Settibalija (also Setti Balija, Shetty Balija) refers to two distinct and completely unrelated communities in

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 ...

, India. The term Setti Balija (or Chetty Balija) historically referred to a sub-caste of the

Balija The Balija are a Telugu-speaking mercantile community primarily living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and in smaller numbers in Telangana and Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, they are known as Gavarais. Etymology Var ...

community. These Shetty Balijas were a prominent mercantile community of

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

with a history dating back to the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hinduism, Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belongi ...

. They are currently found in the

Rayalaseema Rayalaseema (IAST: ''Rāyalasīma'') is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises four southern districts of the State, from prior to the districts reorganisation in 2022, namely Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa, and ...

region and are classified as a

Forward Caste Forward caste (or General caste) is a term used in India to denote castes which are not listed in SC, ST or OBC reservation lists. They are on average considered ahead of other castes economically and educationally. They account for about 30.8% ...

. In 1920, as a part of

Sanskritization Sanskritisation (or Sanskritization) is a term in sociology which refers to the process by which castes or tribes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the dominant castes or upper c ...

process, the toddy-tapper community of Godavari districts not related to the Balija caste and the historical Setti Balija trader community changed their caste name from Ediga or Eendra to the more respectable name of Chettu Balija (''Chettu'' meaning tree in Telugu), which transformed to Setti Balija over a period of time. The Settibalijas of Godavari districts are related to the larger

Goud Goud is a caste, predominantly settled in the Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Gouds are traditionally involved in the occupation of soma preparation, Ayurvedhic physicians and farmers. They worship gods such as Yellamma,Pochamma ...

community and are classified as a Backward Caste.

Shetty Balijas of Rayalaseema

Shetty Balija (also known as Shetty Balija, Chetty Balija, Balija) is a subgroup of the

caste. The community identifies itself as Shetty Balija in

while in

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 ...

they prefer to call themselves Balija to avoid confusion with an unrelated community of the same name. Their traditional occupation is trading. These Shetty Balijas, along with Komatis, were a prominent mercantile community of

with a history dating back to the

. In the present-day, they are landholders and are involved in agriculture, business, and trade in food grain. They are classified as a

in Andhra Pradesh. Shetty Balija (sub-caste of Balija) is present all across

, and in smaller numbers in former Nellore and Prakasam districts. The Shetty Balijas of Rayalaseema are closely related to the landowning Kapu/

Telaga Telaga is a land-owning agrarian community primarily found in the Coastal Andhra region of India. Telaga is a subcaste of the Kapu community, with both terms often used interchangeably. They are classified as a Forward caste. Historically, t ...

community of

. They are completely unrelated to the Coastal Andhra community known as Setti Balija, who are a part of

community and changed their caste name from Ediga to Setti Balija in 1920 to attain social dignity.

Settibalijas of Coastal Andhra

The Settibalijas (also known as Chettu Balija, Ediga, Eendra, Settiga, Settikula) of Coastal Andhra mostly live in the erstwhile districts of East Godavari, West Godavari and in smaller numbers in Visakhapatnam and Krishna districts. Traditionally, they are a community of toddy tappers. They are similar to other Telugu toddy tapping castes like

, Ediga, Yatha, Gamalla, Goundla, Segidi etc. The Settibalija community of Coastal Andhra is classified as a Backward Caste and is listed under BC-B in the Andhra Pradesh Backward Castes list. They are completely unrelated to the Shetty Balija community of Rayalaseema who are traders and landlords. History In the early 20th century, toddy tappers of Godavari districts were looked down upon by the upper caste people due to their occupation and low economic status. At the time, they were referred to as Ediga (ఈడిగ) or Eendra (ఈండ్ర) with the disparaging suffix ''-gadu'' added to the names of men. They were also known as ''Chettu gallu'' (''Chettu'' meaning tree in Telugu). On 25 September 1920, Dommeti Venkata Reddy (1853–1928), a rich merchant from the Eendra community organised a caste meeting in

Bodasakurru Bodasakurru is a village in Allavaram Mandal, Konaseema district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Demographics India census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, a ...

East Godavari district East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajamahendravaram. Geography This district is surrounded by: * North East: Alluri Sitharama Raju district * North West: Eluru ...

(now in

Konaseema district Konaseema district (officially Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema district) is a List of districts of Andhra Pradesh, district in Konaseema region of Andhra Pradesh in India. It is situated between the tributaries of the Godavari River in the Coas ...

) and passed the resolution that the Ediga/Eendra caste would henceforth only be referred to as Settibalija (''Setti'' sounding similar to ''Chettu'' meaning tree or ''Chottu'' meaning tapping; and ''Balija'' meaning trader/businessman). Even though Edigas are unrelated to the

community, the word 'Balija' was added to their caste name as it was considered to be a respectable name. Venkata Reddy urged his fellow Edigas to record their caste under their new name in land documents, censuses, and other government records. He also resolved that ''-gadu'' would not be used for the names of toddy-tapper families in any manner and submitted a memorandum to the

district collector The district magistrate, also known as the district collector or deputy commissioner, is a career civil servant who serves as the executive head of a district's administration in India. The specific name depends on the state or union territo ...

on the same. He also established a high school and undertook other initiatives for the educational development of his caste. In 2020, members of the community celebrated the 100th anniversary of the renaming of their caste from Ediga to Settibalija.

References

{{Reflist Social groups of Andhra Pradesh