Kapu (caste)

Kapu
ClassificationForward caste
ReligionsHinduism
LanguagesTelugu
CountryIndia
Populated statesMajor:
Andhra Pradesh
Yanam
Minor:
Telangana
Orissa
RegionSouth India
SubdivisionsTelaga, Ontari

Kapu is a Hindu caste primarily found in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Kapus are classified as a Forward caste,[8] and are a community of land-owning agriculturists.[17] Historically, they also served as military generals (Nayakas) and warriors in Hindu kingdoms such as the Vijayanagara Empire.[18][22] Kapus are a dominant caste of Andhra Pradesh.[28] They are primarily present in Coastal Andhra, with a major concentration in the Godavari-Krishna delta region.[1][29] Kapus commonly use the title Naidu.[37]

The Kapu caste includes the subcastes Telaga and Ontari, both historically recognized as warrior communities known for their honour and bravery.[18][38] The terms Kapu and Telaga are often used interchangeably.[39] The origins of Telagas are linked to the Telugu Choda dynasties, particularly the Velanadu chiefs (1076–1216 CE), who ruled Coastal Andhra and gradually came to be known as Telagas.[40][41] In most of Coastal Andhra, Kapu, Telaga, and Ontari are all referred to as Kapu, except in the former Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts, where they are specifically known as Telagas.[42][43] The Kapu caste is closely related to the Balija community of Rayalaseema, and the two groups are often categorized together in governmental and sociological contexts.[50]

Kapus of Coastal Andhra are distinct from other similarly named communities like the Munnuru Kapus of Telangana, the Turpu Kapus of Uttarandhra, and the Reddys of Rayalaseema and Telangana.[7][51]

  1. ^ a b c Reddi, Agarala Easwara; Ram, D. Sundar (1994). State Politics in India: Reflections on Andhra Pradesh. M. D. Publications. p. 339. ISBN 978-81-85880-51-8. 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.
  2. ^ Guhan, Sanjivi (2001). India's Development Experience: Selected Writings of S. Guhan. Oxford University Press. p. 204. ISBN 978-0-19-565523-0. In Andhra Pradesh, the forward castes (mainly Brahmins, Kapu, and Kamma) ....
  3. ^ Jaffrelot, Christophe; Kumar, Sanjay (4 May 2012). Rise of the Plebeians?: The Changing Face of the Indian Legislative Assemblies. Routledge. p. 280. ISBN 978-1-136-51662-7. The Forward Castes comprise the Brahmin, Kapus, Kamma, Reddys, Komati, Kshatriya, Velama.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference CoI71 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Singh-1992 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MIDS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b c d Gudavarthy, Ajay (2014). Maoism, Democracy and Globalisation: Cross-currents in Indian Politics. SAGE Publishing India. p. 81. ISBN 978-9-35150-425-2.
  8. ^ [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference CoI61 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Gundemeda, Nagaraju (2 October 2014). Education and Hegemony: Social Construction of Knowledge in India in the Era of Globalisation. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 103, XV. ISBN 978-1-4438-6830-3. .... belongs to the Hindu upper (landed) caste Kapu, one of the dominant castes in coastal Andhra Pradesh.
  11. ^ a b Prasad, N Purendra (2015). "Agrarian Class and Caste Relations in 'United' Andhra Pradesh, 1956–2014". Economic and Political Weekly. 50 (16): 77–83. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 24482069.
  12. ^ a b Contributions to Indian Sociology. Vol. 24. Mouton. 1990. p. 37.
  13. ^ a b Man & Development. Vol. 13. Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development. 1991. p. 68.
  14. ^ Rao, Y. V. Krishna (1984). Peasant Farming and Growth of Capitalism in Indian Agriculture. Visalaandhra Publishing House. p. 280.
  15. ^ a b c Apparasu, Srinivasa Rao (30 January 2024). "Andhra Pradesh: Caste politics takes centre stage as assembly, LS polls approach". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 25 June 2024. Kapus are a community of land-owning cultivators and are one of the dominant castes of Andhra Pradesh, generally affiliated to like Balijas, Telagas and Ontaris.
  16. ^ Mukherjee, S.; Ramaswamy, S. (1996). Political Science Annual 1996. Deep & Deep Publications. p. 308. ISBN 978-81-7100-833-9.
  17. ^ [9][10][6][11][12][13][14][15][16][7]
  18. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference wm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Kantha Rao 1999, p. 50, 59, 66.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Parthasarathy-1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sarma-1946 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ [19][20]: 46 [21]
  23. ^ a b The Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 55. Indian Society of Agricultural Economics. 2000. p. 707. 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.
  24. ^ Shastri, Sandeep; Kumar, Ashutosh; Sisodia, Yatindra Singh (22 November 2021). Electoral Dynamics in the States of India. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-47697-2. ..... and all of them were contested against the dominant caste candidates like Reddy, Kamma, Kapu, etc.
  25. ^ Kuczyński, Janusz (1988). Perspectives on Contemporary Youth. United Nations University. p. 253. ISBN 978-92-808-0643-4.
  26. ^ Gundimeda, Sambaiah (2009). "Dalits, Praja Rajyam Party and Caste Politics in Andhra Pradesh". Economic and Political Weekly. 44 (21): 50–58. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 40279035.
  27. ^ South Asian Studies. Department of Political Science, University of Rajasthan. 2001. pp. 249, 252, 255. ISBN 978-81-7304-377-2.
  28. ^ [10][23][24][15][11][25][12][13][26][7][27]
  29. ^ A. Vijaya Kumari; Sepuri Bhaskar (1998). Social Change Among Balijas: Majority Community of Andhra Pradesh. M.D. Publications. p. 14. ISBN 978-81-7533-072-6.
  30. ^ Bhargav, Nimmagadda (28 February 2023). Stringers and the Journalistic Field: Marginalities and Precarious News Labour in Small-Town India. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-84035-3. The Telugu word kapu means protector or cultivator. They use the suffix – Naidu – in the East and West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur.
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference K. C. Suri-2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  32. ^ a b The Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India. Vol. 39. Anthropological Survey of India. 1990. p. 70. 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.
  33. ^ Rao, M. Prasada (2006). Rural Non-farm Growth: Sign of Farm Success Or Failure?. Serials Publications. p. 215. ISBN 978-81-8387-009-2.
  34. ^ Indian Antiquary. Vol. 3–4. Popular Prakashan. 1971. p. 2.
  35. ^ Singh, K. S. (2004). People of India: Maharashtra (3 pts.). Anthropological Survey of India. p. 74. ISBN 978-81-7991-100-6.
  36. ^ Yagati, Chinna Rao (2003). Dalits Struggle for Identity: Andhra and Hyderabad 1900-1950. Kanishka Publishers Distributors. pp. 38, 53. ISBN 978-81-7391-573-4.
  37. ^ [30][31]: 11 [32][33][34][35][36]
  38. ^ Prasada Bhoopaludu (1939). Andhra Vignanamu (in Telugu). Vol. 3. The Razan Electric Press. pp. 1381–1383.
  39. ^ Cite error: The named reference terms was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  40. ^ Lakshmanna, Chintamani (1973), Caste Dynamics in Village India, Nachiketa Publications, p. 28, ... Velanadu (Krishna and Penna Doab) was ruled by Velanati Chodas and other areas were ruled by Telugu Chodas. In course of time, these were called Telagas, one of the important non-Brahman castes.
  41. ^ ఏటుకూరు బలరామమూర్తి (1953). ఆంధ్రుల సంక్షిప్త చరిత్ర [A Brief History of the Andhras] (in Telugu). Visalaandhra Publishing House. (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.
  42. ^ లింగం వీరభద్రయ్య చౌదరి (1974). స్వవిషయం రెండవ భాగం (in Telugu). Triveni Publishers. pp. 469, 649–650.
  43. ^ Cite error: The named reference PK was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  44. ^ Naidu, D. Suran (July 1980). "Andhra Pradesh: A Repeat Performance of the 1977 Election?". In Singh, Harnam (ed.). The Indian Political Science Review. Vol. XIV. Indian Political Science Review. pp. 250–251.
  45. ^ Ambagudia, Jagannath; Xaxa, Virginius (1 December 2020). Handbook of Tribal Politics in India. SAGE Publishing India. p. 177. ISBN 978-93-5388-460-4.
  46. ^ "Nandyal bypoll: In Caste Matrix, Muslims, Vysyas Hold The Key". The Times of India. 20 August 2017. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 26 May 2023. .... as there are good number of Balija voters in the constituency. The community is the equivalent of the Kapu community in the Rayalaseema region.
  47. ^ Cite error: The named reference PoI:AP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  48. ^ "₹490.86 crore credited into accounts of Kapu Nestham beneficiaries". The Hindu. 22 July 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  49. ^ "'State committed to welfare of Kapus, Balijas'". The Hindu. 17 May 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  50. ^ [32][1][23][44][45][46][47][48][15][49]
  51. ^ Kantha Rao 1999, p. 66–67, Chapter 2
    The term 'Kapu' which means a 'protector' is very broad in sense, and the Kapus consider themselves as those who look after or protect the soil. They are different from the Kammas and Reddis who are also agricultural castes though it has been pointed out that the term 'Kapu' can be broadly used for all agriculturists. It is loosely applied to all landed castes in the state in the context of the Jajmani system of inter-caste relations. However, the Kapus, are a separate caste in the Coastal districts of Guntur, Krishna, Prakasam, East and West Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam.