Telugu Brahmins are

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

communities native to the Indian states of

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 state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 35 ...

History

Origin theories

According to the ''

Aitareya Brahmana The Aitareya Brahmana ( sa, ऐतरेय ब्राह्मण) is the Brahmana of the Shakala Shakha of the Rigveda, an ancient Indian collection of sacred hymns. This work, according to the tradition, is ascribed to Mahidasa Aitareya. Aut ...

'' of the

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only on ...

, the

Andhras 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 ...

left

north India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Cen ...

from the banks of the River Yamuna around 800 BCE and migrated into

peninsular India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

. Telugu Brahmins are also called

Classification

Telugu Brahmins fall under the Pancha Dravida Brahmin classification of the Brahmin community in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. The Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana mainly include Vaidikis,

Niyogi Niyogi Brahmin is a Telugu Brahmin subcaste native to the Indian States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, but are spread throughout South India and Maharashtra. The traditional occupations of the Niyogi Brahmins are settled cultivation and p ...

s, Deshasthas, Telugu Madhvas, Golkanda Vyaparis, Dravidulu. They are divided on the basis of Vedic traditions that they follow such as

Smartha The ''Smarta'' tradition ( sa, स्मार्त), also called Smartism, is a movement in Hinduism that developed and expanded with the Puranas genre of literature. It reflects a synthesis of four philosophical strands, namely Mimamsa, ...

Madhva Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) schoo ...

, and

Sri Vaishnava Sri Vaishnavism, or the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, who ...

. Vaidikis and

s are mainly

Smarthas The ''Smarta'' tradition ( sa, स्मार्त), also called Smartism, is a movement in Hinduism that developed and expanded with the Puranas genre of literature. It reflects a synthesis of four philosophical strands, namely Mimamsa, ...

, while

s and Telugu Madhvas are Telugu Brahmins who converted to

Ramanuja Ramanuja (Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents ...

and

Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the '' Dvaita'' (dualism) sch ...

faith respectively. Telugu Madhvas and Deshastha Madhvas are mainly followers of Uttaradi Matha, Raghavendra Matha and Vyasaraja Matha, While Telugu Smarthas are followers of either

Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, also called the Sri Kanchi Matham or the Sri Kanchi Monastery or the Sarvagna Peetha, is a Hindu institution, located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is located near a temple dedicated to Goddess Sri Kamakshi (Durg ...

or Sringeri Sharada Peetham. Telugu Sri Vaishnava brahmin form a single distinct sect called Andhra Vaishnava and are not sub-divided into Tenkalai and Vadakalai unlike their Dravidian

Iyengar Iyengar (also spelt Ayyangar or Aiyengar, pronounced ) refers to the name of an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, whose members follow Sri Vaishnavism and the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja. Found mos ...

counterparts.

Deshastha Brahmin Deshastha Brahmin is a Hindu Brahmin subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and northern area of the state of Karnataka. Other than these states, according to authors K. S. Singh, Gregory Naik and Pran Nath Chopra, Deshastha Bra ...

s are mainly divided into two groups Deshastha Madhva Brahmins and Deshastha Smartha Brahmins. In

, Deshastha Brahmins are spread throughout all the districts of the state, while in

, they are mainly concentrated in the districts of

Kurnool Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema".Kurnool is also known as The City of Gem Stones. It also s ...

Anantapur Anantapur, officially Anantapuramu, is a city in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Anantapuru mandal and also the divisional headquarters of Anantapur revenue division. The city is loca ...

, Kadapa, Chittoor,

Nellore Nellore is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of the district, as well as Nellore mandal and Nellore revenue division. It is the fourth most p ...

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

Guntur Guntur () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Guntur is spread across 168.49 km square and is the third-largest city in the state. ...

East Godavari East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajahmundry. As of census 2011, it became the most populous district of the state with a population of 5,151,549. In the Madras Pre ...

and West Godavari, especially in the cities of

, Kadapa,

Chittore Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It was a major stronghold ...

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Ra ...

and

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...

. Marriage alliance between Deshastha Brahmins, other Telugu Brahmins and Karnataka Brahmins takes place quite frequently. Deshastha Brahmins who worked under Muslim rulers have completely adopted themselves to the Telugu ways especially in terms of food and language in such a way that we cannot differentiate between them and other Telugu speaking Brahmins in the area. The Dravidulu are migrants from

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

Occupation

During the Medieval & Modern India

Niyogi Brahmins are generally as village record keepers (karnams),

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

s and sometimes ministers, while

Deshastha Madhva Brahmin Deshastha Brahmin is a Hindu Brahmin subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and northern area of the state of Karnataka. Other than these states, according to authors K. S. Singh, Gregory Naik and Pran Nath Chopra, Deshastha ...

s served as a high level

administrator Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...

s and bureaucrats such as Deshmukhs, Sheristadars,

Tehsildar In India and Pakistan, a Tehsildar or Mamlatdar is a tax officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as an executive magistrate of the relev ...

Deshpande Deshpande is a surname native to the Indian states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. The surname can be also found in some parts of Andhra Pradesh. Deshpande surname is found among the Deshastha Brahmins, Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) and the Ch ...

s and Majumdars under Qutb shahis of Golkonda and

Nizams of Hyderabad The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

and Telangana. Niyogi Brahmins and

s also ruled

Zamindar A zamindar (Hindustani language, Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian language, Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous Raja, ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughal Em ...

s. In

Guntur district Guntur district is one of the twenty six districts in the Coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative seat of the district is located at Guntur, the largest city of the district in terms of area and with a po ...

, two out of five Zamindars i.e., Chilkalurpet Zamindari and Sattanapalli Zamindari were ruled by

s, whose title was " Deshmukh". The Polavaram Zamindari of West Godavari district and Lakkavaram Zamindari of

Prakasham district Prakasam district is one of the thirteen districts in the coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was formed in 1970 and reorganised in 2022 on April 4. The headquarters of the district is Ongole. It is located on the west ...

were ruled by Niyogi Brahmins. Due to their secular occupations marriage alliances between

s, Golkonda Vyapari Brahmins and Niyogi Brahmins was very common since centuries. Vaidiki Brahmins and Dravidulu are

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

s and

teachers A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

Population distribution

According to 1921 Census of India, In Telugu states (combined both

and

) Brahmins constitute three percent of total population. According to a survey by Outlook India in 2003, Brahmins were estimated to be around 5% of Telugu states population (combined both

and

Notable people

Religious leaders

* Nimbarkacharya, Hindu philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of

Dvaitadvaita The Nimbarka Sampradaya (IAST: ''Nimbārka Sampradāya'', Sanskrit निम्बार्क सम्प्रदाय), also known as the Hamsa Sampradāya, and Sanakādi Sampradāya (सनकादि सम्प्रदाय), i ...

or dualistic–non-dualistic.

Social Activists

Pingali Venkayya Pingali Venkayya (2 August 1876/8 – 4 July 1963) was an Indian freedom fighter and a Gandhian. He was the designer of the flag on which the Indian National Flag was based. He was also as a lecturer, author, geologist, educationalist, agricu ...

, Designer of Indian National Flag, theologian. *

Kandukuri Veeresalingam Kandukuri Veeresalingam (16 April 1848 27 May 1919) was a social reformer and writer from the Madras Presidency, British India. He is considered as the father of the Telugu Renaissance movement. He was one of the early social reformers who en ...

, Father of the Telugu Renaissance movement. * Goparaju Ramachandra Rao, Indian social reformer, atheist activist and a participant in the Indian independence movement. * Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, First Indian land reformer.He eradicated the system of jagirdar and mukthedar in Telangana and introduced the law of tenancy. * Iyyanki Venkata Ramanayya, Architect of the Public Library Movement in India, Padmasri Awardee.

Politics

* K. B. Hedgewar, the founder and the first Sarsanghchalak of the

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family ...

(RSS). * Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras, the third Sarsanghchalak of the

(RSS). *

Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya (24 November 1880 – 17 December 1959) was an Indian independence activist and political leader in the state of Andhra Pradesh. He was also the first governor (1 November 1956 – 13 June 1957) of Madhya Pradesh. ...

, freedom fighter, President of the Indian National Congress and founder of Andhra Bank. *

N. Subba Rao Pantulu Nyapathi Subba Rao Pantulu (14 January 1856 – 15 January 1941) was an Indian politician and social activist who served as a member of the Madras Legislative Council between 1893 and 1909. He was also one of the founders of ''The Hindu''. Earl ...

, an Indian social reformer, a politician, served as a member of the

Madras Legislative Council Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was the upper house of the former bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initi ...

and one of the founders of

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the sec ...

. *

P. V. Narasimha Rao Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) was an Indian lawyer, statesman and politician who served as the 9th prime minister of India from 1991 to 1996. He is known for introducing various liberal reforms to Indi ...

, an Indian lawyer and politician who served as the 9th Prime Minister of India from 1991 to 1996. * Varahagiri Venkatagiri (V. V. Giri), an Indian Lawyer and former President of India. * Tanguturi Prakasam, lawyer and freedom fighter, known as "The Lion of Andhra" during the British Raj, who served as first chief minister of Andhra state. *

Pramod Mahajan Pramod Vyankatesh Mahajan (30 October 1949 – 3 May 2006) was an Indian politician from Maharashtra. A second-generation leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he belonged to a group of relatively young " technocratic" leaders. At the time ...

- BJP politician, former Minister of Communications, Information Technology and Parliamentary Affairs.

Bureaucrats

* P. V. R. K. Prasad, an Indian civil servant who served as Media Advisor to the

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

from 1991 to 1996.
P.V. Rajgopal,IPS
Director
SVP National Police Academy
from 1998 to 2001.

Literature

Viswanatha Satyanarayana Viswanatha Satyanarayana (10 September 1885 – 18 October 1976) was a 20th-century Telugu writer. His works included poetry, novels, dramatic play, short stories and speeches, covering a wide range of subjects such as analysis of hist ...

, poet, novelist *

Divakarla Tirupati Sastry Divakarla Tirupati Sastry (born 26 March 1872) was a Telugu poet and scholar. He was one of the two poets known as Tirupati Venkata Kavulu and other being Chellapilla Venkata Sastry Chellapilla Venkata Sastry (born 8 August 1870) was a Telu ...

, poet and scholar *

Devulapalli Krishnasastri Devulapalli Krishnasastri (1 November 1897 – 24 February 1980) was a Telugu poet, playwright and translator known for his works in Telugu literature and Telugu cinema. He is known as ''Andhra Shelley''. In 1976, Krishnasastri was honoured with ...

, poet, playwright and translator * Chittamuru Ramaiah, Telugu Theosophist

Music

* S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Indian playback singer. * Acharya Pandit Dr.Gokulotsavji Maharaj, Hindustani Classical Music and Ancient Indian Musical Styles veteran, singer * Mangalampalli Bala Murli Krishna, Carnatic singer

Films

* Krishna Kumari, an Indian actress. *

Sowcar Janaki Sankaramanchi Janaki (born T. Janaki; 12 December 1931), popularly known as Sowcar Janaki (Tamil) or Shavukaru Janaki (Telugu) or Sahukar Janaki (Kannada), is an Indian actress who has appeared in over 300, films, predominantly in Tamil, Telu ...

, an Indian actress. * Bapu, Film director *

Mullapudi Venkata Ramana Mullapudi Venkata Ramana (28 June 1931 – 24 February 2011) was an Indian writer known for his work in Telugu language. Noted for his humorous and metaphorical style of writing, Mullapudi received Raghupathi Venkaiah Award from the Government ...

, Writer *

K. Viswanath Kasinadhuni Viswanath (born 19 February 1930) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor, known for his works primarily in Telugu cinema. He is recipient of five National Film Awards, seven state Nandi Awards, ten Filmfare Awards South, ...

, Film Director *

Jandhyala Jandhyala Subrahmanya Sastry (14 January 1951 – 19 June 2001), known mononymously by his surname Jandhyala, was an Indian film director, screenwriter, playwright, and actor known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He is popu ...

, Director, Writer * Akella Trivikram Srinivas, Film Director, Writer * Indraganti Mohana Krishna, Film Director, Writer *

Tanikella Bharani Tanikella Bharani (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, poet, playwright and director who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has worked as an actor in more than 750 films, including some in Tamil and Hindi; while he was ...

, Film Director, Writer, Actor *

Gollapudi Maruti Rao Gollapudi Maruti Rao (14 April 1939 – 12 December 2019) was an Indian actor, screenwriter, dramatist, playwright, columnist and dialogue writer known for his works in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu Literature. Rao acted in over 250 ...

, Actor, screenwriter, dramatist and playwright *

Veturi Veturi Sundararama Murthy (29 January 1936 – 22 May 2010), known mononymously by his surname Veturi, was an Indian poet, lyricist and journalist who is popular for writing Telugu songs. His career in the Telugu cinema spanned more than four de ...

, lyricist * Sri Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, lyricist * Ramajogayya Sastry, Lyricist * Rallapalli Venkata Narasimha Rao, Actor * Chandra Mohan, Actor *

Subhalekha Sudhakar Suravajhala Sudhakar (born 19 November 1960), known by his stage name Subhalekha Sudhakar, is an Indian actor who works in Telugu and Tamil language films and television. Sudhakar's first Telugu film ''Subhalekha'' (1982) gained him wide reco ...

, Actor * Sai Kumar, Actor * Aadi Pudipeddi, Actor *

Ananth Babu Punyamurthula Anant, known by his stage name Ananth Babu, is an Indian actor and comedian, known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He is the brother of noted comedians Raja Babu and Chitti Babu. Personal life Ananth Babu was ...

, Actor * Laya (actress), Actress, Dancer *

Sobhita Dhulipala Sobhita Dhulipala (born 31 May 1992) is an Indian actress and model who works primarily in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam films. She won the Femina Miss India Earth 2013 title at Femina Miss India 2013 pageant and represented India at Miss ...

, Actress

Notes

References

Bibliography

*{{Cite book, title=When I Saw Tirupati Balaji, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C26lbOuDIbYC, first=P. V. R. K., last=Prasad, publisher=Gyan Publishing House, year=2008, isbn=978-8121209335

External links

Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh
Brahmin communities across India Social groups of Andhra Pradesh Brahmin communities of Andhra Pradesh