapu
● Gandikota = Gandikota Kapu – migrated to Madura and Tinnevelly.
Ayodhya or Oudh Kapu is subdivision.
● Neradu- Nerati/Nervati Kapu
● Eastern (Turpu) region = Turpu Kapu

8. PROFESSIONAL DIVISION:
● Naidu – The Kapus who worked as Nayakas or Amaranayakas, i.e.
Commanders and Administrators.
● Balija – The Kapus who got involved in trading.
● Reddy – The Kapus who started as Rathas and worked as Administrators.
● Munnuru Kapu – The 300 brave Kapu soldiers and their families who
helped Kakatiyas.
● Ontari – The specialized skilled Kapu warriors who can fight individually.
● Bhumanchi Kapu – The Kapu people who are good to earth and do farming.
● Desur Kapu – The Kapus whose body is full of Valour stating their warrior
status. (Deha – Body and Sura – Valour)
These castes used to consider themselves as sub-castes of single tribe, had
the fluidity among them and used to intermarry. It was during the British
Decennial Census and result of DIVIDE AND RULE, they were classified as
different individual castes, which led to the hardening of caste identities led
to the formation of strict individual castes. The Kapunadu movement was
able to bring together Balijas, Munnuru, Ontari, Telagas and other sub-
divisions of Kapus into one caste forming the presently Kapu caste.

9. ORIGIN
The legend of Belthi Reddi & Prataparudra is prevalent, which is partially
correct and partially false. The Analysis of Gotras and Genealogy was done.
The presence of Brahmin Gotras like Vashista, Bharadwaja, Kaundinya,
Kashyapa, Srivatsa, Markhandeya, Atreya, Vishwamitra, Dhananjaya,
Gautama, Parasara, Ramanuja, Shandilya and Vipparla states that their
ancestors were under the influence of Vedic Society and adopted the gotras
of their spiritual teachers of their ancestors by Guru-Shishya parampara and
also proves that they used to be following Vedic traditions and Upanayana
ceremony was performed.

10. The presence of Rajanya Gotras like Ikshwakula, Nijapala, Raghukula,
Veeraraghavulu, Dasarathula, Janakula/ Janakakula, Ramachandra and
Nagula suggests that their ancestors were Suryavanshi Kings of Ayodhya
and Mithila.
It also proves Ayodhya-Mithila region as their place of origin (as mentioned
in Belthi Reddi legend) and their Kshatriya Varna/ Warrior status.

11. MIGRATION TO DECCAN
The Nanda records prove that the Kosalas and Maithilas were defeated in
his conquest. The whole of Suryavanshi bloodline of Kosalas would have
been driven out of Ayodhya and Maithilas from Mithila in 342 BCE and
replaced by governers.
As Mahapadma Nanda has conquered the whole North India, The
Suryavanshi rulers, after being driven out of Ayodhya, Mithila and Kampilya,
started their journey towards the South India, and then known as
Dakshinapatha. The route connecting the northern Kosala (Ayodhya) to the
Dakshinapatha is well defined in Mahabharatha (M.Bh. 3.61) as
conversation of Nala and Damayanti.

12. Following the same pathway, as explained above, which was also followed
by Rama in Vanvasa (exile), by crossing the Vindhyas, Dandakaranya and
various kingdoms, they arrived in Dakshinapatha. Hathigumpha inscription
of Kharavela mentions about Nanda building a canal and Historians believe
existence of place named Nau Nand Dehra (Nanded) suggests Nanda rule
over upto River Godavari in Deccan. So, to be away from the reign of
Nandas, the tribe settled between the plains of River Godavari and River
Krishna in present day Andhra Pradesh.

13. SPREADING IN ANDHRA
This Aryan tribe cleared forests for agriculture and built towns and started
a peaceful life. With flow of time, they spread slowly into the south direction
and covered an area known as TRILINGA KSHETRAM. As they migrated
from Kampilya, they were known as Kaampu tribe, which became Kapu.
After the defeat of Nandas, they started joining in the armies of Mauryans.
By the time of Satavahanas, they were in influencial positions as Maharathis
and Mahatalavaras. The Satavahana Empire was divided into Janapadas and
Aharas and an Ahara was named as Kapurahara, suggesting that people
from Kapu community might have been living there, were working in the
administration of Satavahana dynasty and this Ahara was named after
them.

14. The Maharathis of Satavahanas paved path for the formation of Ratti tribe,
which is the present day Reddy caste. As Reddy are closely related to Kapus
with their origin, who were present during the Satavahana rule, It can be
concluded that the Maharathi position were either occupied by the princely
Brahmins or the warrior Kapus.
The above statement can be proved by H.A. Stuart, who mentions that –
“The Kapus or Reddis (Ratti) appears to have been a powerful Dravidian tribe
in the early centuries of the Christian era, for they left traces of their presence
at various places in almost every part of India. Though their power has been
put down from time to time by the Chalukyas, the Pallavas and the Bellalas
(Hoysalas), several families of Zamindars came into existence after the
captivity of Prataparudra of Warangal in A.D. 1323 by the Muhammadan
Emperor Ghiyasuddin Toghluk.”

15. VARNA STATUS
The influence of Buddhism and Jainism were increasing in the Deccan.
Although there are records of donations to the monasteries by the royals,
the vast majority of the donations were made by the non-royals, commonly
by merchants. The influence of Jainism mainly attracted the Non-Brahmin
communities, mainly the merchant class Komati.
When the rulers of Satavahana empire were weakened, they were not able to
manage the empire and the subordinates (feudal allies) grew stronger. The
different branches of the Satavahana family (who were Brahmins), which
ruled in different parts of the kingdom, after the decline in central authority,
were soon ousted by new powers some of which were probably feudatories
at the outset (Kapus and Rathis). Ikshvakus, who were immediate
successors were mostly Kapus because at that time, dynasties were named
after the Gotra and Ikshvaku was a prevalent Gotra among Kapus as seen in
Gotra analysis.

16. The above references prove that the ruling classes (Kapus and Rathis) as well
as the merchant class (Komatis) were influenced by the Buddhism and
Jainism. With their increased influence in Deccan, the Brahmin community
felt that their significance was diminishing, both religiously and politically.
The political succession by the Non-Brahmin castes and their reduced
influence due to Buddhism and Jainism caused a drift in Varna system
of Telugu country.
Fox mentions that –
"When recognition of a regional Varna scheme has been unavoidable—such as
the tripartite division into Brahmins, non-Brahmins, and Untouchables in much
of the South— it has been explained in terms of an historical corruption or
breakdown of the standard four-class system, rather than regarded as a
functional entity in its own right."

17. The Brahmins started classifying the society broadly as Brahmins and Non-
Brahmins and all the castes other than Brahmins were included in Non-
Brahmins. The Brahmins stopped performing the Vedic rituals to the Non-
Brahmins castes like Kapus (Maharathis) and Komatis (Vaishyas) who
were previously been included. The non consideration of the other Non-
Brahmins as dvijas and non pereformance of Upanayana ceremony by
Brahmins can be proved with the status of Komatis in the history. This led
to the limitation of Brahmin and Rajanya gotras in these castes and
proliferation of Non-Brahmin gotras.
As the Non-Brahmin castes were devoid of Upanayana ceremony, they
were reduced to Non-dvija status. A person who doesn’t posses
yagnopavita, is considered as Shudra. So, the Non-Brahmin castes like
Kapus and Komatis were fallen to the Chaturthakula (Shudra).
The Kapus and the allied castes (Kamma, Reddy and Velamas) have
belonged to the regal ruling class and were analogous to the Kshatriyas,
but the Brahmins accord them with sat-shudra status. So, this classification
was never accepted by them, while the Komatis, with support of Vaidiki
Brahmins, contested in court in 1800s and were traditionally included in
the Vaishya Varna.

18. KNOWN HISTORY
These castes proliferated in the Andhradesa. To counter their influence in
Deccan, the Brahmin dynasties maintained relations with Guptas of North.
Later, with the support of Brahmins, a new class of rulers migrated to Deccan,
who had Brahmin Gotras. The Brahmins supported their Kshatriya status and
later, they came to be known as Rajus or Razus. The Suryavanshi Rajus
started with Vishnukundinas and Chandravanshi Rajus with Chalukyas as
mentioned in Rachavaru.
By the time of Kakatiyas, the regional subdivisions also became prominent
leading to origin of Kamma and Velama from Kapu tribe. The professional
divisions also led to formation of Balijas and Reddies. They became the
prominent rulers of Andhradesa, who fought valiantly to defeat the Turks
post Kakatiya fall. The differences among them helped the growth of Islamic
rulers like Bahamanis and Qutb Shahis.
By the time of Britishers, these castes became the most prominent land
holding castes in Telugu country. They either joined the armies or started
agriculture, because the rule was in control of Britishers and they were mere
Zamindars.

19. “THE HISTORY OF KAMMA,
KAPU, REDDY AND
VELAMA IS EXTENSIVELY
RESEARCHED AND
WRITTEN AS BOOK WITH
THE SOURCES FOR ALL
POINTS…”

20. THE BOOK IS …
https://www.amazon.in/ANDHRA
DESA-THROUGH-AGES-Rulers-
Perspective-
ebook/dp/B07BF6BYCG