Velandu is a name of the region on the banks of River Krishna in the ancient Telugu

Telugu 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...

 country. The terms Velandu or velnadu are often used synonymous with present Guntur district

Guntur district

Guntur district is located in Andhra Pradesh along the east coast of Bay of Bengal. The district has a coastline of around 100 kilometers. Guntur City is the largest city in the district and administrative center of Guntur District. The district is a major center for learning.-Etymology:There are...

.

Geography

The lush coastal area of the Krishna river delta from Guntur

Guntur

Guntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...

 to Srisailam

Srisailam

Srisailam is a holy town and mandal, situated in Nallamala Hills of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located on the banks of River Krishna, about 232 km south of Hyderabad....

 is called Velanadu.
People here are highly industrious in agricultural ventures and farming

History

This area showed the evidences of Palaeolithic (old stone) age in India and one of the ancient places of presence of human being. Chebrolu

Chebrolu

Chebrolu, or Chebrole , is a town and a Mandal in Guntur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India, located at . It is a major panchayat comprising three villages, Chebrolu, Pathareddypalem and Kothareddypalem and is the mandal headquarters. It was a regional fort for the Pallava, Chalukyas...

 excavations found terracotta figurines and old coins showing the relations with Roman Empire. Many inscriptions left by kings found throughout the region reveal that it was a base for lot of ancient Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 kingdoms. Bhattiprolu

Bhattiprolu

Bhattiprolu is a small village in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh State in Southern India.-History:The original name of Bhattiprolu was Pratipalapura, a flourishing Buddhist town in the ancient Sala kingdom that predated Andhra Satavahanas. From available inscriptional evidence, King Kuberaka...

 was the capital of Prati Palaputra kingdom since the 5th century BCE. Amaravathi

Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh

Amaravathi is a small town situated on the banks of the River Krishna in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is famous for its Amareswara temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is one of the famous Pancharamas. Amaravati, also known as Dhanyakataka/Dharanikota was the site of a...

 was an ancient Buddhist place and also the capital of Satavahanas, the first great south Indian Kingdom in 3rd century BCE. It was successively ruled by famous dynasties such as the Ikshavakus, Pallavas, Anandagothrins, Vishnukundins, Chalukyas, Cholas, Kakatiyas, Kota

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...

, Reddies

Reddy

Reddy is a social group or caste of India, predominantly inhabiting Andhra Pradesh. They are enlisted as a forward caste by the government. Traditionally, they are a high-caste community of nobility, warriors and cultivators. According to academics, they were a warrior caste in the remote past and...

, Vijayanagaras

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 Qutb Shahis. Later it became part of British state Madras until Andra Pradesh state was formed.

Since 12th century, several subordinate kingdoms like Velanati Chodas

Velanati Chodas

Velanati Chodas were one of the Telugu Choda families who ruled over parts of the Andhra Pradesh in 12th century...

 of Chandolu

Chandolu

Tsandavolu or Chandolu is a small village situated in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, India.-History:The village was the seat of Velanadu Chodas the most famous of whom was Rajendra Choda. It was a flourishing town during Choda times. It was also called as Dhanadapura or Tsandavolu...

 also brought fame to this region.Being a brahmin clan they were warriors too,they fought wars along with mighty Cholas. This region also witnessed several wars with outsiders and as well between local groups, like the famous Palnadu

Palnadu

Palnadu is the northern region of Guntur District in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Also known as Pallava Nadu, it occupies an important place in Telugu history. After the decline of the Satavahana dynasty, the Pallavas became independent in Krishna river valley. The region is known as...

 battle which was treated as "Andhra Kurukshetra" between local clans and the Godavari battle which decimated the presence of Kalyani Chalukyas in Andhra Pradesh.Velnadu brahmins have significantly contributed to the culture, literature and welfare of the Vijayanagar Empire in the erstwhile Mysore region(now Karnataka)

Velnadu is a brahmin subcaste under "smarthas". They are intelligent, hardworking and forgiving in nature. They are also very trustworthy people. South Indian food cooked by the womenfolk is greatly relished
A few brahmins from this region still carry the name 'Vaidiki Velanadu' or 'Velandu' as their subsect and treat the Rishis like Bharadvaja, Gouthama, Kousika, Koundilya, Haritasa (Haritha) etc as their Gothra (ancestors). These brahmins are spread across South India, predominantly in Andhra Pradesh, with small numbers in Tamilnadu and Karnataka.

External references

• Durga Prasad, History of the Andhras up to 1565 A. D., P. G. PUBLISHERS, GUNTUR (1988)

Velanadu people in Tamil Nadu

As a folklore history, Velanadu Brahmins migrated to Srirangapatnam - Mysore and Guntur Andhra pradesh to Tamilnadu.It is believed that the king Krishnadevaraya appointed above 2000 Brahmins to perform daily rituals for the warriors during the war against the Nawabs of Mughal empire which is a known fact. Their families then settled in various parts of Tamilnadu after the defeat of Krishnadevaraya and performed services like horoscopy, astrology, Nithya karma, Marriage and death ceremonies. This history has been passed by from the ancestors.The velanadu people who have settled in tamil nadu have gained a tamil accent and have developed a telugu that is well distinguishable from the telugu spoken in andhra pradesh.They are often being ridiculed for the different telugu they speak to such an extent that some claim that their language isn't telugu itself.Marriages are often being done with other communities such as Niyogi,Venginadu,Mulakanadu etc.Inter-lingual marriages have been on the rise.These people have settled in the nook and corner of tamil nadu like tiruchi,tuticorin,vellore,pudukottai etc and have merged so well with the tamil people.Today,there are so many engineers,doctors and other professionals,that the community can boast of proudly.A velanadu school has been set u in T.Nagar in Chennai,which is a hub for this community where matrimonial services are also provided.A sad trend is that,their language has not gained enough recognition and is in the decline.