Reddy is a caste (community) mainly from the state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Reddys wield significant social and economic power and they are dominant in every part of iNDIA ,
and have strong political hold in Andhra Pradesh . They are generally Telugu-speaking farming community originally
from the state of Andhra Pradesh, though there are considerable number
of Reddys settled in the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu.
There are many theories put forth about the origins of Reddys. But none of them is conclusively proven. The word Reddy in particular refers to the Reddy dynasty that ruled in the region around present day Vijayawada, Guntur, Kurnool and Rajahmundry towns for nearly a hundred years (1328-1428). The Name "Reddy" originated as the head of a village appointed by the king as a rakshaka bata/rashta kuta (Police) to supervise the law and order of the village.
Reddys are believed to be an offshoot of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. After the decline of the Rashtrakuta dynasty, the ruling clan broke off and settled in North and South India. Rashtrakutas were a Rajput clan. The settlers in the north are called Rathods/Rathores, and ruled Marwar in western Rajasthan, while the southern settlers were called Reddys.
Reddy - Reddy as a title
In Ancient India, Reddy is the title of the headman of the village. Since these positions were mostly hereditary their offspring retained the title. Sometime in the medieval period it came to represent the community as of the present. Even at present some families of non-Reddys bear the lastname or (titlename) of Reddy. For example J Geeta Reddy, Minister of Tourism
and Sugar, Andhra Pradesh, India does not belong to Reddy caste. There is a populous saying as kapu balisthe reddi is really true in 20th century as every family which was kapu around Hyderabad has Reddy at the end now as they are very rich because of the rise in land prices. Some Reddys who are living in Adilabad and Karimnagar districts lead a pathetic life as they are the targets of naxals and some are very backward in all respects.
The categories the Reddy caste:
Today, the society in India is categorized into four broad groups, viz., 1) Forward Communities (FC), 2) Backward Communities (BC), 3) Scheduled Castes (SC), and 4) Scheduled Tribes (ST). This system was created after independence form British rule of the Indian continent. Preferential quotas and reservations were established for BCs, SCs, and STs. The Constitution of India endorses and enforces such discrimination. This system reinforces the old caste system, while broadly categorizing them. Here again, any caste can be included into FC community if one attains a certain social stature. Similarly, if a caste proves to the government that their social and economic status is below that of FC, that caste may be either included into BC, SC, or ST, depending upon their social, economic and ethnic background. Even today, the social interactions such as marriage and festivals are influenced by caste/tribe. Inter-caste and inter-religious social intercourse is still not fully accepted. One can see the power of caste over the society clearly in politics.
There are many theories put forth about the origins of Reddys. But none of them is conclusively proven. The word Reddy in particular refers to the Reddy dynasty that ruled in the region around present day Vijayawada, Guntur, Kurnool and Rajahmundry towns for nearly a hundred years (1328-1428). The Name "Reddy" originated as the head of a village appointed by the king as a rakshaka bata/rashta kuta (Police) to supervise the law and order of the village.
Reddys are believed to be an offshoot of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. After the decline of the Rashtrakuta dynasty, the ruling clan broke off and settled in North and South India. Rashtrakutas were a Rajput clan. The settlers in the north are called Rathods/Rathores, and ruled Marwar in western Rajasthan, while the southern settlers were called Reddys.
Reddy - Reddy as a title
In Ancient India, Reddy is the title of the headman of the village. Since these positions were mostly hereditary their offspring retained the title. Sometime in the medieval period it came to represent the community as of the present. Even at present some families of non-Reddys bear the lastname or (titlename) of Reddy. For example J Geeta Reddy, Minister of Tourism
and Sugar, Andhra Pradesh, India does not belong to Reddy caste. There is a populous saying as kapu balisthe reddi is really true in 20th century as every family which was kapu around Hyderabad has Reddy at the end now as they are very rich because of the rise in land prices. Some Reddys who are living in Adilabad and Karimnagar districts lead a pathetic life as they are the targets of naxals and some are very backward in all respects.
The categories the Reddy caste:
Today, the society in India is categorized into four broad groups, viz., 1) Forward Communities (FC), 2) Backward Communities (BC), 3) Scheduled Castes (SC), and 4) Scheduled Tribes (ST). This system was created after independence form British rule of the Indian continent. Preferential quotas and reservations were established for BCs, SCs, and STs. The Constitution of India endorses and enforces such discrimination. This system reinforces the old caste system, while broadly categorizing them. Here again, any caste can be included into FC community if one attains a certain social stature. Similarly, if a caste proves to the government that their social and economic status is below that of FC, that caste may be either included into BC, SC, or ST, depending upon their social, economic and ethnic background. Even today, the social interactions such as marriage and festivals are influenced by caste/tribe. Inter-caste and inter-religious social intercourse is still not fully accepted. One can see the power of caste over the society clearly in politics.
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