Madiga

Madiga
Madiga community members at a Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti meeting
ClassificationScheduled caste
ReligionsHinduism, Christianity
LanguagesTelugu • Kannada • Tamil
Country India
Populated statesAndhra Pradesh • Telangana • Karnataka • Tamilnadu • Maharastra
RegionSouth India
Population7.66 million

Madiga is a Telugu caste from southern India.[1] They mainly live in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, with a small minority in Tamil Nadu.[2][3] Madigas are historically associated with the work of tannery, leatherwork and small handicrafts.[4] Today, most are agricultural labourers.[5] They are categorized as a Scheduled Caste by the Government of India.[6] Within the Madiga community, there are various sub-castes[7][8] include Bindla they work mostly known to make shoes, Chindu They are nomadic performing caste, Chindus constantly travel to different villages and live with Madigas they can be identified as worshippers of Yellamma diety, Dakkali, Dakkala or Dakkali is the name of a class of mendicants who beg from Mādigas only, Mashti, a nomadic tribe with martial art skills has by and large gone unnoticed in this part of East Godavari. They are unknown to many beyond the district and deprived of any support from the authorities. They are known as ‘Mala Mashtis’, Sangaris[9][10] they are known for making handicrafts and wood carving. The priestly class is known as Madiga Dasu they are associated with temple worships and have had a long history of being agricultural land owners they are also worshippers of Venkateswara or Narasimha dieties.[11]

  1. ^ Ilaiah, Kancha (2009). Post-Hindu India: A Discourse in Dalit-Bahujan, Socio-Spiritual and Scientific Revolution. SAGE Publishing India. p. 51. ISBN 978-93-5280-197-8.
  2. ^ "Social ostracising of Scheduled Castes still rampant in society". The Hindu. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  3. ^ Madhav, K. V. S. (9 September 2004). "Starring Madiga and dappu..." The Hindu. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  4. ^ Gundimeda, Sambaiah (14 October 2015). Dalit Politics in Contemporary India. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-38104-4.
  5. ^ Still, Clarinda (1 April 2009). "From Militant Rejection to Pragmatic Consensus: Caste among Madigas in Andhra Pradesh". Journal of South Asian Development. 4 (1): 7–23. doi:10.1177/097317410900400102. ISSN 0973-1741. S2CID 154301741.
  6. ^ Jammanna, Akepogu; Sudhakar, Pasala (14 December 2016). Dalits' Struggle for Social Justice in Andhra Pradesh (1956-2008): From Relays to Vacuum Tubes. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 222. ISBN 978-1-4438-4496-3.
  7. ^ "ఎస్సీ రిజర్వేషన్ వర్గీకరణ పోరాటానికి విరసం మద్దతు". avaninews.com. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  8. ^ "ఎమ్మార్పీఎస్ కు విరసం మద్దతు : వర్గీకరణ న్యాయబద్దమంటూ లేఖ".
  9. ^ "అట్టడుగు ఆక్రందనలు వినాలి!". Sakshi (in Telugu). 5 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  10. ^ Teltumbde, Anand; Yengde, Suraj (8 May 2024). The Radical in Ambedkar: Critical Reflections. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. p. 127. ISBN 978-93-5305-313-0.
  11. ^ Singh, K. S. (1992). People of India: Andhra Pradesh. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 1053. ISBN 978-81-7671-006-0.