Velama: Difference between revisions

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{{Use Indian English|date=May 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2019}}


'''Velama''' is a caste found mainly in [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]]. The earliest occurrence of ''Velama'' as a term for a community dates from the 17th century.
'''Velama''' is a caste found mainly in [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]]. The earliest occurrence of ''Velama'' as a term for a community dates from the 17th century.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}


==Origin and history==
==Origin and history==
The Velamas are described by that name from the 17th century and in the following century some held [[zamindari]] positions under the kings of [[Golconda]], which gave them considerable powers over small regions in [[Telangana]]. The kings chose to distinguish between these various Velama groups by adopting a system of ranks. This caused a competitive emphasis to be placed on the status and trappings of Velama communities, resulting in rivalries based on recognition of wealth and honours that had been historically granted. Among those that came to dominate were the Velugotis of [[Venkatagiri]], in the coastal [[Nellore district]], and the Appa Raos of [[Nuzvid]]. Both of these laid claims to be recognised as royal clans, while other significant groups included the [[Pithapuram|Pitapuram]] Raos and the Ranga Raos. The Velugotis traced their history to the 12th century and had lived in various places before settling in Nellore district in 1695; their prestige became such that in the 1870s their sons were adopted as heirs by rival Velama clan leaders, such as the Pittapores, whose own lineage otherwise faced extinction due to infertility or early death of male children. Such arrangements enhanced the status of the adopter and the influence of the Velugotis.<ref name="Price193">{{cite book |chapter=Kin, Clan, and Power in Colonial South India |first=Pamela |last=Price |title=Unfamiliar Relations: Family and History in South Asia |editor-first=Indrani |editor-last=Chatterjee |publisher=Rutgers University Press |year=2004 |pages=193–195 |isbn=978-0-8135-3380-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=07U-GpRpLPoC}}</ref>
The Velamas are described by that name from the 17th century and in the following century some held [[zamindari]] positions under the kings of [[Golconda]], which gave them considerable powers over small regions in [[Telangana]]. The kings chose to distinguish between these various Velama groups by adopting a system of ranks. This caused a competitive emphasis to be placed on the status and trappings of Velama communities, resulting in rivalries based on recognition of wealth and honours that had been historically granted. Among those that came to dominate were the Velugotis of [[Venkatagiri]], in the coastal [[Nellore district]], and the Appa Raos of [[Nuzvid]]. Both of these laid claims to be recognised as royal clans, while other significant groups included the [[Pithapuram|Pitapuram]] Raos and the Ranga Raos. The Velugotis traced their history to the 12th century and had lived in various places before settling in Nellore district in 1695; their prestige became such that in the 1870s their sons were adopted as heirs by rival Velama clan leaders, such as the Pittapores, whose own lineage otherwise faced extinction due to infertility or early death of male children. Such arrangements enhanced the status of the adopter and the influence of the Velugotis.<ref name="Price193">{{cite book |chapter=Kin, Clan, and Power in Colonial South India |first=Pamela |last=Price |title=Unfamiliar Relations: Family and History in South Asia |editor-first=Indrani |editor-last=Chatterjee |publisher=Rutgers University Press |year=2004 |pages=193–195 |isbn=978-0-8135-3380-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=07U-GpRpLPoC}}</ref>


==Relationship with the Padmanayaka Velama==
==Relationship with the Padmanayakas==
According to Cynthia Talbot, who has debunked the theories of historians in the [[British Raj]] era, the terms ''Velama'' and ''Padmanayaka Velama'' are not synonyms.<ref>{{cite book |title=Pre-colonial India in Practice: Society, Region and Identity in Medieval Andhra |first=Cynthia |last=Talbot |year=2001 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=191 |isbn=0-19-513661-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pfAKljlCJq0C |access-date=2012-03-27}}</ref> Velama and Padmanayaka were listed as separate communities in ''Bhimeswara Puranamu''.<ref>Musunuri Nayaks: A Forgotten Chapter of Andhra History, M. Somasekhara Sarma, 1948, Andhra University Press, Waltair</ref>
According to Cynthia Talbot, who has debunked the theories of historians in the [[British Raj]] era, the terms ''Velama'' and ''Padmanayaka'' are not synonyms and Padmanayaka was a status that could be claimed by Telugu warriors of different backgrounds.<ref>{{cite book |title=Pre-colonial India in Practice: Society, Region and Identity in Medieval Andhra |first=Cynthia |last=Talbot |year=2001 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=191 |isbn=0-19-513661-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pfAKljlCJq0C |access-date=2012-03-27}}</ref> Velama and Padmanayaka were listed as separate communities in ''Bhimeswara Puranamu''.<ref>Musunuri Nayaks: A Forgotten Chapter of Andhra History, M. Somasekhara Sarma, 1948, Andhra University Press, Waltair</ref>
 
==Culture==
Velamas are [[Hindu]]s and belong to [[Vaishnavism]] section of [[Hinduism]].<ref>{{cite book|title=India's Communities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mt9G1e6JF-QC|page=3620|author=K. S. Singh|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1998|quote=The Velama are Hindu who belong to Vaishnava sect.|isbn=9780195633542}}</ref>


== See also==
== See also==