The
Apastamba Dharmasutra is posited to have been composed in the region of modern-day
Andhra Pradesh between the
Godavari and
Krishna rivers, but this is not certain.[6][7] It is dated to approximately 600-300 BCE,[8] and more narrowly to between 450 and 350 BCE.[9]
Sub-divisions
Telugu Brahmins fall under the
Pancha Dravida Brahmin classification of the Brahmin community in India.[10] They are further divided into various sections based on their occupation, denomination, region etc.[4]
Sri Vaishnavas and Telugu Madhvas are Telugu Brahmins who converted to
Ramanuja and
Madhvacharya faith respectively.[14][15]
Niyogis are further subdivided into Aruvela Niyogis, Pakanati Niyogis and others.[16]
Golkonda Vyaparis were said to be a part of Niyogis, but they consider themselves as separate group and have their own community organizations. The word vyapari means trader. Golconda Vyaparis are
Vaishnavas and have both
Madhvas and
Sri Vaishnavas among them.[17][18]
Deshastha Brahmins are mainly divided into two groups Deshastha Madhva Brahmins and Deshastha Smartha Brahmins.[20] In Telangana, Deshastha Brahmins are spread throughout all the districts of the state, while in Andhra Pradesh, they are mainly concentrated in
Rayalaseema,
Nellore, and Godavari-Krishna delta, especially in the cities of
Kurnool,
Anantapur,
Kadapa,
Chittoor,
Nellore,
Rajahmundry,
Guntur and
Hyderabad.[21][22][23][24] Marriage alliance between Deshastha Brahmins, other Telugu Brahmins and
Karnataka Brahmins takes place quite frequently.[25]
Niyogi Brahmins and Deshastha Brahmins also ruled
Andhra Pradesh as
zamindars. In
Guntur district, one of the four major zamindars i.e.,
Chilakaluripet zamindari and
Sattenapalle zamindari were ruled by
Deshastha Brahmins, whose title was "
Deshmukh", [30][31] The Polavaram zamindari of
West Godavari district and Lakkavaram zamindari of
Prakasam district were ruled by Niyogi Brahmins. Due to their secular occupations, marriage alliances between Deshastha Brahmins, Golkonda Vyapari Brahmins and Niyogi Brahmins was very common since centuries.[32][33] Vaidiki Brahmins and Dravidulu are priests and teachers.[34][35]
Post-Independence
After the implementation of the Land Ceiling Reforms Act in 1973, Niyogi Brahmins and Deshastha Brahmins who had huge amounts of land lost their lands and properties as a result of this.[36] In 1983, after becoming Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
N. T. Rama Rao abolished Patel–Patwari system prevailing in Andhra Pradesh. As a result of this many Brahmins who had control over the villages as Karanams (revenue officers) lost their control over villages as well as many of their lands and properties.[37]
Goparaju Ramachandra Rao, Indian social reformer, atheist activist and a participant in the Indian independence movement.[43]
Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, First Indian land reformer. He eradicated the system of jagirdar and mukthedar in Telangana and introduced the law of tenancy.[44]
^
abJournal of the Indian Anthropological Society, Volume 26. Indian Anthropological Society. 1991. p. 230. The Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh who speak Telugu can be divided into Vaishnavites, Smarthas and Madhwas. They are strictly vegetarians.
^Kumar Suresh Singh (1998).
India's communities, Volume 1; Volume 5. Oxford University Press. p. 552.
ISBN9780195633542. (pg 552) In Andhra Pradesh, all the Brahman groups except the Oriya Sahu Brahman are Pancha Dravida and are divided into Tamil Srivaishnava, Andhra Srivaishnava, Kamme Brahman and Maharashtra Desastha Brahman.
^Karnataka State Gazetteer: Mysore. Director of Print, Stationery and Publications at the Government Press. 1988. p. 157. The Madhwas are followers of the Dwaitha philosophy of Madhwacharya and have sub-sects like the Badaganadu, Aravelu, Aravathuvokkalu, Deshastha, etc.
^Kumar Suresh Singh (1998).
India's Communities, Volume 6. Oxford University Press. p. 2044.
ISBN9780195633542. In Tamil Nadu, the Madhwa Brahmins are migrants from Karnataka. They have six sub-groups, they are Aruvela, Aruvanththuvakkalu, Badaganadu, Pennaththurar, Prathamasaki and Desastha and Badaga. They are concentrated in the Madras, Coimbatore, Coonoor and in Ooty.
^Mysore Narasimhachar Srinivas (1978).
Marriage and Family in Mysore. AMS Press. p. 27.
ISBN9780404159757. The Nanda Vaidikas come from the Telugu country and include both Smarthas and Madhvas.
^Journal of the Andhra Historical Society, Volume 36, Parts 2-4. Andhra Historical Research Society. 1976. p. 70. The Brahmans were either Smartas, Vaishnavas or Madhwas accordingly as they are followers of Sankaracharya, Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya.
^Sekaram, Kandavalli Balendu (1973).
The Andhras Through the Ages. Sri Saraswati Book Depot. p. 28. Among the Niyogis, there are Aruvela Niyogis, Pakanati Niyogis and others.
^Sharma, B. N. Krishnamurti (2000). A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, 3rd Edition. Motilal Banarsidass (2008 Reprint). p. 227.
ISBN978-8120815759.
^Kumar Suresh Singh (1998).
India's Communities, Volume 6. Oxford University Press. p. 3317.
ISBN978-0195633542. The Deshatha Brahman in Andhra Pradesh have two groups, namely Smartha and Madhva which are divided into exogamous surnames (intiperu) to indicate one's ancestry and regulate marriage alliances.
^People of India: A - G., Volume 4. Oxford University Press. 1998. p. 3317. In Andhra Pradesh, the Deshastha Brahman have settled in various parts, particularly in the cities of Rayalaseema, Anantapur, Kurnool, Tirupati, Cud- dapah and Hyderabad.
^K. S. Singh (1998).
India's Communities. Oxford University Press. p. 552.
ISBN9780195633542. The Maharashtra Desastha Brahman are distributed in the districts of Telangana.
^Maharashtra, Land and Its People. Gazetteers Department, Government of Maharashtra. 2009. p. 45. Marriage alliance between Deshastha Rigvedi and Telugu and Karnataka Brahmins takes place quite frequently.
^Kandavalli Balendu Sekaram (1973).
The Andhras through the ages. Sri Saraswati Book Depot. p. 29. One of the very important sections among the Telugu Brahmins are Dravida Brahmins. Their very name indicates their South Indian or Tamil origin. A very large number of Brahmin families migrated from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh
^Bh. Sivasankaranarayana (1967).
Andhra Pradesh District Gazetteers: Kurnool. Director of Print. and Stationery at the Government Secretariat Press; [copies can be had from: Government Publication Bureau, Andhra Pradesh]. p. 150. There are also a few Dravida Brahmin migrants especially from the Tamilnad speaking either Tamil or Telugu or both.
^Appasaheb Ganapatrao Pawar (1971). Maratha History Seminar, May 28-31, 1970: papers. Shivaji University. The ascendancy of the Qutb-shahis of Golkonda resulted in several Maratha Brahmins of the Madhwa sect, generally called Desasthas, being appointed to high positions. This is evident from several terms such as Deshmukh, Deshpande, Majumdar, Mannavar etc. used in the districts of Andhra to signify certain administrative posts.
^Kumar Suresh Singh (1992).
People of India: Andhra Pradesh (3 pts.). Anthropological Survey of India. p. 567.
ISBN9788176710060. Traditionally, the Dravidulu were engaged as priests by the local rulers, zamindars and chieftains, and donated to them Agraharams. Some of them followed the vedic texts and engaged themselves as purohits and acharyas.
^India Briefing 2001. Taylor & Francis. 16 September 2016. p. 105.
ISBN9781315291192. In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, for instance, the brahmins represented about 3 percent of the population according to the 1931 census.
^The Calcutta Historical Journal, Volume 18. University of Calcutta. 1996. p. 44. The second Andhra Conference, held at Bezwada (Vijayawada) under the presidentship of Nyapati Subba Rao Pantulu, a (Maratha-Telugu Brahman) Desastha descended from a long line distinguished civil servants, unanimously passed the resolution demanding a separate province for Andhras which had been drawn up the previous year in Bapatla