Rajus
Encyclopedia
The Raju are a Telugu
caste inhabiting Andhra Pradesh
, India.
variation of the Sanskrit
word Raj and Raja meaning king, prince or lord. It is used to refer to the Telugu Kshatriya
caste
in Andhra Pradesh
.
The caste claims Kshatriya varna, and claims descent from the ancient royal dynasties of India such as the Eastern Chalukyas
, Chalukya-Cholas, Vishnukundina
, Gajapati
, Chagi
, Paricheda and Kota Vamsa
.
they were known as Ratsas and Rajavars, which means of or belonging to the caste of Ratsawars (Raja Caste), using the title of Raju. They are around 1.2 percent of the Telugu
population, concentrated mainly in the Coastal Andhra
region with pockets in the Rayalaseema
, North Arcot and Rajapalayam
of Tamil Nadu
, Bellary of Karnataka
and Ganjam
of Orissa
. In last few decades significant population of Rajus have migrated and settled in the United States and the United Kingdom
Rajus use Raju or Varma in the Andhra regions and Deo in the Orissa
regions as an agnomen
for their last name. Varma
in Sanskrit means "armor" or "protection". and Deo in Sanskrit
means god or lord. In Telugu tradition the family name is written first followed by the given name and then the caste title. For example Alluri Sita Rama Raju, a prominent military leader in the mid 19th century, is interpreted as Sita Ram of the Alluri family and Raju for Kshatriya caste. Similarly name of Penmatsa Ram Gopal Varma
, a prominent Bollywood
and Tollywood movie director-producer, is interpreted as Ram Gopal of the Penmatsa family and Varma for Kshatriya caste.
descent. Historians surmised that after the initial settlement of the four clans of the migrated Kshatriyas in Andhra region, they had few marital alliances with powerful local ruling clans like Kakatiya
s and have amalgamated them into the Kshatriya fold.
Regarding this community Edgar Thurston
says:
Historically South Indian royal families of Kshatriyas had marital relationship with Central and North Indian royal families, like Rajas of Vizianagaram
, Salur
and Kurupam
had marital relationships with the Rajputana royal families.
(northern India
) to the south due to internal conflicts, foreign invasions, famine etc. Vayu Purana
, Buddhist and Jain literatures mention about migration of Ikshvaku
s Kshatriyas to southern India. Rajus traditional accounts claim descent from Ikshvaku
, Vishnukundina
, Chalukya, Paricchedi and Kota Vamsa
. Some historians and traditional accounts link Rajus to ancient Andhra Ikshvaku
s, which was the first Kshatriya kingdom in Andhra which ruled during 2nd and 3rd Centuries CE and are purportedly linked to ancient Ikshvaku
s of Kosala
.
According to most historians and by the inscriptional evidences of Paricchedi and Chagi
ruling clans, during 4th - 5th century AD few Kshatriyas of four clans travelled from northern India to the south, where they initially worked as feudatories of Vakataka
s before establishing the Vishnukundina Kingdom. While some Kshatriyas of Andhra are said to be descendants of Eastern Chalukyas
and few other Kshatriya dynasties.
Rajus are classified into two sects (as per ancient Kshatriya tradition based on Vansh):
A poem called Sri Krishna-vijayam dated 1540 AD tells of a migration of these four clans to Telingana
led by Madhav Varma.
While Rajus of Coastal Andhra and Rajapalayam have above four gotras, the Rajus of Karnataka also have three additional gotras:
Chalukyas were a royal dynasty that succeeded the Vishnukundinas and ruled large parts of southern and central India between 550 and 750, and again between 973 and 1190. Chalukyas originated from Karnataka
, were led into Andhra by Pulakesi II
, who appointed his brother Kubja Vishnuvardhana
as his Viceroy. On death of Pulakesi II, Kubja Vishnuvardhana declared himself king of the Eastern deccan and his dynasty came to be known as the Eastern Chalukyas (Vengi Chalukyas).
The Eastern Chalukyas ruled from Vengi
. The collateral branches of Eastern Chalukyas ruled over small principalities like Elamanchili
, Pithapuram
and Mudigonda
. The Eastern Chalukyas who were Chandravanshi Kshatriyas were closely connected by marriage ties with other Kshatriya families in Andhra(Kalachuris, Chagis, Parichedas and Kota Vamsas)
The Eastern Chalukyas through marital alliances merged into the Cholas and ruled from 1076 CE to 1019 CE as Chalukya-Cholas
The other important Kshatriya dynasties during this period were Perrichedi, Kota Vamsa, Chagi and Haiheyas.
The Kota kings
, Kshatriyas of Dhananjya gotra ruled from Dharanikota
during the 11th and 12th century AD.
Last King of this dynasty was Kota Betaraja. The Bhupathiraju
, Datla
, Dandu, Dantuluri
, Jampana
, Uppalapati, Pakalapati and Nallaparaju royal families of Dhananjaya Gotra, who were Zamindars of Rama-Chandra-Puram
, Mogalthur
, Kotapalli, Ghandavaram, Kuppili, Moida
and Mutta Talaga Chirala.
The Chagis have been around since the Chalukyas at least and possible the 6th or 7th century. They were mentioned as subordinate Chiefs of the Chalukyas and Kakatiyas. Bezawada inscription mentions in honor of Tulukam Velnadu Sagi Doraya Raju dated 1215 AD. In 1246 inscriptions describe the reign of Chagi Manma Raju and in 1230 grants by Chagi Pota Raju. An inscription in Gudimetla on a fort dated around 1268 AD during the reign of Kakatiya Rudrama Devi states that Sagi Pota Raju was her commander in chief. Sagi Gannama was a governor under Vira Pratapa Purushottama Gajapati (AD 1462-1496). He built a hill fort in Vinukonda.
The Kota Uratla and Thangedu royal families are descendants of the Chagis, with their name changing over time to Sagi. The founder of Peddapuram line of kings was Sagi Potha Raju who participated in the battle of Palnadu in 1178-1182. The family attained the title of Jagapati in the 16th century and changed their surname to Vatsavai in honor of a fort during the times of Vatsavayi Timma Raju 1555-1607.
, on the height of their power in the 15th century, ruled over a kingdom extending from the Ganges river
in the north to the Kaveri in the south under Gajapati Kapilendra Deva. But by the early 16th century, the Gajapatis lost great portions of their southern dominion to Vijayanagar
and Golconda
. During the Gajapathi reign an inscription mentions a Bhupathiraju Vallabha Raju Mahapatra in Chodavaram.
It was common for the Zamindari families of the border region of Orissa and Andhra to have alliances. Early on they actually sided with the Gajapatis against the Vijayanagar Empire. There was a notable exception with inscriptional confirmation of two Kshatriya generals fighting on the side of Krishna Deva Raya. Of the modern clans, the Vyricharla royals of Kurupam
and the Satrucharla clan of Salur have more in common with the Orissa royals, who claim descent from the Gajapati and Ganga Dynasties, then they do with the Godavari clans
The Rajas of Kurupam are related through marriage to Jeypore
Royal family, Bhanj dynasty of Daspalla princely state, Parmar dynasty of Gangpur
princely state of Orissa and Kacchawa dynasty of Talcher
princely state of Orissa founded in the 12th century.
empire, two clans Saluva Dynasty and Aravidu Dynasty trace there origin to Kshatriya Rajus of Godavari. Raja Achutya Deva Raya, Zamindar of Anegundi is the head of the Hindu Kshatriya Community.
s and British all employed Rajus as the governors of estates with the responsibility of collecting taxes. In 1857 the British broke up the estates and realigned the larger into Princely states and the lesser ones as zamindar
s or jagirdars. These zamindars were abolished after the formation of the Indian Union in 1947.
Rajus of Andhra are designated as forward caste. Andhra Kshatriya Rajus never asked for Reservation
.
caste inhabiting Andhra Pradesh
, India.
variation of the Sanskrit
word Raj and Raja meaning king, prince or lord. It is used to refer to the Telugu Kshatriya
caste
in Andhra Pradesh
.
The caste claims Kshatriya varna, and claims descent from the ancient royal dynasties of India such as the Eastern Chalukyas
, Chalukya-Cholas, Vishnukundina
, Gajapati
, Chagi
, Paricheda and Kota Vamsa
.
they were known as Ratsas and Rajavars, which means of or belonging to the caste of Ratsawars (Raja Caste), using the title of Raju. They are around 1.2 percent of the Telugu
population, concentrated mainly in the Coastal Andhra
region with pockets in the Rayalaseema
, North Arcot and Rajapalayam
of Tamil Nadu
, Bellary of Karnataka
and Ganjam
of Orissa
. In last few decades significant population of Rajus have migrated and settled in the United States and the United Kingdom
Rajus use Raju or Varma in the Andhra regions and Deo in the Orissa
regions as an agnomen
for their last name. Varma
in Sanskrit means "armor" or "protection". and Deo in Sanskrit
means god or lord. In Telugu tradition the family name is written first followed by the given name and then the caste title. For example Alluri Sita Rama Raju, a prominent military leader in the mid 19th century, is interpreted as Sita Ram of the Alluri family and Raju for Kshatriya caste. Similarly name of Penmatsa Ram Gopal Varma
, a prominent Bollywood
and Tollywood movie director-producer, is interpreted as Ram Gopal of the Penmatsa family and Varma for Kshatriya caste.
descent. Historians surmised that after the initial settlement of the four clans of the migrated Kshatriyas in Andhra region, they had few marital alliances with powerful local ruling clans like Kakatiya
s and have amalgamated them into the Kshatriya fold.
Regarding this community Edgar Thurston
says:
Historically South Indian royal families of Kshatriyas had marital relationship with Central and North Indian royal families, like Rajas of Vizianagaram
, Salur
and Kurupam
had marital relationships with the Rajputana royal families.
(northern India
) to the south due to internal conflicts, foreign invasions, famine etc. Vayu Purana
, Buddhist and Jain literatures mention about migration of Ikshvaku
s Kshatriyas to southern India. Rajus traditional accounts claim descent from Ikshvaku
, Vishnukundina
, Chalukya, Paricchedi and Kota Vamsa
. Some historians and traditional accounts link Rajus to ancient Andhra Ikshvaku
s, which was the first Kshatriya kingdom in Andhra which ruled during 2nd and 3rd Centuries CE and are purportedly linked to ancient Ikshvaku
s of Kosala
.
According to most historians and by the inscriptional evidences of Paricchedi and Chagi
ruling clans, during 4th - 5th century AD few Kshatriyas of four clans travelled from northern India to the south, where they initially worked as feudatories of Vakataka
s before establishing the Vishnukundina Kingdom. While some Kshatriyas of Andhra are said to be descendants of Eastern Chalukyas
and few other Kshatriya dynasties.
Rajus are classified into two sects (as per ancient Kshatriya tradition based on Vansh):
A poem called Sri Krishna-vijayam dated 1540 AD tells of a migration of these four clans to Telingana
led by Madhav Varma.
While Rajus of Coastal Andhra and Rajapalayam have above four gotras, the Rajus of Karnataka also have three additional gotras:
Chalukyas were a royal dynasty that succeeded the Vishnukundinas and ruled large parts of southern and central India between 550 and 750, and again between 973 and 1190. Chalukyas originated from Karnataka
, were led into Andhra by Pulakesi II
, who appointed his brother Kubja Vishnuvardhana
as his Viceroy. On death of Pulakesi II, Kubja Vishnuvardhana declared himself king of the Eastern deccan and his dynasty came to be known as the Eastern Chalukyas (Vengi Chalukyas).
The Eastern Chalukyas ruled from Vengi
. The collateral branches of Eastern Chalukyas ruled over small principalities like Elamanchili
, Pithapuram
and Mudigonda
. The Eastern Chalukyas who were Chandravanshi Kshatriyas were closely connected by marriage ties with other Kshatriya families in Andhra(Kalachuris, Chagis, Parichedas and Kota Vamsas)
The Eastern Chalukyas through marital alliances merged into the Cholas and ruled from 1076 CE to 1019 CE as Chalukya-Cholas
The other important Kshatriya dynasties during this period were Perrichedi, Kota Vamsa, Chagi and Haiheyas.
The Kota kings
, Kshatriyas of Dhananjya gotra ruled from Dharanikota
during the 11th and 12th century AD.
Last King of this dynasty was Kota Betaraja. The Bhupathiraju
, Datla
, Dandu, Dantuluri
, Jampana
, Uppalapati, Pakalapati and Nallaparaju royal families of Dhananjaya Gotra, who were Zamindars of Rama-Chandra-Puram
, Mogalthur
, Kotapalli, Ghandavaram, Kuppili, Moida
and Mutta Talaga Chirala.
The Chagis have been around since the Chalukyas at least and possible the 6th or 7th century. They were mentioned as subordinate Chiefs of the Chalukyas and Kakatiyas. Bezawada inscription mentions in honor of Tulukam Velnadu Sagi Doraya Raju dated 1215 AD. In 1246 inscriptions describe the reign of Chagi Manma Raju and in 1230 grants by Chagi Pota Raju. An inscription in Gudimetla on a fort dated around 1268 AD during the reign of Kakatiya Rudrama Devi states that Sagi Pota Raju was her commander in chief. Sagi Gannama was a governor under Vira Pratapa Purushottama Gajapati (AD 1462-1496). He built a hill fort in Vinukonda.
The Kota Uratla and Thangedu royal families are descendants of the Chagis, with their name changing over time to Sagi. The founder of Peddapuram line of kings was Sagi Potha Raju who participated in the battle of Palnadu in 1178-1182. The family attained the title of Jagapati in the 16th century and changed their surname to Vatsavai in honor of a fort during the times of Vatsavayi Timma Raju 1555-1607.
, on the height of their power in the 15th century, ruled over a kingdom extending from the Ganges river
in the north to the Kaveri in the south under Gajapati Kapilendra Deva. But by the early 16th century, the Gajapatis lost great portions of their southern dominion to Vijayanagar
and Golconda
. During the Gajapathi reign an inscription mentions a Bhupathiraju Vallabha Raju Mahapatra in Chodavaram.
It was common for the Zamindari families of the border region of Orissa and Andhra to have alliances. Early on they actually sided with the Gajapatis against the Vijayanagar Empire. There was a notable exception with inscriptional confirmation of two Kshatriya generals fighting on the side of Krishna Deva Raya. Of the modern clans, the Vyricharla royals of Kurupam
and the Satrucharla clan of Salur have more in common with the Orissa royals, who claim descent from the Gajapati and Ganga Dynasties, then they do with the Godavari clans
The Rajas of Kurupam are related through marriage to Jeypore
Royal family, Bhanj dynasty of Daspalla princely state, Parmar dynasty of Gangpur
princely state of Orissa and Kacchawa dynasty of Talcher
princely state of Orissa founded in the 12th century.
empire, two clans Saluva Dynasty and Aravidu Dynasty trace there origin to Kshatriya Rajus of Godavari. Raja Achutya Deva Raya, Zamindar of Anegundi is the head of the Hindu Kshatriya Community.
s and British all employed Rajus as the governors of estates with the responsibility of collecting taxes. In 1857 the British broke up the estates and realigned the larger into Princely states and the lesser ones as zamindar
s or jagirdars. These zamindars were abolished after the formation of the Indian Union in 1947.
Rajus of Andhra are designated as forward caste. Andhra Kshatriya Rajus never asked for Reservation
.
caste inhabiting Andhra Pradesh
, India.
variation of the Sanskrit
word Raj and Raja meaning king, prince or lord. It is used to refer to the Telugu Kshatriya
caste
in Andhra Pradesh
.
The caste claims Kshatriya varna, and claims descent from the ancient royal dynasties of India such as the Eastern Chalukyas
, Chalukya-Cholas, Vishnukundina
, Gajapati
, Chagi
, Paricheda and Kota Vamsa
.
they were known as Ratsas and Rajavars, which means of or belonging to the caste of Ratsawars (Raja Caste), using the title of Raju. They are around 1.2 percent of the Telugu
population, concentrated mainly in the Coastal Andhra
region with pockets in the Rayalaseema
, North Arcot and Rajapalayam
of Tamil Nadu
, Bellary of Karnataka
and Ganjam
of Orissa
. In last few decades significant population of Rajus have migrated and settled in the United States and the United Kingdom
Rajus use Raju or Varma in the Andhra regions and Deo in the Orissa
regions as an agnomen
for their last name. Varma
in Sanskrit means "armor" or "protection". and Deo in Sanskrit
means god or lord. In Telugu tradition the family name is written first followed by the given name and then the caste title. For example Alluri Sita Rama Raju, a prominent military leader in the mid 19th century, is interpreted as Sita Ram of the Alluri family and Raju for Kshatriya caste. Similarly name of Penmatsa Ram Gopal Varma
, a prominent Bollywood
and Tollywood movie director-producer, is interpreted as Ram Gopal of the Penmatsa family and Varma for Kshatriya caste.
descent. Historians surmised that after the initial settlement of the four clans of the migrated Kshatriyas in Andhra region, they had few marital alliances with powerful local ruling clans like Kakatiya
s and have amalgamated them into the Kshatriya fold.
Regarding this community Edgar Thurston
says:
Historically South Indian royal families of Kshatriyas had marital relationship with Central and North Indian royal families, like Rajas of Vizianagaram
, Salur
and Kurupam
had marital relationships with the Rajputana royal families.
(northern India
) to the south due to internal conflicts, foreign invasions, famine etc. Vayu Purana
, Buddhist and Jain literatures mention about migration of Ikshvaku
s Kshatriyas to southern India. Rajus traditional accounts claim descent from Ikshvaku
, Vishnukundina
, Chalukya, Paricchedi and Kota Vamsa
. Some historians and traditional accounts link Rajus to ancient Andhra Ikshvaku
s, which was the first Kshatriya kingdom in Andhra which ruled during 2nd and 3rd Centuries CE and are purportedly linked to ancient Ikshvaku
s of Kosala
.
According to most historians and by the inscriptional evidences of Paricchedi and Chagi
ruling clans, during 4th - 5th century AD few Kshatriyas of four clans travelled from northern India to the south, where they initially worked as feudatories of Vakataka
s before establishing the Vishnukundina Kingdom. While some Kshatriyas of Andhra are said to be descendants of Eastern Chalukyas
and few other Kshatriya dynasties.
Rajus are classified into two sects (as per ancient Kshatriya tradition based on Vansh):
A poem called Sri Krishna-vijayam dated 1540 AD tells of a migration of these four clans to Telingana
led by Madhav Varma.
While Rajus of Coastal Andhra and Rajapalayam have above four gotras, the Rajus of Karnataka also have three additional gotras:
Chalukyas were a royal dynasty that succeeded the Vishnukundinas and ruled large parts of southern and central India between 550 and 750, and again between 973 and 1190. Chalukyas originated from Karnataka
, were led into Andhra by Pulakesi II
, who appointed his brother Kubja Vishnuvardhana
as his Viceroy. On death of Pulakesi II, Kubja Vishnuvardhana declared himself king of the Eastern deccan and his dynasty came to be known as the Eastern Chalukyas (Vengi Chalukyas).
The Eastern Chalukyas ruled from Vengi
. The collateral branches of Eastern Chalukyas ruled over small principalities like Elamanchili
, Pithapuram
and Mudigonda
. The Eastern Chalukyas who were Chandravanshi Kshatriyas were closely connected by marriage ties with other Kshatriya families in Andhra(Kalachuris, Chagis, Parichedas and Kota Vamsas)
The Eastern Chalukyas through marital alliances merged into the Cholas and ruled from 1076 CE to 1019 CE as Chalukya-Cholas
The other important Kshatriya dynasties during this period were Perrichedi, Kota Vamsa, Chagi and Haiheyas.
The Kota kings
, Kshatriyas of Dhananjya gotra ruled from Dharanikota
during the 11th and 12th century AD.
Last King of this dynasty was Kota Betaraja. The Bhupathiraju
, Datla
, Dandu, Dantuluri
, Jampana
, Uppalapati, Pakalapati and Nallaparaju royal families of Dhananjaya Gotra, who were Zamindars of Rama-Chandra-Puram
, Mogalthur
, Kotapalli, Ghandavaram, Kuppili, Moida
and Mutta Talaga Chirala.
The Chagis have been around since the Chalukyas at least and possible the 6th or 7th century. They were mentioned as subordinate Chiefs of the Chalukyas and Kakatiyas. Bezawada inscription mentions in honor of Tulukam Velnadu Sagi Doraya Raju dated 1215 AD. In 1246 inscriptions describe the reign of Chagi Manma Raju and in 1230 grants by Chagi Pota Raju. An inscription in Gudimetla on a fort dated around 1268 AD during the reign of Kakatiya Rudrama Devi states that Sagi Pota Raju was her commander in chief. Sagi Gannama was a governor under Vira Pratapa Purushottama Gajapati (AD 1462-1496). He built a hill fort in Vinukonda.
The Kota Uratla and Thangedu royal families are descendants of the Chagis, with their name changing over time to Sagi. The founder of Peddapuram line of kings was Sagi Potha Raju who participated in the battle of Palnadu in 1178-1182. The family attained the title of Jagapati in the 16th century and changed their surname to Vatsavai in honor of a fort during the times of Vatsavayi Timma Raju 1555-1607.
, on the height of their power in the 15th century, ruled over a kingdom extending from the Ganges river
in the north to the Kaveri in the south under Gajapati Kapilendra Deva. But by the early 16th century, the Gajapatis lost great portions of their southern dominion to Vijayanagar
and Golconda
. During the Gajapathi reign an inscription mentions a Bhupathiraju Vallabha Raju Mahapatra in Chodavaram.
It was common for the Zamindari families of the border region of Orissa and Andhra to have alliances. Early on they actually sided with the Gajapatis against the Vijayanagar Empire. There was a notable exception with inscriptional confirmation of two Kshatriya generals fighting on the side of Krishna Deva Raya. Of the modern clans, the Vyricharla royals of Kurupam
and the Satrucharla clan of Salur have more in common with the Orissa royals, who claim descent from the Gajapati and Ganga Dynasties, then they do with the Godavari clans
The Rajas of Kurupam are related through marriage to Jeypore
Royal family, Bhanj dynasty of Daspalla princely state, Parmar dynasty of Gangpur
princely state of Orissa and Kacchawa dynasty of Talcher
princely state of Orissa founded in the 12th century.
empire, two clans Saluva Dynasty and Aravidu Dynasty trace there origin to Kshatriya Rajus of Godavari. Raja Achutya Deva Raya, Zamindar of Anegundi is the head of the Hindu Kshatriya Community.
s and British all employed Rajus as the governors of estates with the responsibility of collecting taxes. In 1857 the British broke up the estates and realigned the larger into Princely states and the lesser ones as zamindar
s or jagirdars. These zamindars were abolished after the formation of the Indian Union in 1947.
Rajus of Andhra are designated as forward caste. Andhra Kshatriya Rajus never asked for Reservation
.
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
caste inhabiting Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India.
Etymology
Raju is a TeluguTelugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
variation of the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word Raj and Raja meaning king, prince or lord. It is used to refer to the Telugu Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
.
The caste claims Kshatriya varna, and claims descent from the ancient royal dynasties of India such as the Eastern Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas were a South Indian dynasty whose kingdom was located in the present day Andhra Pradesh. Their capital was Vengi and their dynasty lasted for around 500 years from the 7th century until c. 1130 C.E. when the Vengi kingdom merged with the Chola empire...
, Chalukya-Cholas, Vishnukundina
Vishnukundina
The Vishnukundina Empire was an Indian imperial power controlling the Deccan, Orissa and parts of South India during the 5th and 6th centuries, carving land out from the Vakataka Empire. It played an important role in the history of the Deccan during the 5th and 6th centuries CE...
, Gajapati
Gajapati Kingdom
The Gajapatis were a medieval Hindu dynasty that ruled over Kalinga , large parts of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, and the eastern and central parts of Madhya Pradesh and the southern parts of Bihar from 1434-1541. Gajapati dynasty was established by Kapilendra Deva in 1434...
, Chagi
Chagi
The Chagi were an ancient ruling dynasty of Andhra Pradesh who ruled over Natavadi region with Gudimetla as there Capital. Chagis were Suryavanshi Kshatriyas of Vasishta gotra and are ancestors of Sagi and Vatsavai clans of Kshatriya Rajus of Andhra...
, Paricheda and Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa in Telugu means Fort Dynasty and is used to refer to the medieval dynasty which ruled over a small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD...
.
Ethnonyms
Over the centuries they have been called by various alternative names that signified their military status. During the British RajBritish Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
they were known as Ratsas and Rajavars, which means of or belonging to the caste of Ratsawars (Raja Caste), using the title of Raju. They are around 1.2 percent of the Telugu
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
population, concentrated mainly in the Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra or Kosta, is a region of India's Andhra Pradesh State. This region was part of Madras State before 1953 and Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. According to the 2011 census, it has an area of and a population of 3,41,93,868...
region with pockets in the Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema is a geographic region in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It includes the districts of Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool. These Telugu speaking districts were part of Madras Presidency until 1953 when Telugu speaking districts of Madras presidency were carved out to form...
, North Arcot and Rajapalayam
Rajapalayam
Rajapalayam is a town and a special grade municipality in Virudhunagar district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 85 km southwest of Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Its main attractions are the Ayyanar Falls and the neighbour town of Srivilliputtur...
of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, Bellary of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
and Ganjam
Ganjam District
Ganjam district is a district in the Indian state of Orissa located on the border of Andhra Pradesh. Ganjam's total area is 8,070 km² . Its population is approximately 2,704,056.Ganjam is known for its beaches bordering the Bay of Bengal, the most famous ones being Gopalpur and Dhavaleshwar...
of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
. In last few decades significant population of Rajus have migrated and settled in the United States and the United Kingdom
Rajus use Raju or Varma in the Andhra regions and Deo in the Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
regions as an agnomen
Agnomen
An agnomen , in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the cognomen was initially. However, the cognomina eventually became family names, so agnomina were needed to distinguish between similarly named persons...
for their last name. Varma
Varma
Varmā , Varman or Burman or Barman is an honorific title that was originally used by the Kshatriyas in India and South East Asia...
in Sanskrit means "armor" or "protection". and Deo in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
means god or lord. In Telugu tradition the family name is written first followed by the given name and then the caste title. For example Alluri Sita Rama Raju, a prominent military leader in the mid 19th century, is interpreted as Sita Ram of the Alluri family and Raju for Kshatriya caste. Similarly name of Penmatsa Ram Gopal Varma
Ram Gopal Varma
Ram Gopal Varma is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer...
, a prominent Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
and Tollywood movie director-producer, is interpreted as Ram Gopal of the Penmatsa family and Varma for Kshatriya caste.
History
There have been varying accounts about the origins of the Raju community. Some include them among the military tribes of RajputRajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
descent. Historians surmised that after the initial settlement of the four clans of the migrated Kshatriyas in Andhra region, they had few marital alliances with powerful local ruling clans like Kakatiya
Kakatiya
The Kakatiya dynasty was an Indian dynasty that ruled most parts of what is now Andhra Pradesh, India from 1083 CE to 1323 CE, with Orugallu , now Warangal , as its capital. Orugallu is also called 'Eka Sila Nagaram'...
s and have amalgamated them into the Kshatriya fold.
Regarding this community Edgar Thurston
Edgar Thurston
Edgar Thurston CIE was a British museologist and ethnographer working in colonial Southern India. In 1885 he was appointed to the Madras Government Museum, where he held the role of Superintendent...
says:
Historically South Indian royal families of Kshatriyas had marital relationship with Central and North Indian royal families, like Rajas of Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram is the main city of the Vizianagaram District of north-eastern Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Vizianagaram district was formed on 1 June 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. It is, at present, the largest municipality of...
, Salur
Salur
Salur or Saluru is a Municipality and Mandal headquarters in Vizianagaram district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh...
and Kurupam
Kurupam
Kurupam is a village and Mandal in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, India.-Geography:It is located at . It has an average altitude of 133 meters .-Demography:...
had marital relationships with the Rajputana royal families.
Legends
The history of South India and the Puranas reveal that the Andhra Kshatriyas descended from the AryavartaAryavarta
Āryāvarta is a name for Northern India in classical Sanskrit literature. The Manu Smriti gives the name to "the tract between the Himalaya and the Vindhya ranges, from the eastern to the Western Sea"....
(northern India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
) to the south due to internal conflicts, foreign invasions, famine etc. Vayu Purana
Vayu Purana
The Vayu Purana is a Shaiva Purana, a Hindu religious text, dedicated to the god Vayu , containing about 24,000 shlokas.-Date:Banabhatta refers to this work in his Kadambari and Harshacharita...
, Buddhist and Jain literatures mention about migration of Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku pāli: Okkāka) was the first king of the Ikshvaku dynasty and founder of the Solar Dynasty of Kshatriyas in Vedic civilization in ancient India.-In Hinduism:He is remembered in Hindu scriptures as a righteous and glorious king...
s Kshatriyas to southern India. Rajus traditional accounts claim descent from Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku pāli: Okkāka) was the first king of the Ikshvaku dynasty and founder of the Solar Dynasty of Kshatriyas in Vedic civilization in ancient India.-In Hinduism:He is remembered in Hindu scriptures as a righteous and glorious king...
, Vishnukundina
Vishnukundina
The Vishnukundina Empire was an Indian imperial power controlling the Deccan, Orissa and parts of South India during the 5th and 6th centuries, carving land out from the Vakataka Empire. It played an important role in the history of the Deccan during the 5th and 6th centuries CE...
, Chalukya, Paricchedi and Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa in Telugu means Fort Dynasty and is used to refer to the medieval dynasty which ruled over a small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD...
. Some historians and traditional accounts link Rajus to ancient Andhra Ikshvaku
Andhra Ikshvaku
The Andhra Ikshvakus were one of the earliest recorded ruling dynasties of Andhra Pradesh and are said to have been the first Kshatriya rulers in the Andhra region. They ruled the eastern Andhra country along the Krishna river during the later half of the 2nd century CE. . Their capital was...
s, which was the first Kshatriya kingdom in Andhra which ruled during 2nd and 3rd Centuries CE and are purportedly linked to ancient Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku pāli: Okkāka) was the first king of the Ikshvaku dynasty and founder of the Solar Dynasty of Kshatriyas in Vedic civilization in ancient India.-In Hinduism:He is remembered in Hindu scriptures as a righteous and glorious king...
s of Kosala
Kosala
Kosala was an ancient Indian region, corresponding roughly in area with the region of Awadh in present day Uttar Pradesh. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya and the Jaina text, the Bhagavati Sutra, Kosala was one of the Solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE and its cultural and...
.
According to most historians and by the inscriptional evidences of Paricchedi and Chagi
Chagi
The Chagi were an ancient ruling dynasty of Andhra Pradesh who ruled over Natavadi region with Gudimetla as there Capital. Chagis were Suryavanshi Kshatriyas of Vasishta gotra and are ancestors of Sagi and Vatsavai clans of Kshatriya Rajus of Andhra...
ruling clans, during 4th - 5th century AD few Kshatriyas of four clans travelled from northern India to the south, where they initially worked as feudatories of Vakataka
Vakataka
The Vākāṭakas were a royal Indian dynasty that originated from the Deccan in the mid-third century CE. Their kingdom is believed to have extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra River in the south as well as from the Arabian Sea in the western to the...
s before establishing the Vishnukundina Kingdom. While some Kshatriyas of Andhra are said to be descendants of Eastern Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas were a South Indian dynasty whose kingdom was located in the present day Andhra Pradesh. Their capital was Vengi and their dynasty lasted for around 500 years from the 7th century until c. 1130 C.E. when the Vengi kingdom merged with the Chola empire...
and few other Kshatriya dynasties.
Rajus are classified into two sects (as per ancient Kshatriya tradition based on Vansh):
- Suryavanshi (Sun Dynasty) include Vishnukundina, Paricheda, Kota Vamsa, Chola-Chalukyas (Cholas claimed Suryavanshi and Chalukyas were Chandravanshi, the two families merged) Eastern Ganga and Gajapati.
- Chandravanshi (Lunar Dynasty) includes Eastern Chalukyas, Kalachuris (Chedi-Haihaya), Saluva and Aravidu dyanasties of VijayanagarVijayanagara EmpireThe Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
.
Gotras
- They are further subdivided into four gotraGotraIn the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
s. - KaundinyaKaundinyaKaundinya also known as Ajnata Kaundinya was a Buddhist bhikkhu in the sangha of Gautama Buddha and the first to become an arahant...
- Vasishta
- Dhananjaya
- Kashyapa
A poem called Sri Krishna-vijayam dated 1540 AD tells of a migration of these four clans to Telingana
Telangana
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...
led by Madhav Varma.
While Rajus of Coastal Andhra and Rajapalayam have above four gotras, the Rajus of Karnataka also have three additional gotras:
- Pasupati
- Vishwamitra
- AtreyaAtreyaAn Atreya is a descendant of Atri, one of the great Hindu sages whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas.The descendents of Atri Rishi use Atreya as their surname just like many other Gotras, or clan names used by the Brahmin community of Hindus in India and Nepal. In Northern India,...
- Each gotra is again sub-divided into hundreds of endogamousEndogamyEndogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific ethnic group, class, or social group, rejecting others on such basis as being unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. A Greek Orthodox Christian endogamist, for example, would require that a marriage be only with another...
sects based on surnames that are named after villages of origin, a famous member of the clan, personality etc. - Sage Kaundinya (Kundin) was the son of Vasishtha and nephew of AgastyaAgastyaAgastya was a Tamil/Vedic Siddhar or sage. Agastya and his clan are also generally credited with uncovering many mantras of the Rig Veda, the earliest and most revered Hindu scripture, in the sense of first having the mantras revealed in his mind by the Supreme Brahman...
. - Dhananjaya is a branch of Vishwamitra.
- Pasupati is a branch of Kashyapa.
Eastern Chalukyas
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, were led into Andhra by Pulakesi II
Pulakesi II
Pulakesin II is the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty. In his reign the Chalukyas of Badami saw their kingdom extend over most of the Deccan.-Early life and accession:...
, who appointed his brother Kubja Vishnuvardhana
Kubja Vishnuvardhana
Kubja Vishnuvardhana was the brother of Chalukya Pulakesi II. Vishnuvardhana ruled the Vengi territories in the eastern Andhra Pradesh as the viceroy under Pulakesi II from around 615 CE. Eventually Vishnuvardhana declared his independence and started the Eastern Chalukya dynasty Kubja...
as his Viceroy. On death of Pulakesi II, Kubja Vishnuvardhana declared himself king of the Eastern deccan and his dynasty came to be known as the Eastern Chalukyas (Vengi Chalukyas).
The Eastern Chalukyas ruled from Vengi
Vengi
The Vengi kingdom extended from the Godavari River in the north to Mount Mahendragiri in the southeast and to just south of the banks of River Krishna in the south of India. This area was part of Kalinga until that kingdom was conquered by Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire in the mid 3rd century...
. The collateral branches of Eastern Chalukyas ruled over small principalities like Elamanchili
Elamanchili
Elamanchili is a village and a mandal in West Godavari District and another Elamanchili is located in East Godavari District.-Panchayats:The following is the list of village panchayats in Elamanchili mandal.KalagampudiChinchinadaElamanchilii...
, Pithapuram
Pithapuram
For famous Playback singer see Pithapuram Nageswara RaoPithapuram is a town and a municipality in East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh....
and Mudigonda
Mudigonda
Mudigonda is a town and revenue-divisional headquarters located 14 km away from Khammam, the headquarters of the Khammam District of Andhra Pradesh, India.- Introduction :...
. The Eastern Chalukyas who were Chandravanshi Kshatriyas were closely connected by marriage ties with other Kshatriya families in Andhra(Kalachuris, Chagis, Parichedas and Kota Vamsas)
The Eastern Chalukyas through marital alliances merged into the Cholas and ruled from 1076 CE to 1019 CE as Chalukya-Cholas
The other important Kshatriya dynasties during this period were Perrichedi, Kota Vamsa, Chagi and Haiheyas.
- Kota Vamsa (Dharanikota) (Fort Dynasty)
The Kota kings
Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa in Telugu means Fort Dynasty and is used to refer to the medieval dynasty which ruled over a small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD...
, Kshatriyas of Dhananjya gotra ruled from Dharanikota
Dharanikota
Dharanikota or Dhanyakatakam or Palden Drepung is a town near Amaravati in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh in India, which means a town of rice or paddy.- Location :...
during the 11th and 12th century AD.
Last King of this dynasty was Kota Betaraja. The Bhupathiraju
Bhupathiraju
Bhupathiraju is a popular surname among Rajus of Kshatriyas in Andhra Pradesh. Bhupathirajus are descendants of Kota Kings who ruled Dharanikota, from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD...
, Datla
Datla
Datla is a common surname that belongs to members of a Kshatriya caste in Andhra Pradesh known as Rajus. They are of the Chandravanshi sect and belong to the Dhananjaya Gotra. They are descendants of the "Kota Vamsa" dynasty that ruled parts of Andhra Pradesh in the 11th and 12th Century AD.Some...
, Dandu, Dantuluri
Dantuluri
Dantuluri is a surname of the Kshatriya Rajus clan who were descendents of the Kota Kings.. Kota Kings were an ancient ruling clan who ruled over small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital in the medieval period...
, Jampana
Jampana
Jampana is a rare surname that belongs to members of a Kshatriya caste in Andhra Pradesh known as Rajus. They are of the Chandravanshi sect. Kota Jampana belong to the Dhananjaya Gotra and they descended from the "Kota Vamsa" dynasty that ruled small parts of Andhra Pradesh from 7th-8th century AD...
, Uppalapati, Pakalapati and Nallaparaju royal families of Dhananjaya Gotra, who were Zamindars of Rama-Chandra-Puram
Ramachandrapuram, East Godavari
Ramachandrapuram is a village and a municipality in East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located about 20 km from Kakinada and about 10 km from Mandapeta. The famous temple of Lord Shiva at Draksharamam is located about 5 km from here...
, Mogalthur
Mogalthur
Mogalthur or Mogalturru is a village and mandal in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India. 214A National High way crossed Palakol Narasapur and Mogalturu. The famous Lace Village Seetharampuram was near by.-Geography:...
, Kotapalli, Ghandavaram, Kuppili, Moida
Moida
Moida is a village panchayat in Nellimarla mandal of Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh, India.Penumatsa Sambasiva Raju, the Zamindar of Modia is the longest serving MLA from Sathivada assembly constituency. He has been continuously elected to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly from 1967 till 2005....
and Mutta Talaga Chirala.
- Chagi
The Chagis have been around since the Chalukyas at least and possible the 6th or 7th century. They were mentioned as subordinate Chiefs of the Chalukyas and Kakatiyas. Bezawada inscription mentions in honor of Tulukam Velnadu Sagi Doraya Raju dated 1215 AD. In 1246 inscriptions describe the reign of Chagi Manma Raju and in 1230 grants by Chagi Pota Raju. An inscription in Gudimetla on a fort dated around 1268 AD during the reign of Kakatiya Rudrama Devi states that Sagi Pota Raju was her commander in chief. Sagi Gannama was a governor under Vira Pratapa Purushottama Gajapati (AD 1462-1496). He built a hill fort in Vinukonda.
The Kota Uratla and Thangedu royal families are descendants of the Chagis, with their name changing over time to Sagi. The founder of Peddapuram line of kings was Sagi Potha Raju who participated in the battle of Palnadu in 1178-1182. The family attained the title of Jagapati in the 16th century and changed their surname to Vatsavai in honor of a fort during the times of Vatsavayi Timma Raju 1555-1607.
Gajapatis of Kalinga/Orissa
The Suryavanshi Gajapatis of OrissaOrissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, on the height of their power in the 15th century, ruled over a kingdom extending from the Ganges river
Ganges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
in the north to the Kaveri in the south under Gajapati Kapilendra Deva. But by the early 16th century, the Gajapatis lost great portions of their southern dominion to Vijayanagar
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
and Golconda
Golconda
Golconda may be:Places:* Golkonda, ruined city and fortress in India* Golconda, Illinois, town in the United States* Golconda, Nevada, former town in the United StatesOther:* Golconda...
. During the Gajapathi reign an inscription mentions a Bhupathiraju Vallabha Raju Mahapatra in Chodavaram.
It was common for the Zamindari families of the border region of Orissa and Andhra to have alliances. Early on they actually sided with the Gajapatis against the Vijayanagar Empire. There was a notable exception with inscriptional confirmation of two Kshatriya generals fighting on the side of Krishna Deva Raya. Of the modern clans, the Vyricharla royals of Kurupam
Kurupam
Kurupam is a village and Mandal in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, India.-Geography:It is located at . It has an average altitude of 133 meters .-Demography:...
and the Satrucharla clan of Salur have more in common with the Orissa royals, who claim descent from the Gajapati and Ganga Dynasties, then they do with the Godavari clans
The Rajas of Kurupam are related through marriage to Jeypore
Jeypore
Jeypore, is the largest town in the Koraput district of Orissa, India. Along with Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Balasore, Puri and Berhampur, Jeypore is one of the prominent places of Orissa. It is encompassed by hills of the Eastern Ghats and the more famous Araku hills on three...
Royal family, Bhanj dynasty of Daspalla princely state, Parmar dynasty of Gangpur
Gangpur
Gangpur is also a village in India of Burdwan District in West Bengal, in the state of Gujarat, between Surat and Bardoli....
princely state of Orissa and Kacchawa dynasty of Talcher
Talcher
Talcher is one of the 4 sub-divisions of Anugul district in the Indian state of Orissa . Situated on the right bank of the river Brahmani, the capital of the erstwhile Talcher State is one of the fastest growing industrial and mining complexes of the country.-Geography:Talcher is located at...
princely state of Orissa founded in the 12th century.
Vijayanagara Period
Out of the four clans that ruled the VijayanagaraVijayanagara
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....
empire, two clans Saluva Dynasty and Aravidu Dynasty trace there origin to Kshatriya Rajus of Godavari. Raja Achutya Deva Raya, Zamindar of Anegundi is the head of the Hindu Kshatriya Community.
- The founding brothers of the Aravidu dynastyAravidu dynastyThe Aravidu Dynasty was the fourth and last Hindu dynasty which ruled Vijayanagara Empire in South India. Its founder was Tirumala, whose brother Rama Raya had been the masterful regent of the last ruler of the previous dynasty...
were the son-in-laws of Krishna Deva Raya of the Tuluva DynastyTuluva DynastyThe Tuluva Dynasty was the third dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire.-History:The Tuluva were the third Hindu dynasty which ruled Vijayanagara empire. The dynasty was founded by chieftain Bunts who originally ruled southern parts of coastal Karnataka, also called Tulu Nadu...
and were also related previously through marriage with the Saluva DynastySaluva DynastyThe Saluva Dynasty was created by the Saluvas who by historical tradition were natives of the Kalyani region of northern Karnataka. The Gorantla inscription traces their origins to this region from the time of the Western Chalukyas and Kalachuris of Karnataka. The term "Saluva" is known to...
. Gobburi Narasaraju was the nephew of Aliya Ramaraju and After the death of King Venkatapathi Raju, from 1614 to 1616 there was a great war of succession. Amongst the claimants to the throne was Gobburi Jaga Deva Raju, the brother-in-law of the emperor and also a relative of the Raja of Karvetinagar, Saluva Makaraju. - The Chodaraju's gotra was mentioned as Kasyapa and the Nandyala's gotra was mentioned as Atreya and were described as belonging to Chandravanshi, both were appointed Mahamandaleswars during the start of the 16th century.
- The Madiraju's gotra was mentioned as Kasyapa and were related to the Thirumalarajus, both were appointed Mahamandeleswars of Guntur area and happened to be the grandchildren of Aravidu Rama Raya.
- Madhava Varma Bejawada was mentioned in 1509 AD as of the Vasishtha gotra and Suryavansi.
- Krishna Deva Raya defeated Pusapati Rachi Raju, Srinatha Raju and Lakshmipati Raju on his way to defeating Pratapa Rudra Gajapati Raju of the Gajapathi Dynasty. He immediately reinstated these rulers as his vassals and married the daughter of Pratapa Rudra as a truce offering. All this occurred between 1514-1517 AD.
- Ganapathirajus were described as of the Suryavanshi and Kasyapa gotra and were Mahamandaleswars in 1555 AD.
- The Bommaraju family of KarvetinagarKarvetinagarKarvetinagar or Karvetnagar is a village and a Mandal in Chittoor district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.-Geography:Karvetnagar is located at . It has an average elevation of 266 meters .-History:...
trace their origins back to Kshatriya Raju ancestors who migrated from the PithapuramPithapuramFor famous Playback singer see Pithapuram Nageswara RaoPithapuram is a town and a municipality in East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh....
area of the Godavari DeltaRiver deltaA delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
about the 8th or 9th century. They were appointed as the Chief of the region around Tirupati by the Eastern Chalukya King, Vimala Aditya. They later became feudatories of Vijayanagar, and had marriage alliances with the Saluva and the Aravidu dynasties over the next two hundred years. Around the 16th century the family changed their name to the current Bommaraju, retaining Saluva as a title.
The Nizam and Colonial periods
The sultans, nizamNizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
s and British all employed Rajus as the governors of estates with the responsibility of collecting taxes. In 1857 the British broke up the estates and realigned the larger into Princely states and the lesser ones as zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
s or jagirdars. These zamindars were abolished after the formation of the Indian Union in 1947.
Modern community
After the Independence of India Zamindari was abolished. During this time many Raju zamindars donated their property and land liberally for the upliftment of poor and Education. Vizianagaram is the oldest and largest Hindu Princely State of Andhra Pradesh (Samsthanam). Maharaja PVG Raju donated his Royal State to Republic of India. He also donated enormous wealth, Khazana, Land, Gold, Diamonds, Propertis, Palaces to Korukonda Sainik school, Andhra University, Mansas Trust and to poor and needy for schools, colleges and hospitals.Rajus of Andhra are designated as forward caste. Andhra Kshatriya Rajus never asked for Reservation
Reservation in India
Reservation in India is a form of affirmative action designed to improve the well being of socially backward and underrepresented communities of citizens in India. There are laws in place, wherein a certain percentage of total available slots in Jobs and Education are set aside for people from...
.
Other sources
The Raju (or Rajulu) are a TeluguTelugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
caste inhabiting Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India.
Etymology
Raju is a TeluguTelugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
variation of the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word Raj and Raja meaning king, prince or lord. It is used to refer to the Telugu Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
.
The caste claims Kshatriya varna, and claims descent from the ancient royal dynasties of India such as the Eastern Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas were a South Indian dynasty whose kingdom was located in the present day Andhra Pradesh. Their capital was Vengi and their dynasty lasted for around 500 years from the 7th century until c. 1130 C.E. when the Vengi kingdom merged with the Chola empire...
, Chalukya-Cholas, Vishnukundina
Vishnukundina
The Vishnukundina Empire was an Indian imperial power controlling the Deccan, Orissa and parts of South India during the 5th and 6th centuries, carving land out from the Vakataka Empire. It played an important role in the history of the Deccan during the 5th and 6th centuries CE...
, Gajapati
Gajapati Kingdom
The Gajapatis were a medieval Hindu dynasty that ruled over Kalinga , large parts of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, and the eastern and central parts of Madhya Pradesh and the southern parts of Bihar from 1434-1541. Gajapati dynasty was established by Kapilendra Deva in 1434...
, Chagi
Chagi
The Chagi were an ancient ruling dynasty of Andhra Pradesh who ruled over Natavadi region with Gudimetla as there Capital. Chagis were Suryavanshi Kshatriyas of Vasishta gotra and are ancestors of Sagi and Vatsavai clans of Kshatriya Rajus of Andhra...
, Paricheda and Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa in Telugu means Fort Dynasty and is used to refer to the medieval dynasty which ruled over a small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD...
.
Ethnonyms
Over the centuries they have been called by various alternative names that signified their military status. During the British RajBritish Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
they were known as Ratsas and Rajavars, which means of or belonging to the caste of Ratsawars (Raja Caste), using the title of Raju. They are around 1.2 percent of the Telugu
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
population, concentrated mainly in the Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra or Kosta, is a region of India's Andhra Pradesh State. This region was part of Madras State before 1953 and Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. According to the 2011 census, it has an area of and a population of 3,41,93,868...
region with pockets in the Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema is a geographic region in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It includes the districts of Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool. These Telugu speaking districts were part of Madras Presidency until 1953 when Telugu speaking districts of Madras presidency were carved out to form...
, North Arcot and Rajapalayam
Rajapalayam
Rajapalayam is a town and a special grade municipality in Virudhunagar district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 85 km southwest of Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Its main attractions are the Ayyanar Falls and the neighbour town of Srivilliputtur...
of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, Bellary of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
and Ganjam
Ganjam District
Ganjam district is a district in the Indian state of Orissa located on the border of Andhra Pradesh. Ganjam's total area is 8,070 km² . Its population is approximately 2,704,056.Ganjam is known for its beaches bordering the Bay of Bengal, the most famous ones being Gopalpur and Dhavaleshwar...
of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
. In last few decades significant population of Rajus have migrated and settled in the United States and the United Kingdom
Rajus use Raju or Varma in the Andhra regions and Deo in the Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
regions as an agnomen
Agnomen
An agnomen , in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the cognomen was initially. However, the cognomina eventually became family names, so agnomina were needed to distinguish between similarly named persons...
for their last name. Varma
Varma
Varmā , Varman or Burman or Barman is an honorific title that was originally used by the Kshatriyas in India and South East Asia...
in Sanskrit means "armor" or "protection". and Deo in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
means god or lord. In Telugu tradition the family name is written first followed by the given name and then the caste title. For example Alluri Sita Rama Raju, a prominent military leader in the mid 19th century, is interpreted as Sita Ram of the Alluri family and Raju for Kshatriya caste. Similarly name of Penmatsa Ram Gopal Varma
Ram Gopal Varma
Ram Gopal Varma is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer...
, a prominent Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
and Tollywood movie director-producer, is interpreted as Ram Gopal of the Penmatsa family and Varma for Kshatriya caste.
History
There have been varying accounts about the origins of the Raju community. Some include them among the military tribes of RajputRajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
descent. Historians surmised that after the initial settlement of the four clans of the migrated Kshatriyas in Andhra region, they had few marital alliances with powerful local ruling clans like Kakatiya
Kakatiya
The Kakatiya dynasty was an Indian dynasty that ruled most parts of what is now Andhra Pradesh, India from 1083 CE to 1323 CE, with Orugallu , now Warangal , as its capital. Orugallu is also called 'Eka Sila Nagaram'...
s and have amalgamated them into the Kshatriya fold.
Regarding this community Edgar Thurston
Edgar Thurston
Edgar Thurston CIE was a British museologist and ethnographer working in colonial Southern India. In 1885 he was appointed to the Madras Government Museum, where he held the role of Superintendent...
says:
Historically South Indian royal families of Kshatriyas had marital relationship with Central and North Indian royal families, like Rajas of Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram is the main city of the Vizianagaram District of north-eastern Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Vizianagaram district was formed on 1 June 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. It is, at present, the largest municipality of...
, Salur
Salur
Salur or Saluru is a Municipality and Mandal headquarters in Vizianagaram district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh...
and Kurupam
Kurupam
Kurupam is a village and Mandal in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, India.-Geography:It is located at . It has an average altitude of 133 meters .-Demography:...
had marital relationships with the Rajputana royal families.
Legends
The history of South India and the Puranas reveal that the Andhra Kshatriyas descended from the AryavartaAryavarta
Āryāvarta is a name for Northern India in classical Sanskrit literature. The Manu Smriti gives the name to "the tract between the Himalaya and the Vindhya ranges, from the eastern to the Western Sea"....
(northern India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
) to the south due to internal conflicts, foreign invasions, famine etc. Vayu Purana
Vayu Purana
The Vayu Purana is a Shaiva Purana, a Hindu religious text, dedicated to the god Vayu , containing about 24,000 shlokas.-Date:Banabhatta refers to this work in his Kadambari and Harshacharita...
, Buddhist and Jain literatures mention about migration of Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku pāli: Okkāka) was the first king of the Ikshvaku dynasty and founder of the Solar Dynasty of Kshatriyas in Vedic civilization in ancient India.-In Hinduism:He is remembered in Hindu scriptures as a righteous and glorious king...
s Kshatriyas to southern India. Rajus traditional accounts claim descent from Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku pāli: Okkāka) was the first king of the Ikshvaku dynasty and founder of the Solar Dynasty of Kshatriyas in Vedic civilization in ancient India.-In Hinduism:He is remembered in Hindu scriptures as a righteous and glorious king...
, Vishnukundina
Vishnukundina
The Vishnukundina Empire was an Indian imperial power controlling the Deccan, Orissa and parts of South India during the 5th and 6th centuries, carving land out from the Vakataka Empire. It played an important role in the history of the Deccan during the 5th and 6th centuries CE...
, Chalukya, Paricchedi and Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa in Telugu means Fort Dynasty and is used to refer to the medieval dynasty which ruled over a small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD...
. Some historians and traditional accounts link Rajus to ancient Andhra Ikshvaku
Andhra Ikshvaku
The Andhra Ikshvakus were one of the earliest recorded ruling dynasties of Andhra Pradesh and are said to have been the first Kshatriya rulers in the Andhra region. They ruled the eastern Andhra country along the Krishna river during the later half of the 2nd century CE. . Their capital was...
s, which was the first Kshatriya kingdom in Andhra which ruled during 2nd and 3rd Centuries CE and are purportedly linked to ancient Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku pāli: Okkāka) was the first king of the Ikshvaku dynasty and founder of the Solar Dynasty of Kshatriyas in Vedic civilization in ancient India.-In Hinduism:He is remembered in Hindu scriptures as a righteous and glorious king...
s of Kosala
Kosala
Kosala was an ancient Indian region, corresponding roughly in area with the region of Awadh in present day Uttar Pradesh. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya and the Jaina text, the Bhagavati Sutra, Kosala was one of the Solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE and its cultural and...
.
According to most historians and by the inscriptional evidences of Paricchedi and Chagi
Chagi
The Chagi were an ancient ruling dynasty of Andhra Pradesh who ruled over Natavadi region with Gudimetla as there Capital. Chagis were Suryavanshi Kshatriyas of Vasishta gotra and are ancestors of Sagi and Vatsavai clans of Kshatriya Rajus of Andhra...
ruling clans, during 4th - 5th century AD few Kshatriyas of four clans travelled from northern India to the south, where they initially worked as feudatories of Vakataka
Vakataka
The Vākāṭakas were a royal Indian dynasty that originated from the Deccan in the mid-third century CE. Their kingdom is believed to have extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra River in the south as well as from the Arabian Sea in the western to the...
s before establishing the Vishnukundina Kingdom. While some Kshatriyas of Andhra are said to be descendants of Eastern Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas were a South Indian dynasty whose kingdom was located in the present day Andhra Pradesh. Their capital was Vengi and their dynasty lasted for around 500 years from the 7th century until c. 1130 C.E. when the Vengi kingdom merged with the Chola empire...
and few other Kshatriya dynasties.
Rajus are classified into two sects (as per ancient Kshatriya tradition based on Vansh):
- Suryavanshi (Sun Dynasty) include Vishnukundina, Paricheda, Kota Vamsa, Chola-Chalukyas (Cholas claimed Suryavanshi and Chalukyas were Chandravanshi, the two families merged) Eastern Ganga and Gajapati.
- Chandravanshi (Lunar Dynasty) includes Eastern Chalukyas, Kalachuris (Chedi-Haihaya), Saluva and Aravidu dyanasties of VijayanagarVijayanagara EmpireThe Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
.
Gotras
- They are further subdivided into four gotraGotraIn the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
s. - KaundinyaKaundinyaKaundinya also known as Ajnata Kaundinya was a Buddhist bhikkhu in the sangha of Gautama Buddha and the first to become an arahant...
- Vasishta
- Dhananjaya
- Kashyapa
A poem called Sri Krishna-vijayam dated 1540 AD tells of a migration of these four clans to Telingana
Telangana
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...
led by Madhav Varma.
While Rajus of Coastal Andhra and Rajapalayam have above four gotras, the Rajus of Karnataka also have three additional gotras:
- Pasupati
- Vishwamitra
- AtreyaAtreyaAn Atreya is a descendant of Atri, one of the great Hindu sages whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas.The descendents of Atri Rishi use Atreya as their surname just like many other Gotras, or clan names used by the Brahmin community of Hindus in India and Nepal. In Northern India,...
- Each gotra is again sub-divided into hundreds of endogamousEndogamyEndogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific ethnic group, class, or social group, rejecting others on such basis as being unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. A Greek Orthodox Christian endogamist, for example, would require that a marriage be only with another...
sects based on surnames that are named after villages of origin, a famous member of the clan, personality etc. - Sage Kaundinya (Kundin) was the son of Vasishtha and nephew of AgastyaAgastyaAgastya was a Tamil/Vedic Siddhar or sage. Agastya and his clan are also generally credited with uncovering many mantras of the Rig Veda, the earliest and most revered Hindu scripture, in the sense of first having the mantras revealed in his mind by the Supreme Brahman...
. - Dhananjaya is a branch of Vishwamitra.
- Pasupati is a branch of Kashyapa.
Eastern Chalukyas
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, were led into Andhra by Pulakesi II
Pulakesi II
Pulakesin II is the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty. In his reign the Chalukyas of Badami saw their kingdom extend over most of the Deccan.-Early life and accession:...
, who appointed his brother Kubja Vishnuvardhana
Kubja Vishnuvardhana
Kubja Vishnuvardhana was the brother of Chalukya Pulakesi II. Vishnuvardhana ruled the Vengi territories in the eastern Andhra Pradesh as the viceroy under Pulakesi II from around 615 CE. Eventually Vishnuvardhana declared his independence and started the Eastern Chalukya dynasty Kubja...
as his Viceroy. On death of Pulakesi II, Kubja Vishnuvardhana declared himself king of the Eastern deccan and his dynasty came to be known as the Eastern Chalukyas (Vengi Chalukyas).
The Eastern Chalukyas ruled from Vengi
Vengi
The Vengi kingdom extended from the Godavari River in the north to Mount Mahendragiri in the southeast and to just south of the banks of River Krishna in the south of India. This area was part of Kalinga until that kingdom was conquered by Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire in the mid 3rd century...
. The collateral branches of Eastern Chalukyas ruled over small principalities like Elamanchili
Elamanchili
Elamanchili is a village and a mandal in West Godavari District and another Elamanchili is located in East Godavari District.-Panchayats:The following is the list of village panchayats in Elamanchili mandal.KalagampudiChinchinadaElamanchilii...
, Pithapuram
Pithapuram
For famous Playback singer see Pithapuram Nageswara RaoPithapuram is a town and a municipality in East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh....
and Mudigonda
Mudigonda
Mudigonda is a town and revenue-divisional headquarters located 14 km away from Khammam, the headquarters of the Khammam District of Andhra Pradesh, India.- Introduction :...
. The Eastern Chalukyas who were Chandravanshi Kshatriyas were closely connected by marriage ties with other Kshatriya families in Andhra(Kalachuris, Chagis, Parichedas and Kota Vamsas)
The Eastern Chalukyas through marital alliances merged into the Cholas and ruled from 1076 CE to 1019 CE as Chalukya-Cholas
The other important Kshatriya dynasties during this period were Perrichedi, Kota Vamsa, Chagi and Haiheyas.
- Kota Vamsa (Dharanikota) (Fort Dynasty)
The Kota kings
Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa in Telugu means Fort Dynasty and is used to refer to the medieval dynasty which ruled over a small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD...
, Kshatriyas of Dhananjya gotra ruled from Dharanikota
Dharanikota
Dharanikota or Dhanyakatakam or Palden Drepung is a town near Amaravati in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh in India, which means a town of rice or paddy.- Location :...
during the 11th and 12th century AD.
Last King of this dynasty was Kota Betaraja. The Bhupathiraju
Bhupathiraju
Bhupathiraju is a popular surname among Rajus of Kshatriyas in Andhra Pradesh. Bhupathirajus are descendants of Kota Kings who ruled Dharanikota, from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD...
, Datla
Datla
Datla is a common surname that belongs to members of a Kshatriya caste in Andhra Pradesh known as Rajus. They are of the Chandravanshi sect and belong to the Dhananjaya Gotra. They are descendants of the "Kota Vamsa" dynasty that ruled parts of Andhra Pradesh in the 11th and 12th Century AD.Some...
, Dandu, Dantuluri
Dantuluri
Dantuluri is a surname of the Kshatriya Rajus clan who were descendents of the Kota Kings.. Kota Kings were an ancient ruling clan who ruled over small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital in the medieval period...
, Jampana
Jampana
Jampana is a rare surname that belongs to members of a Kshatriya caste in Andhra Pradesh known as Rajus. They are of the Chandravanshi sect. Kota Jampana belong to the Dhananjaya Gotra and they descended from the "Kota Vamsa" dynasty that ruled small parts of Andhra Pradesh from 7th-8th century AD...
, Uppalapati, Pakalapati and Nallaparaju royal families of Dhananjaya Gotra, who were Zamindars of Rama-Chandra-Puram
Ramachandrapuram, East Godavari
Ramachandrapuram is a village and a municipality in East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located about 20 km from Kakinada and about 10 km from Mandapeta. The famous temple of Lord Shiva at Draksharamam is located about 5 km from here...
, Mogalthur
Mogalthur
Mogalthur or Mogalturru is a village and mandal in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India. 214A National High way crossed Palakol Narasapur and Mogalturu. The famous Lace Village Seetharampuram was near by.-Geography:...
, Kotapalli, Ghandavaram, Kuppili, Moida
Moida
Moida is a village panchayat in Nellimarla mandal of Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh, India.Penumatsa Sambasiva Raju, the Zamindar of Modia is the longest serving MLA from Sathivada assembly constituency. He has been continuously elected to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly from 1967 till 2005....
and Mutta Talaga Chirala.
- Chagi
The Chagis have been around since the Chalukyas at least and possible the 6th or 7th century. They were mentioned as subordinate Chiefs of the Chalukyas and Kakatiyas. Bezawada inscription mentions in honor of Tulukam Velnadu Sagi Doraya Raju dated 1215 AD. In 1246 inscriptions describe the reign of Chagi Manma Raju and in 1230 grants by Chagi Pota Raju. An inscription in Gudimetla on a fort dated around 1268 AD during the reign of Kakatiya Rudrama Devi states that Sagi Pota Raju was her commander in chief. Sagi Gannama was a governor under Vira Pratapa Purushottama Gajapati (AD 1462-1496). He built a hill fort in Vinukonda.
The Kota Uratla and Thangedu royal families are descendants of the Chagis, with their name changing over time to Sagi. The founder of Peddapuram line of kings was Sagi Potha Raju who participated in the battle of Palnadu in 1178-1182. The family attained the title of Jagapati in the 16th century and changed their surname to Vatsavai in honor of a fort during the times of Vatsavayi Timma Raju 1555-1607.
Gajapatis of Kalinga/Orissa
The Suryavanshi Gajapatis of OrissaOrissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, on the height of their power in the 15th century, ruled over a kingdom extending from the Ganges river
Ganges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
in the north to the Kaveri in the south under Gajapati Kapilendra Deva. But by the early 16th century, the Gajapatis lost great portions of their southern dominion to Vijayanagar
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
and Golconda
Golconda
Golconda may be:Places:* Golkonda, ruined city and fortress in India* Golconda, Illinois, town in the United States* Golconda, Nevada, former town in the United StatesOther:* Golconda...
. During the Gajapathi reign an inscription mentions a Bhupathiraju Vallabha Raju Mahapatra in Chodavaram.
It was common for the Zamindari families of the border region of Orissa and Andhra to have alliances. Early on they actually sided with the Gajapatis against the Vijayanagar Empire. There was a notable exception with inscriptional confirmation of two Kshatriya generals fighting on the side of Krishna Deva Raya. Of the modern clans, the Vyricharla royals of Kurupam
Kurupam
Kurupam is a village and Mandal in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, India.-Geography:It is located at . It has an average altitude of 133 meters .-Demography:...
and the Satrucharla clan of Salur have more in common with the Orissa royals, who claim descent from the Gajapati and Ganga Dynasties, then they do with the Godavari clans
The Rajas of Kurupam are related through marriage to Jeypore
Jeypore
Jeypore, is the largest town in the Koraput district of Orissa, India. Along with Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Balasore, Puri and Berhampur, Jeypore is one of the prominent places of Orissa. It is encompassed by hills of the Eastern Ghats and the more famous Araku hills on three...
Royal family, Bhanj dynasty of Daspalla princely state, Parmar dynasty of Gangpur
Gangpur
Gangpur is also a village in India of Burdwan District in West Bengal, in the state of Gujarat, between Surat and Bardoli....
princely state of Orissa and Kacchawa dynasty of Talcher
Talcher
Talcher is one of the 4 sub-divisions of Anugul district in the Indian state of Orissa . Situated on the right bank of the river Brahmani, the capital of the erstwhile Talcher State is one of the fastest growing industrial and mining complexes of the country.-Geography:Talcher is located at...
princely state of Orissa founded in the 12th century.
Vijayanagara Period
Out of the four clans that ruled the VijayanagaraVijayanagara
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....
empire, two clans Saluva Dynasty and Aravidu Dynasty trace there origin to Kshatriya Rajus of Godavari. Raja Achutya Deva Raya, Zamindar of Anegundi is the head of the Hindu Kshatriya Community.
- The founding brothers of the Aravidu dynastyAravidu dynastyThe Aravidu Dynasty was the fourth and last Hindu dynasty which ruled Vijayanagara Empire in South India. Its founder was Tirumala, whose brother Rama Raya had been the masterful regent of the last ruler of the previous dynasty...
were the son-in-laws of Krishna Deva Raya of the Tuluva DynastyTuluva DynastyThe Tuluva Dynasty was the third dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire.-History:The Tuluva were the third Hindu dynasty which ruled Vijayanagara empire. The dynasty was founded by chieftain Bunts who originally ruled southern parts of coastal Karnataka, also called Tulu Nadu...
and were also related previously through marriage with the Saluva DynastySaluva DynastyThe Saluva Dynasty was created by the Saluvas who by historical tradition were natives of the Kalyani region of northern Karnataka. The Gorantla inscription traces their origins to this region from the time of the Western Chalukyas and Kalachuris of Karnataka. The term "Saluva" is known to...
. Gobburi Narasaraju was the nephew of Aliya Ramaraju and After the death of King Venkatapathi Raju, from 1614 to 1616 there was a great war of succession. Amongst the claimants to the throne was Gobburi Jaga Deva Raju, the brother-in-law of the emperor and also a relative of the Raja of Karvetinagar, Saluva Makaraju. - The Chodaraju's gotra was mentioned as Kasyapa and the Nandyala's gotra was mentioned as Atreya and were described as belonging to Chandravanshi, both were appointed Mahamandaleswars during the start of the 16th century.
- The Madiraju's gotra was mentioned as Kasyapa and were related to the Thirumalarajus, both were appointed Mahamandeleswars of Guntur area and happened to be the grandchildren of Aravidu Rama Raya.
- Madhava Varma Bejawada was mentioned in 1509 AD as of the Vasishtha gotra and Suryavansi.
- Krishna Deva Raya defeated Pusapati Rachi Raju, Srinatha Raju and Lakshmipati Raju on his way to defeating Pratapa Rudra Gajapati Raju of the Gajapathi Dynasty. He immediately reinstated these rulers as his vassals and married the daughter of Pratapa Rudra as a truce offering. All this occurred between 1514-1517 AD.
- Ganapathirajus were described as of the Suryavanshi and Kasyapa gotra and were Mahamandaleswars in 1555 AD.
- The Bommaraju family of KarvetinagarKarvetinagarKarvetinagar or Karvetnagar is a village and a Mandal in Chittoor district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.-Geography:Karvetnagar is located at . It has an average elevation of 266 meters .-History:...
trace their origins back to Kshatriya Raju ancestors who migrated from the PithapuramPithapuramFor famous Playback singer see Pithapuram Nageswara RaoPithapuram is a town and a municipality in East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh....
area of the Godavari DeltaRiver deltaA delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
about the 8th or 9th century. They were appointed as the Chief of the region around Tirupati by the Eastern Chalukya King, Vimala Aditya. They later became feudatories of Vijayanagar, and had marriage alliances with the Saluva and the Aravidu dynasties over the next two hundred years. Around the 16th century the family changed their name to the current Bommaraju, retaining Saluva as a title.
The Nizam and Colonial periods
The sultans, nizamNizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
s and British all employed Rajus as the governors of estates with the responsibility of collecting taxes. In 1857 the British broke up the estates and realigned the larger into Princely states and the lesser ones as zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
s or jagirdars. These zamindars were abolished after the formation of the Indian Union in 1947.
Modern community
After the Independence of India Zamindari was abolished. During this time many Raju zamindars donated their property and land liberally for the upliftment of poor and Education. Vizianagaram is the oldest and largest Hindu Princely State of Andhra Pradesh (Samsthanam). Maharaja PVG Raju donated his Royal State to Republic of India. He also donated enormous wealth, Khazana, Land, Gold, Diamonds, Propertis, Palaces to Korukonda Sainik school, Andhra University, Mansas Trust and to poor and needy for schools, colleges and hospitals.Rajus of Andhra are designated as forward caste. Andhra Kshatriya Rajus never asked for Reservation
Reservation in India
Reservation in India is a form of affirmative action designed to improve the well being of socially backward and underrepresented communities of citizens in India. There are laws in place, wherein a certain percentage of total available slots in Jobs and Education are set aside for people from...
.
Other sources
The Raju (or Rajulu) are a TeluguTelugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
caste inhabiting Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India.
Etymology
Raju is a TeluguTelugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
variation of the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word Raj and Raja meaning king, prince or lord. It is used to refer to the Telugu Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
.
The caste claims Kshatriya varna, and claims descent from the ancient royal dynasties of India such as the Eastern Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas were a South Indian dynasty whose kingdom was located in the present day Andhra Pradesh. Their capital was Vengi and their dynasty lasted for around 500 years from the 7th century until c. 1130 C.E. when the Vengi kingdom merged with the Chola empire...
, Chalukya-Cholas, Vishnukundina
Vishnukundina
The Vishnukundina Empire was an Indian imperial power controlling the Deccan, Orissa and parts of South India during the 5th and 6th centuries, carving land out from the Vakataka Empire. It played an important role in the history of the Deccan during the 5th and 6th centuries CE...
, Gajapati
Gajapati Kingdom
The Gajapatis were a medieval Hindu dynasty that ruled over Kalinga , large parts of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, and the eastern and central parts of Madhya Pradesh and the southern parts of Bihar from 1434-1541. Gajapati dynasty was established by Kapilendra Deva in 1434...
, Chagi
Chagi
The Chagi were an ancient ruling dynasty of Andhra Pradesh who ruled over Natavadi region with Gudimetla as there Capital. Chagis were Suryavanshi Kshatriyas of Vasishta gotra and are ancestors of Sagi and Vatsavai clans of Kshatriya Rajus of Andhra...
, Paricheda and Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa in Telugu means Fort Dynasty and is used to refer to the medieval dynasty which ruled over a small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD...
.
Ethnonyms
Over the centuries they have been called by various alternative names that signified their military status. During the British RajBritish Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
they were known as Ratsas and Rajavars, which means of or belonging to the caste of Ratsawars (Raja Caste), using the title of Raju. They are around 1.2 percent of the Telugu
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
population, concentrated mainly in the Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra or Kosta, is a region of India's Andhra Pradesh State. This region was part of Madras State before 1953 and Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. According to the 2011 census, it has an area of and a population of 3,41,93,868...
region with pockets in the Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema is a geographic region in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It includes the districts of Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool. These Telugu speaking districts were part of Madras Presidency until 1953 when Telugu speaking districts of Madras presidency were carved out to form...
, North Arcot and Rajapalayam
Rajapalayam
Rajapalayam is a town and a special grade municipality in Virudhunagar district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 85 km southwest of Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Its main attractions are the Ayyanar Falls and the neighbour town of Srivilliputtur...
of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, Bellary of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
and Ganjam
Ganjam District
Ganjam district is a district in the Indian state of Orissa located on the border of Andhra Pradesh. Ganjam's total area is 8,070 km² . Its population is approximately 2,704,056.Ganjam is known for its beaches bordering the Bay of Bengal, the most famous ones being Gopalpur and Dhavaleshwar...
of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
. In last few decades significant population of Rajus have migrated and settled in the United States and the United Kingdom
Rajus use Raju or Varma in the Andhra regions and Deo in the Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
regions as an agnomen
Agnomen
An agnomen , in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the cognomen was initially. However, the cognomina eventually became family names, so agnomina were needed to distinguish between similarly named persons...
for their last name. Varma
Varma
Varmā , Varman or Burman or Barman is an honorific title that was originally used by the Kshatriyas in India and South East Asia...
in Sanskrit means "armor" or "protection". and Deo in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
means god or lord. In Telugu tradition the family name is written first followed by the given name and then the caste title. For example Alluri Sita Rama Raju, a prominent military leader in the mid 19th century, is interpreted as Sita Ram of the Alluri family and Raju for Kshatriya caste. Similarly name of Penmatsa Ram Gopal Varma
Ram Gopal Varma
Ram Gopal Varma is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer...
, a prominent Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
and Tollywood movie director-producer, is interpreted as Ram Gopal of the Penmatsa family and Varma for Kshatriya caste.
History
There have been varying accounts about the origins of the Raju community. Some include them among the military tribes of RajputRajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
descent. Historians surmised that after the initial settlement of the four clans of the migrated Kshatriyas in Andhra region, they had few marital alliances with powerful local ruling clans like Kakatiya
Kakatiya
The Kakatiya dynasty was an Indian dynasty that ruled most parts of what is now Andhra Pradesh, India from 1083 CE to 1323 CE, with Orugallu , now Warangal , as its capital. Orugallu is also called 'Eka Sila Nagaram'...
s and have amalgamated them into the Kshatriya fold.
Regarding this community Edgar Thurston
Edgar Thurston
Edgar Thurston CIE was a British museologist and ethnographer working in colonial Southern India. In 1885 he was appointed to the Madras Government Museum, where he held the role of Superintendent...
says:
Historically South Indian royal families of Kshatriyas had marital relationship with Central and North Indian royal families, like Rajas of Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram is the main city of the Vizianagaram District of north-eastern Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Vizianagaram district was formed on 1 June 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. It is, at present, the largest municipality of...
, Salur
Salur
Salur or Saluru is a Municipality and Mandal headquarters in Vizianagaram district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh...
and Kurupam
Kurupam
Kurupam is a village and Mandal in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, India.-Geography:It is located at . It has an average altitude of 133 meters .-Demography:...
had marital relationships with the Rajputana royal families.
Legends
The history of South India and the Puranas reveal that the Andhra Kshatriyas descended from the AryavartaAryavarta
Āryāvarta is a name for Northern India in classical Sanskrit literature. The Manu Smriti gives the name to "the tract between the Himalaya and the Vindhya ranges, from the eastern to the Western Sea"....
(northern India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
) to the south due to internal conflicts, foreign invasions, famine etc. Vayu Purana
Vayu Purana
The Vayu Purana is a Shaiva Purana, a Hindu religious text, dedicated to the god Vayu , containing about 24,000 shlokas.-Date:Banabhatta refers to this work in his Kadambari and Harshacharita...
, Buddhist and Jain literatures mention about migration of Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku pāli: Okkāka) was the first king of the Ikshvaku dynasty and founder of the Solar Dynasty of Kshatriyas in Vedic civilization in ancient India.-In Hinduism:He is remembered in Hindu scriptures as a righteous and glorious king...
s Kshatriyas to southern India. Rajus traditional accounts claim descent from Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku pāli: Okkāka) was the first king of the Ikshvaku dynasty and founder of the Solar Dynasty of Kshatriyas in Vedic civilization in ancient India.-In Hinduism:He is remembered in Hindu scriptures as a righteous and glorious king...
, Vishnukundina
Vishnukundina
The Vishnukundina Empire was an Indian imperial power controlling the Deccan, Orissa and parts of South India during the 5th and 6th centuries, carving land out from the Vakataka Empire. It played an important role in the history of the Deccan during the 5th and 6th centuries CE...
, Chalukya, Paricchedi and Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa in Telugu means Fort Dynasty and is used to refer to the medieval dynasty which ruled over a small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD...
. Some historians and traditional accounts link Rajus to ancient Andhra Ikshvaku
Andhra Ikshvaku
The Andhra Ikshvakus were one of the earliest recorded ruling dynasties of Andhra Pradesh and are said to have been the first Kshatriya rulers in the Andhra region. They ruled the eastern Andhra country along the Krishna river during the later half of the 2nd century CE. . Their capital was...
s, which was the first Kshatriya kingdom in Andhra which ruled during 2nd and 3rd Centuries CE and are purportedly linked to ancient Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku pāli: Okkāka) was the first king of the Ikshvaku dynasty and founder of the Solar Dynasty of Kshatriyas in Vedic civilization in ancient India.-In Hinduism:He is remembered in Hindu scriptures as a righteous and glorious king...
s of Kosala
Kosala
Kosala was an ancient Indian region, corresponding roughly in area with the region of Awadh in present day Uttar Pradesh. According to the Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya and the Jaina text, the Bhagavati Sutra, Kosala was one of the Solasa Mahajanapadas in 6th century BCE and its cultural and...
.
According to most historians and by the inscriptional evidences of Paricchedi and Chagi
Chagi
The Chagi were an ancient ruling dynasty of Andhra Pradesh who ruled over Natavadi region with Gudimetla as there Capital. Chagis were Suryavanshi Kshatriyas of Vasishta gotra and are ancestors of Sagi and Vatsavai clans of Kshatriya Rajus of Andhra...
ruling clans, during 4th - 5th century AD few Kshatriyas of four clans travelled from northern India to the south, where they initially worked as feudatories of Vakataka
Vakataka
The Vākāṭakas were a royal Indian dynasty that originated from the Deccan in the mid-third century CE. Their kingdom is believed to have extended from the southern edges of Malwa and Gujarat in the north to the Tungabhadra River in the south as well as from the Arabian Sea in the western to the...
s before establishing the Vishnukundina Kingdom. While some Kshatriyas of Andhra are said to be descendants of Eastern Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas
Eastern Chalukyas were a South Indian dynasty whose kingdom was located in the present day Andhra Pradesh. Their capital was Vengi and their dynasty lasted for around 500 years from the 7th century until c. 1130 C.E. when the Vengi kingdom merged with the Chola empire...
and few other Kshatriya dynasties.
Rajus are classified into two sects (as per ancient Kshatriya tradition based on Vansh):
- Suryavanshi (Sun Dynasty) include Vishnukundina, Paricheda, Kota Vamsa, Chola-Chalukyas (Cholas claimed Suryavanshi and Chalukyas were Chandravanshi, the two families merged) Eastern Ganga and Gajapati.
- Chandravanshi (Lunar Dynasty) includes Eastern Chalukyas, Kalachuris (Chedi-Haihaya), Saluva and Aravidu dyanasties of VijayanagarVijayanagara EmpireThe Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
.
Gotras
- They are further subdivided into four gotraGotraIn the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
s. - KaundinyaKaundinyaKaundinya also known as Ajnata Kaundinya was a Buddhist bhikkhu in the sangha of Gautama Buddha and the first to become an arahant...
- Vasishta
- Dhananjaya
- Kashyapa
A poem called Sri Krishna-vijayam dated 1540 AD tells of a migration of these four clans to Telingana
Telangana
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...
led by Madhav Varma.
While Rajus of Coastal Andhra and Rajapalayam have above four gotras, the Rajus of Karnataka also have three additional gotras:
- Pasupati
- Vishwamitra
- AtreyaAtreyaAn Atreya is a descendant of Atri, one of the great Hindu sages whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas.The descendents of Atri Rishi use Atreya as their surname just like many other Gotras, or clan names used by the Brahmin community of Hindus in India and Nepal. In Northern India,...
- Each gotra is again sub-divided into hundreds of endogamousEndogamyEndogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific ethnic group, class, or social group, rejecting others on such basis as being unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. A Greek Orthodox Christian endogamist, for example, would require that a marriage be only with another...
sects based on surnames that are named after villages of origin, a famous member of the clan, personality etc. - Sage Kaundinya (Kundin) was the son of Vasishtha and nephew of AgastyaAgastyaAgastya was a Tamil/Vedic Siddhar or sage. Agastya and his clan are also generally credited with uncovering many mantras of the Rig Veda, the earliest and most revered Hindu scripture, in the sense of first having the mantras revealed in his mind by the Supreme Brahman...
. - Dhananjaya is a branch of Vishwamitra.
- Pasupati is a branch of Kashyapa.
Eastern Chalukyas
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, were led into Andhra by Pulakesi II
Pulakesi II
Pulakesin II is the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty. In his reign the Chalukyas of Badami saw their kingdom extend over most of the Deccan.-Early life and accession:...
, who appointed his brother Kubja Vishnuvardhana
Kubja Vishnuvardhana
Kubja Vishnuvardhana was the brother of Chalukya Pulakesi II. Vishnuvardhana ruled the Vengi territories in the eastern Andhra Pradesh as the viceroy under Pulakesi II from around 615 CE. Eventually Vishnuvardhana declared his independence and started the Eastern Chalukya dynasty Kubja...
as his Viceroy. On death of Pulakesi II, Kubja Vishnuvardhana declared himself king of the Eastern deccan and his dynasty came to be known as the Eastern Chalukyas (Vengi Chalukyas).
The Eastern Chalukyas ruled from Vengi
Vengi
The Vengi kingdom extended from the Godavari River in the north to Mount Mahendragiri in the southeast and to just south of the banks of River Krishna in the south of India. This area was part of Kalinga until that kingdom was conquered by Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire in the mid 3rd century...
. The collateral branches of Eastern Chalukyas ruled over small principalities like Elamanchili
Elamanchili
Elamanchili is a village and a mandal in West Godavari District and another Elamanchili is located in East Godavari District.-Panchayats:The following is the list of village panchayats in Elamanchili mandal.KalagampudiChinchinadaElamanchilii...
, Pithapuram
Pithapuram
For famous Playback singer see Pithapuram Nageswara RaoPithapuram is a town and a municipality in East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh....
and Mudigonda
Mudigonda
Mudigonda is a town and revenue-divisional headquarters located 14 km away from Khammam, the headquarters of the Khammam District of Andhra Pradesh, India.- Introduction :...
. The Eastern Chalukyas who were Chandravanshi Kshatriyas were closely connected by marriage ties with other Kshatriya families in Andhra(Kalachuris, Chagis, Parichedas and Kota Vamsas)
The Eastern Chalukyas through marital alliances merged into the Cholas and ruled from 1076 CE to 1019 CE as Chalukya-Cholas
The other important Kshatriya dynasties during this period were Perrichedi, Kota Vamsa, Chagi and Haiheyas.
- Kota Vamsa (Dharanikota) (Fort Dynasty)
The Kota kings
Kota Vamsa
Kota Vamsa in Telugu means Fort Dynasty and is used to refer to the medieval dynasty which ruled over a small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD...
, Kshatriyas of Dhananjya gotra ruled from Dharanikota
Dharanikota
Dharanikota or Dhanyakatakam or Palden Drepung is a town near Amaravati in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh in India, which means a town of rice or paddy.- Location :...
during the 11th and 12th century AD.
Last King of this dynasty was Kota Betaraja. The Bhupathiraju
Bhupathiraju
Bhupathiraju is a popular surname among Rajus of Kshatriyas in Andhra Pradesh. Bhupathirajus are descendants of Kota Kings who ruled Dharanikota, from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD...
, Datla
Datla
Datla is a common surname that belongs to members of a Kshatriya caste in Andhra Pradesh known as Rajus. They are of the Chandravanshi sect and belong to the Dhananjaya Gotra. They are descendants of the "Kota Vamsa" dynasty that ruled parts of Andhra Pradesh in the 11th and 12th Century AD.Some...
, Dandu, Dantuluri
Dantuluri
Dantuluri is a surname of the Kshatriya Rajus clan who were descendents of the Kota Kings.. Kota Kings were an ancient ruling clan who ruled over small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital in the medieval period...
, Jampana
Jampana
Jampana is a rare surname that belongs to members of a Kshatriya caste in Andhra Pradesh known as Rajus. They are of the Chandravanshi sect. Kota Jampana belong to the Dhananjaya Gotra and they descended from the "Kota Vamsa" dynasty that ruled small parts of Andhra Pradesh from 7th-8th century AD...
, Uppalapati, Pakalapati and Nallaparaju royal families of Dhananjaya Gotra, who were Zamindars of Rama-Chandra-Puram
Ramachandrapuram, East Godavari
Ramachandrapuram is a village and a municipality in East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located about 20 km from Kakinada and about 10 km from Mandapeta. The famous temple of Lord Shiva at Draksharamam is located about 5 km from here...
, Mogalthur
Mogalthur
Mogalthur or Mogalturru is a village and mandal in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India. 214A National High way crossed Palakol Narasapur and Mogalturu. The famous Lace Village Seetharampuram was near by.-Geography:...
, Kotapalli, Ghandavaram, Kuppili, Moida
Moida
Moida is a village panchayat in Nellimarla mandal of Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh, India.Penumatsa Sambasiva Raju, the Zamindar of Modia is the longest serving MLA from Sathivada assembly constituency. He has been continuously elected to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly from 1967 till 2005....
and Mutta Talaga Chirala.
- Chagi
The Chagis have been around since the Chalukyas at least and possible the 6th or 7th century. They were mentioned as subordinate Chiefs of the Chalukyas and Kakatiyas. Bezawada inscription mentions in honor of Tulukam Velnadu Sagi Doraya Raju dated 1215 AD. In 1246 inscriptions describe the reign of Chagi Manma Raju and in 1230 grants by Chagi Pota Raju. An inscription in Gudimetla on a fort dated around 1268 AD during the reign of Kakatiya Rudrama Devi states that Sagi Pota Raju was her commander in chief. Sagi Gannama was a governor under Vira Pratapa Purushottama Gajapati (AD 1462-1496). He built a hill fort in Vinukonda.
The Kota Uratla and Thangedu royal families are descendants of the Chagis, with their name changing over time to Sagi. The founder of Peddapuram line of kings was Sagi Potha Raju who participated in the battle of Palnadu in 1178-1182. The family attained the title of Jagapati in the 16th century and changed their surname to Vatsavai in honor of a fort during the times of Vatsavayi Timma Raju 1555-1607.
Gajapatis of Kalinga/Orissa
The Suryavanshi Gajapatis of OrissaOrissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, on the height of their power in the 15th century, ruled over a kingdom extending from the Ganges river
Ganges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
in the north to the Kaveri in the south under Gajapati Kapilendra Deva. But by the early 16th century, the Gajapatis lost great portions of their southern dominion to Vijayanagar
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
and Golconda
Golconda
Golconda may be:Places:* Golkonda, ruined city and fortress in India* Golconda, Illinois, town in the United States* Golconda, Nevada, former town in the United StatesOther:* Golconda...
. During the Gajapathi reign an inscription mentions a Bhupathiraju Vallabha Raju Mahapatra in Chodavaram.
It was common for the Zamindari families of the border region of Orissa and Andhra to have alliances. Early on they actually sided with the Gajapatis against the Vijayanagar Empire. There was a notable exception with inscriptional confirmation of two Kshatriya generals fighting on the side of Krishna Deva Raya. Of the modern clans, the Vyricharla royals of Kurupam
Kurupam
Kurupam is a village and Mandal in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, India.-Geography:It is located at . It has an average altitude of 133 meters .-Demography:...
and the Satrucharla clan of Salur have more in common with the Orissa royals, who claim descent from the Gajapati and Ganga Dynasties, then they do with the Godavari clans
The Rajas of Kurupam are related through marriage to Jeypore
Jeypore
Jeypore, is the largest town in the Koraput district of Orissa, India. Along with Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Balasore, Puri and Berhampur, Jeypore is one of the prominent places of Orissa. It is encompassed by hills of the Eastern Ghats and the more famous Araku hills on three...
Royal family, Bhanj dynasty of Daspalla princely state, Parmar dynasty of Gangpur
Gangpur
Gangpur is also a village in India of Burdwan District in West Bengal, in the state of Gujarat, between Surat and Bardoli....
princely state of Orissa and Kacchawa dynasty of Talcher
Talcher
Talcher is one of the 4 sub-divisions of Anugul district in the Indian state of Orissa . Situated on the right bank of the river Brahmani, the capital of the erstwhile Talcher State is one of the fastest growing industrial and mining complexes of the country.-Geography:Talcher is located at...
princely state of Orissa founded in the 12th century.
Vijayanagara Period
Out of the four clans that ruled the VijayanagaraVijayanagara
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....
empire, two clans Saluva Dynasty and Aravidu Dynasty trace there origin to Kshatriya Rajus of Godavari. Raja Achutya Deva Raya, Zamindar of Anegundi is the head of the Hindu Kshatriya Community.
- The founding brothers of the Aravidu dynastyAravidu dynastyThe Aravidu Dynasty was the fourth and last Hindu dynasty which ruled Vijayanagara Empire in South India. Its founder was Tirumala, whose brother Rama Raya had been the masterful regent of the last ruler of the previous dynasty...
were the son-in-laws of Krishna Deva Raya of the Tuluva DynastyTuluva DynastyThe Tuluva Dynasty was the third dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire.-History:The Tuluva were the third Hindu dynasty which ruled Vijayanagara empire. The dynasty was founded by chieftain Bunts who originally ruled southern parts of coastal Karnataka, also called Tulu Nadu...
and were also related previously through marriage with the Saluva DynastySaluva DynastyThe Saluva Dynasty was created by the Saluvas who by historical tradition were natives of the Kalyani region of northern Karnataka. The Gorantla inscription traces their origins to this region from the time of the Western Chalukyas and Kalachuris of Karnataka. The term "Saluva" is known to...
. Gobburi Narasaraju was the nephew of Aliya Ramaraju and After the death of King Venkatapathi Raju, from 1614 to 1616 there was a great war of succession. Amongst the claimants to the throne was Gobburi Jaga Deva Raju, the brother-in-law of the emperor and also a relative of the Raja of Karvetinagar, Saluva Makaraju. - The Chodaraju's gotra was mentioned as Kasyapa and the Nandyala's gotra was mentioned as Atreya and were described as belonging to Chandravanshi, both were appointed Mahamandaleswars during the start of the 16th century.
- The Madiraju's gotra was mentioned as Kasyapa and were related to the Thirumalarajus, both were appointed Mahamandeleswars of Guntur area and happened to be the grandchildren of Aravidu Rama Raya.
- Madhava Varma Bejawada was mentioned in 1509 AD as of the Vasishtha gotra and Suryavansi.
- Krishna Deva Raya defeated Pusapati Rachi Raju, Srinatha Raju and Lakshmipati Raju on his way to defeating Pratapa Rudra Gajapati Raju of the Gajapathi Dynasty. He immediately reinstated these rulers as his vassals and married the daughter of Pratapa Rudra as a truce offering. All this occurred between 1514-1517 AD.
- Ganapathirajus were described as of the Suryavanshi and Kasyapa gotra and were Mahamandaleswars in 1555 AD.
- The Bommaraju family of KarvetinagarKarvetinagarKarvetinagar or Karvetnagar is a village and a Mandal in Chittoor district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.-Geography:Karvetnagar is located at . It has an average elevation of 266 meters .-History:...
trace their origins back to Kshatriya Raju ancestors who migrated from the PithapuramPithapuramFor famous Playback singer see Pithapuram Nageswara RaoPithapuram is a town and a municipality in East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh....
area of the Godavari DeltaRiver deltaA delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
about the 8th or 9th century. They were appointed as the Chief of the region around Tirupati by the Eastern Chalukya King, Vimala Aditya. They later became feudatories of Vijayanagar, and had marriage alliances with the Saluva and the Aravidu dynasties over the next two hundred years. Around the 16th century the family changed their name to the current Bommaraju, retaining Saluva as a title.
The Nizam and Colonial periods
The sultans, nizamNizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
s and British all employed Rajus as the governors of estates with the responsibility of collecting taxes. In 1857 the British broke up the estates and realigned the larger into Princely states and the lesser ones as zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
s or jagirdars. These zamindars were abolished after the formation of the Indian Union in 1947.
Modern community
After the Independence of India Zamindari was abolished. During this time many Raju zamindars donated their property and land liberally for the upliftment of poor and Education. Vizianagaram is the oldest and largest Hindu Princely State of Andhra Pradesh (Samsthanam). Maharaja PVG Raju donated his Royal State to Republic of India. He also donated enormous wealth, Khazana, Land, Gold, Diamonds, Propertis, Palaces to Korukonda Sainik school, Andhra University, Mansas Trust and to poor and needy for schools, colleges and hospitals.Rajus of Andhra are designated as forward caste. Andhra Kshatriya Rajus never asked for Reservation
Reservation in India
Reservation in India is a form of affirmative action designed to improve the well being of socially backward and underrepresented communities of citizens in India. There are laws in place, wherein a certain percentage of total available slots in Jobs and Education are set aside for people from...
.
Other sources
- Karvetnagar http://www.chennaimuseum.org/draft/gallery/03/01/013/tradi1.htm
- Indian Intelligence Report: Inscriptions:http://www.whatisindia.com/inscriptions/south_indian_inscriptions/volume_9/chalukyas_of_kalyani_149.html
- History of the Andhras http://202.41.85.234:8000/gw_44_5/hi-res/hcu_images/G2.pdf
- Caste politics In the North, West, and South India Before Mandal.http://www.nd.edu/~kellogg/events/pdfs/Jaffrelot.pdf
- V. Ramesam, K. Mahadevan. Andhra Chronology (90-1800 A.C):http://www.openlibrary.org/details/andrachronology035467mbp
- Caste Transformation (Winners and Losers) http://www.odi.org.uk/Livelihoodoptions/ppts/Caste%20Transformation%20part1.ppt#1
- Class-study of the History and Cultue of the Andhras: Kandavalli
- Precolonial India in Practice: Cynthia Talbot
- A study of the history and culture of the Andhras: Kambhampati Satyanarayana
- Inscriptions:http://www.whatisindia.com/inscriptions/south_indian_inscriptions/volume_9/chalukyas_of_kalyani_149.html
- Dharani Priya, B: A study of genetic demography of the Kshatriyas, Ph.D. Thesis, Andhra University (2001)
