Adi-Andhra is a Telugu caste found in the Indian states of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

and

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

, primarily in the

Coastal Andhra Coastal Andhra, also known as Kosta Andhra (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Kōstā Āndhra), is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, comprising the coastal districts of the state between the East ...

region. They are categorised as a Scheduled Caste by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

. ''Adi-Andhra'' literally means 'the original people of Andhra'. The Adi-Andhra group is a composite caste that consists of about 60% of Malas and 40% of Madigas, who belong to second and third generation of educated scheduled castes. Many Adi-Andhras are engaged in modern occupations created by western education. A small section of Adi-Andhra also lives in

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

and

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. As per the 2001 census, Adi-Andhra constituted 9% of the total Scheduled Caste (SC) population of

United Andhra Pradesh United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

. As per the 1981 census, Adi-Andhras had the highest literacy rate among the Dalit castes of Andhra Pradesh. They are the most advanced group in terms of education and employment among the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Andhra Pradesh.

History

Bhagya Reddy Varma (originally Madari Bhagaiah), a Mala from

Hyderabad state Hyderabad State () was a princely state in the Deccan region of south-central India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the ...

, was a pioneer of the Adi-Hindu movement in Andhra. In November 1917, he was invited to preside over the 'First Andhra Panchama Mahajana Sabha' at

Vijayawada Vijayawada ( ), formerly known by its colonial name Bezawada, is the second largest city and a major commercial hub in the Andhra Pradesh state of India. The city forms an integral part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is situated on th ...

. It was convened by Guduru Ramachandra Rao, a

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

social reformer from Krishna district. In his presidential address, Bhagya Reddy remarked that the Depressed Classes were the original inhabitants of India and ought to be called Adi-Hindu, instead of Panchama. Consequently, the conference adopted the name of Adi-Andhra Mahajana Sabha. It was very active in Andhra and met in several conferences. After the first Adi Andhra conference, the Adi identity gained popularity among Dalits. The government accepted the nomenclature of Adi-Andhra vide order No. 617 on 25 March 1922. Some of the educated Dalits and those who were part of the Adi movements adopted Adi identity, leaving behind their traditional caste names. By the 1931 census, nearly a third of Malas and Madigas of

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

had given their identity as Adi-Andhra.

References

{{Reflist Dalit communities Telugu society Ethnic groups in India Scheduled Castes of Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes of Telangana Indian castes South Indian communities

History

See also

References