Thogata Veera Kshatriya (

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

: తొగట వీర క్షత్రియ ) are a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

community 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

, and

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. They claim descent from Chaudeswari and follow

Vaishnavite Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

tradition. While their traditional occupation is weaving, they are now engaged in various other professions, including farming and other rural activities. They are predominantly concentrated 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, with large populations in areas such as Dharmavaram,

Madanapalle Madanapalle is a city in Annamayya district and Rajampet Lok Sabha constituency of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a Selection Grade Municipality and largest City in Annamayya District. Madanapalle is headquarters of Madanapalle Man ...

, and

Kadapa Kadapa is a city in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located in the Rayalaseema region, and is the district headquarters of YSR Kadapa district. It is located south of the Penna River. The city is surrounded on three sides by ...

district . In Coastal Andhra, they have a significant presence in the

Palnadu Palnadu is a region located in Palnadu district and covering a portion of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is spread over the revenue divisions of Gurazala and Narasaraopeta in Palnadu district and Markapur in Prakasam district. ...

and

Guntur Guntur (), natively spelt as Gunturu, is a city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district. The city is part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is lo ...

districts, as well as in

Kanigiri Kanigiri is a Town in Prakasam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Kanigiri mandal in Kanigiri revenue division. Kanigiri Municipality is 3rd largest ULB in the Prakasam District of Andhra ...

and

Nellore Nellore, also spelt as Nelluru, is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, India.Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

and

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

regions. In Telangana, they are located in the

Nalgonda Nalgonda is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the Nalgonda district, as well as the headquarters of the Nalgonda mandal in the Nalgonda revenue division. It is located about from the state c ...

and

Mahbubnagar Mahbubnagar, also informally called as Palamoor and formerly Rukmammapeta, is a city in Mahbubnagar District of the Indian state of Telangana named after the 6th Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahboob Ali Khan. It is the headquarters of Mahbubnagar m ...

districts, along with

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

. The Thogata Veera Kshatriyas traditionally have temples dedicated to their beloved goddess, Chowdeswari Devi, in every place they reside. Each year, they celebrate the Jyothi Utsava in honor of Goddess Chowdeswari Devi, with Nandavaram being particularly famous for these festivities. Numerous members of the Thogata community from different states come together to take part in the celebrations. Thogats are recognaized as an hindhu rushi family background. Thogatas are recognized as an Other Backward Class (OBC) in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and OC(Open Category) other Indian states. Their gotras are derived and totally different like kshantriyas gotras from the names of sages such as

Parashara Parashara (Sanskrit: पराशर; IAST: ) was a maharishi and the author of many ancient Hindu texts. He is accredited as the author of the first Purana, the Vishnu Purana, before his son Vyasa wrote it in its present form. He was the g ...

Bharadwaja Bharadvaja (, ; also spelled Bharadwaja) was one of the revered Vedic sages ( maharishi) in Ancient India. He was a renowned scholar, economist, grammarian and a physician. He is one of the Saptarshis (seven great sages or Maharṣis). His ...

Vasishta Vasishtha (, ) is one of the oldest and revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vasishtha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vasishtha and his family are mentioned in Rigv ...

Atreya Atreya or Atreyas (आत्रेय) Rishi, or Atreya Punarvasu, was a descendant of Atri, one of the great Hindu sages (rishis) whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas. Sage Atreya was a renowned scholar of Ayurveda, and a school of ...

, and

Markandeya Markandeya () is a rishi (sage) featured in Hindu literature. He is the son of the sage Mrikanda and his wife, Manasvini. The Markandeya Purana (one of the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas in Hinduism), attributed to the sage, comprises a dialogue ...

, among others. They are distinct from other weaving castes like

Padmasali Padmasali (also spelt as Padmashali, Padmasale) is a Hindu caste residing in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. In coastal Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territo ...

and

Devanga Devanga (also known as Lingayat Devanga, Devanga Shetty, Devanga Chettiar) is a Hindu caste from South India that traditionally followed the occupation of textile merchandise, weaving and farming mostly found in the Indian states of Karnataka, ...

References

Social groups of Karnataka Indian castes Weaving communities of South Asia Social groups of Andhra Pradesh {{India-ethno-stub