Velama is a caste found mainly in
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
and
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...
. The earliest occurrence of ''Velama'' as a term for a community dates from the 17th century.
Origin and history
The Velamas are described by that name from the 17th century and in the following century some held
zamindari
A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...
positions under the kings of
Golconda, which gave them considerable powers over small regions in
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...
. The kings chose to distinguish between these various Velama groups by adopting a system of ranks. This caused a competitive emphasis to be placed on the status and trappings of Velama communities, resulting in rivalries based on recognition of wealth and honours that had been historically granted. Among those that came to dominate were the Velugotis of
Venkatagiri
Venkatagiri is a town in Tirupati district
Tirupati district () is one of the twenty-six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Andhra Pradesh state. The district h ...
, in the coastal
Nellore district, and the Appa Raos of
Nuzvid
Nuzvid is a city in Eluru district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the administrative headquarters for Nuzvid mandal and Nuzvid revenue division.
Geography
Nuzvid is located at . It has an average elevation of .
Demogra ...
. Both of these laid claims to be recognised as royal clans, while other significant groups included the
Pitapuram Raos and the Ranga Raos. The Velugotis traced their history to the 12th century and had lived in various places before settling in Nellore district in 1695; their prestige became such that in the 1870s their sons were adopted as heirs by rival Velama clan leaders, such as the Pittapores, whose own lineage otherwise faced extinction due to infertility or early death of male children. Such arrangements enhanced the status of the adopter and the influence of the Velugotis.
Relationship with the Padmanayaka Velama
According to Cynthia Talbot, who has debunked the theories of historians in the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
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or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
era, the terms ''Velama'' and ''Padmanayaka Velama'' are not synonyms and Padmanayaka was a status that could be claimed by Telangana warriors of different backgrounds. Velama and Padmanayaka were listed as separate communities in ''Bhimeswara Puranamu''.
Culture
Velamas are
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
s and belong to
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...
section of
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
.
See also
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Koppula Velama
Koppula Velama is a farming and landlord community in Uttarandhra, Andhra Pradesh.It's one of the subcaste of Velama community.Most of them carry Rao and Naidu as title.They are highly educated community in the region.Most of them are into Busin ...
References
Further reading
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* Katten, Michael; Making Caste In Nineteenth-Century India: A History of Telling the Bobbili Katha & Velama Identity, University of California at Berkeley, USA
* Roghair, Gene H; 1982, The epic of Palnadu: a study and translation of Palnati virula katha, a Telugu oral tradition from Andhra Pradesh, India, Oxford University Press
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{{Authority control
Indian castes
Social groups of Telangana
Social groups of Andhra Pradesh