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| ⚫ | {{for|the village in Iran|Raju, Iran}} | ||
| {{Short description|Raju, Telugu Caste}} | |||
| {{pp-protected|small=yes|expiry=08:49, 21 February 2015 (UTC)}} | |||
| {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}} | |||
| {{Use Indian English|date=May 2019}} | |||
| ⚫ | {{for multi|the village in Iran|Raju, Iran|other uses|Raju (disambiguation)}} | ||
| {{Infobox caste | {{Infobox caste | ||
| | caste_name = Raju | |||
| | caste = ] | |||
| | populated_states = ] | |||
| | Gotras = vasistha,Dhananjaya,Koundinya,Kasyapa&Bharadwaja. | |||
| | |
| languages = ] | ||
| | religions = |
| religions = | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| The ''' |
The '''Raju''' are a ] caste found mostly in the Indian state of ]. | ||
| ==Varna Status== | |||
| ==Origins and Etymology== | |||
| The Raju caste, which A. Satyanarayana calls the "locally dominant landed gentry", claims ] status in the ] system despite there being "no real Kshatriya varna" in the Andhra region.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Growth of Education among the Dalit-Bahujan Communities in Modern Andhra, 1893-1947 |first=A. |last=Satyanarayana |title=Education and the Disprivileged: Nineteenth and Twentieth Century India |editor-first=Sabyasachi |editor-last=Bhattacharya |publisher=Orient Blackswan |year=2002 |isbn=978-81-250-2192-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f-jBIp3iWdEC |page=53 |access-date=2012-02-29}}</ref>{{efn|The anthropologist Minna Säävälä ] the present-day Rajus as a "higher caste of traditional warriors and rulers; Kshatriya",<ref>{{cite book|first=Minna |last=Säävälä |title=Fertility and familial power relations: procreation in south India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c9FwQxGqwOUC&pg=PA16 |access-date=4 March 2014 |year=2001 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-7007-1484-1 |page=xvi}}</ref> but does not provide an explanation or source for this description.}} | |||
| ''Raju'' is a ] variant of the ] title '']'', a term for a monarch or princely ruler. Cynthia Talbot describes the term as being: | |||
| ] | |||
| {{quote|...most often used by members of noble or princely lineages. could also designate an individual employed by a lord or prince.<ref name="talbot" />}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ]]] | |||
| ] | |||
| The Maharaja of Vizianagram is descended from the Ranas of Udaipur, one of the most ancient, and, in popular estimation, most illustrious families in India. He is consequently of the Grahilot tribe; and speaks of himself as belonging to the Sisodiya branch, and of the Vasisht gotra. According to the traditions of this famous house, Bijaibhup, one of its members, at a very early period, settled in Ajudhiya, the modern Oudh, whence, in the year 514 of the Saka era, corresponding to 592 A.D., his descendant, Madhavavarma, emigrated to the Telingana country, accompanied by representatives of the Vasisht, Dhanunjaya, Kaundinya, Kasyap, and Bharaddwaj gotras of his own tribe. | |||
| The colonists established themselves at Bejamarah, on the river Kristnai which country they occupied for 921 years. In course of time they became a numerous people. Gradually disputes broke out among them, which ended in the loss of their independent sovereignty, and in their submission to Sultan Kali, A.D. 1512, the founder of the Kutbshahi dynasty of Golcondah. Under Abdallah, the fifth king of that line, Pusapati Tummeraj, otherwise called Raghunadharaj, was appointed as Subadar of the Sircars, A.D. 1652, and received a Jaghir, or landed estate, consisting of the Kamila and Bhogaporam Fargannahs. This was the first distinction conferred on the ancestors of the Vizianagram family by the Golcondah princes. When the Golcondah territory fell into the hands of the Emperor Aurungzebe, Tummeraj was confirmed in his office of Subadar, and received a present of a two-edged sword from the emperor, which furnished the device of the coat of arms still used by the family. | |||
| The office, however, was not to be a sinecure. Tummeraj received orders from his master, first to expel the English from his territory by every means in his power, and to take possession of or destroy their property, wherever found; and, secondly, on their renewal of friendly intercourse with the emperor, his orders were to let them trade freely as heretofore. | |||
| In 1690 Tummeraj was succeeded by his son Slta Ram Chandrulu, who added ten Pargannahs, or baronies, to the family estates, and assumed the title of Kalinga Maharaj, in virtue of his acquiring Potturu, in the Kalinga territory. He had a retinue of 125 cavaliers and 450 foot soldiers, for his guard of honour, and maintained several detachments of armed men in various parts of the country over which he exercised jurisdiction. | |||
| Sita Ram was succeeded by his son Veda Ananda Raj, who had two sons, Sita Ram Raj, and Veda Vijiaram Raj. The latter entered upon the duties of the administration of the Circars in the room of his father. He expelled Jaffir Al i Khan, the Nawab of Chicacole, and, as a reward for his faithful services, was honoured by the emperor with the title of Manea Sultan, or Chief of the Hill Districts. Thereupon, he took up his residence in the town of Vizianagram, where he erected the present fort, in the year 1730, a quadrangular stone edifice with an enormous bastion at each corner. | |||
| The Circars were only in nominal subjection to Aurungzebe, and were in reality in the hands of the Hindu chiefs who ruled over them. This state of things continued until 1724, when Yusufjah, the great Viceroy of the Deccan, took them under his control, and at once inaugurated a thorough system of civil and military government. At his death, the French endeavoured to obtain a footing in these provinces, in consequence of the disputed succession. Eventually, Salabat Jang, of the family of Yusufjah, granted to the French, at the close of 1753, the four Circars of Mustafanagar or Kondapilly, Ellore, Rajamandry, and Chicacole, which were taken possession of by Bussy, the French General, through his subordinate M. Morasin, then at Masulipatam. | |||
| At that time the most powerful Hindu noble in the Chicacole Circar was Veda Vijiaram Raj, head of the Vijianagar family, who became a valuable ally of Bussy. In the winter of 1756 the French general began his march into the Circars, accompanied by 500 European soldiers and 4000 Sepoys, and on the 19th December arrived at Rajamandry. Here he was met by Raja Vijiaram Raj, and other Indian chiefs, at the head of a force numbering 10,000 men. | |||
| Raja Ranga Row, chief of the Poligars in the neighbourhood, whose large estates, extending over twenty square miles, were contiguous to those of Raja Vijiaram Raj, having made himself obnoxious to the latter, it was proposed to Bussy that Raja Ranga Row should be compelled to quit his hereditary lands of Bobily for others of greater extent, situated at a distance from Vijiaram Raj's territories. As Ranga Row declined the proposal, when made to him, it was resolved to force him into submission. With the aid of his native friends, Bussy made an attack upon him at day-break on the 24th January 1757, and sustained it till the afternoon. Perceiving the hopelessness of further defence, Ranga Row formed the resolution of putting to death all the women and children in the fort, to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy. Assembling his principal men, he explained to them his determination, which was at once put in execution. Ranga Row was presently killed by a musket ball, and the fort captured. | |||
| Raja Vijiaram, however, paid dearly for his avarice, for, on the third day after the capture, at midnight, while asleep, four men from Bobily entered his tent, and assassinated him. | |||
| On the news of his death spreading abroad, a crowd of people collected together, and while they were in full debate on the catastrophe, an old man was observed advancing leading a boy. 'This is the son of Ranga Row, whom I have preserved against his father's consent,' said the old man. On hearing this, Bussy presented to the boy the estate which he had offered to Ranga Row in exchange for Bobily, and retained him for a while in his camp. | |||
| Leaving Bobily, Bussy marched through the northern part of the Chicacole province, and on his return to Hydrabad, defeated the British troops at Vizagapatam, and established his power there, as well as in the other parts of the Northern Circars. | |||
| Raja Vijiaram Raj was succeeded by his nephew Gajapati Anand Raj Maharaj. The new Raja, soon after the departure of Bussy, made an attack on Vizagapatam, expelled the French garrison, and sent intelligence of his exploit to Madras, offering to surrender to the English the places he had captured. He also asked for the aid of a force wherewith to proceed against the French in the Deccan. Being unsuccessful in his application to Madras, he turned to Bengal for assistance. Lord Clive, with his accustomed promptness and far-sightedness, sent an expedition by sea to his support, under the command of Colonel Forde, which disembarked at Vizagapatam on the 12th September 1758<ref>http://books.google.co.in/books?id=8V4IAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA125&vq=Vizianagram&output=html_text#PA125</ref><ref>https://archive.org/stream/studiesinsouthin00ramarich#page/21/mode/1up</ref>. | |||
| In medieval Andhra Pradesh, the title was used in both senses, and was very likely adopted by some secular ]s, who occupied important advisory functions. The royal usage at that time was particularly prevalent in the northern coastal areas of the region. Talbot also notes that the title, and others in use at that time, do not align with the ] four-fold varna system and in that sense could not refer to a ].<ref name="talbot">{{cite book |title=Precolonial India in practice: Society, Region and Identity in Medieval Andhra |first=Austin Cynthia |last=Talbot |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-19-513661-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pfAKljlCJq0C |pages=57–58 |access-date=2012-02-29}}</ref> However, they do appear to have conformed to | |||
| ==Ethnonyms== | |||
| {{quote|...the existence of broad social categories based primarily on occupation. Although did not necessarily designate a distinct class, much less a bounded community, or a hereditary grouping, various sets of these titles differentiated social types marked by a common status and shared occupation.<ref name="Talbot">{{cite book |title=Precolonial India in practice: Society, Region and Identity in Medieval Andhra |first=Austin Cynthia |last=Talbot |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-19-513661-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pfAKljlCJq0C |page=61 |access-date=2012-02-29}}</ref>}} | |||
| Over the centuries they have been called by various alternative names that signified their military status. During the ] they were known as ''Ratsas'' and ''Rajavars'', which means of or belonging to the caste of ''Ratsawars''<ref name="Maclean1877">{{cite book|author=C. D. Maclean|title=Standing information regarding the official administration of the Madras presidency in each department: in illustration of the yearly administration reports|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=23gdAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA341|accessdate=25 July 2011|year=1877|publisher=E. Keys|pages=341–}}</ref> (Raja Caste),<ref name="ChandraUniversity1977">{{cite book|author1=Satish Chandra|author2=Sri Venkatesvara University|title=Sri Rebala Lakshminarasa Reddy Endowment lectures, 1976|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=PkAtAAAAIAAJ|accessdate=25 July 2011|date=1977*|publisher=Sri Venkateswara University}}</ref> using the title of ''Raju''.<ref>{{cite book| title=A History of the Early Dynasties of Andhradesa |first=B.V |last= Krishnarao |year=1942 |publisher=V. Ramaswami Sastrulu |isbn= |url=http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ONSCAAAAIAAJ&q=A+History+of+the+Early+Dynasties+of+Andhradesa&dq=A+History+of+the+Early+Dynasties+of+Andhradesa |page=269}}</ref> | |||
| Temple inscriptions from the period of the ], a ]n dynasty that flourished between 1175-1324 CE in the Telugu-speaking lands now in Andhra Pradesh, refer both to royal and clerical ''rajus'' as donors, together with peasant leaders called '']''.<ref>{{cite book |title=Precolonial India in practice: Society, Region and Identity in Medieval Andhra |first=Austin Cynthia |last=Talbot |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-19-513661-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pfAKljlCJq0C |pages=17, 112 |access-date=2014-03-04}}</ref> | |||
| ==Modern community== | ==Modern community== | ||
| ===Population=== | ===Population=== | ||
| A report published by the ] in 2002, describing the Rajus of Andhra as an ex-warrior caste, noted that along with the ] and ] they were | A report published by the ] in 2002, describing the Rajus of Andhra as an ex-warrior caste, noted that along with the ] and ] they were | ||
| {{quote|...important communities with considerable political significance in the State, although in numerical terms they constitute only a small percentage of the population and spatially are confined only to small pockets.<ref>{{cite |
{{quote|...important communities with considerable political significance in the State, although in numerical terms they constitute only a small percentage of the population and spatially are confined only to small pockets.<ref>{{cite book |title=Caste, Class and Social Articulation In Andhra Pradesh. Mapping Differential Regional Tragectories |first=K. |last=Srinivasulu |page=3 |location=London |publisher=Overseas Development Institute |date=September 2002 |url=http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/working_papers/wp179.pdf |isbn=0-85003-612-7 |access-date=2012-02-29}}</ref>}} | ||
| ⚫ | {{As of|2002}} the Rajus constituted less than 1 per cent of the population in Andhra Pradesh, concentrated mainly in the ].<ref>{{cite |
||
| A well-known contemporary "Raju (Kshatriya)" was ].<ref>N. Suman Bhat (2005), ''Saints of the masses'', Sura Books, p.82</ref> | |||
| ===Uplifting of the poor=== | |||
| After the independence of India, ] was abolished.{{refn|group=note|A '''zamindar''' or '''zaminder''' or '''zemindar''' on the Indian subcontinent was an ], typically ], who held enormous tracts of land and held control over his ]s, from whom the zamindars reserved the right to collect tax (often for military purposes). Over time, they took ] and royal titles such as '']'' (Great King), '']'' (King), '']'' (Lord), '']'' (Prince), '']'' (District Holder), '']'' (Lord), "]", "]," "]," and many others.}} During this time many Raju zamindars donated their property and land liberally for the upliftment of poor and education. ], the oldest and largest Hindu Princely State of Andhra Pradesh (Samsthanam), was donated by Maharaja PVG Raju to the Republic of India. He also donated enormous wealth, Khazana, land, gold, diamonds, properties, palaces to Korukonda Sainik school, Andhra University, Mansas Trust and to poor and needy for schools, colleges and hospitals.<ref>http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2002080501120200.htm&date=2002/08/05/&prd=mp&</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | {{As of|2002}} the Rajus constituted less than 1 per cent of the population in Andhra Pradesh, concentrated mainly in the ].<ref>{{cite book |title=Democratic Process and Electoral Politics in Andhra Pradesh, India |first=K. C. |last=Suri |publisher=Overseas Development Institute |location=London |date=September 2002 |page=10 |isbn=0-85003-613-5 |url=http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/working_papers/wp180.pdf |access-date=2012-02-29}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| {{reflist|group=note|2}} | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| ⚫ | '''Notes''' | ||
| {{notelist}} | |||
| '''Citations''' | |||
| {{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 19:42, 26 October 2024
Raju, Telugu Caste
For the village in Iran, see Raju, Iran. For other uses, see Raju (disambiguation).
| Raju | |
|---|---|
| Languages | Telugu |
| Populated states | Andhra Pradesh |
The Raju are a Telugu caste found mostly in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Varna Status
The Raju caste, which A. Satyanarayana calls the "locally dominant landed gentry", claims Kshatriya status in the varna system despite there being "no real Kshatriya varna" in the Andhra region.
Raju is a Telugu language variant of the Sanskrit title Raja, a term for a monarch or princely ruler. Cynthia Talbot describes the term as being:
...most often used by members of noble or princely lineages. could also designate an individual employed by a lord or prince.
In medieval Andhra Pradesh, the title was used in both senses, and was very likely adopted by some secular Brahmins, who occupied important advisory functions. The royal usage at that time was particularly prevalent in the northern coastal areas of the region. Talbot also notes that the title, and others in use at that time, do not align with the Vedic four-fold varna system and in that sense could not refer to a caste. However, they do appear to have conformed to
...the existence of broad social categories based primarily on occupation. Although did not necessarily designate a distinct class, much less a bounded community, or a hereditary grouping, various sets of these titles differentiated social types marked by a common status and shared occupation.
Temple inscriptions from the period of the Kakatiya dynasty, a South Indian dynasty that flourished between 1175-1324 CE in the Telugu-speaking lands now in Andhra Pradesh, refer both to royal and clerical rajus as donors, together with peasant leaders called Reddies.
Modern community
Population
A report published by the Overseas Development Institute in 2002, describing the Rajus of Andhra as an ex-warrior caste, noted that along with the Kapu and Velama they were
...important communities with considerable political significance in the State, although in numerical terms they constitute only a small percentage of the population and spatially are confined only to small pockets.
As of 2002 the Rajus constituted less than 1 per cent of the population in Andhra Pradesh, concentrated mainly in the coastal region.
References
Notes
- The anthropologist Minna Säävälä glossarises the present-day Rajus as a "higher caste of traditional warriors and rulers; Kshatriya", but does not provide an explanation or source for this description.
Citations
- Satyanarayana, A. (2002). "Growth of Education among the Dalit-Bahujan Communities in Modern Andhra, 1893-1947". In Bhattacharya, Sabyasachi (ed.). Education and the Disprivileged: Nineteenth and Twentieth Century India. Orient Blackswan. p. 53. ISBN 978-81-250-2192-6. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- Säävälä, Minna (2001). Fertility and familial power relations: procreation in south India. Psychology Press. p. xvi. ISBN 978-0-7007-1484-1. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ^ Talbot, Austin Cynthia (2001). Precolonial India in practice: Society, Region and Identity in Medieval Andhra. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 57–58. ISBN 978-0-19-513661-6. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- Talbot, Austin Cynthia (2001). Precolonial India in practice: Society, Region and Identity in Medieval Andhra. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-19-513661-6. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- Talbot, Austin Cynthia (2001). Precolonial India in practice: Society, Region and Identity in Medieval Andhra. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 17, 112. ISBN 978-0-19-513661-6. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- Srinivasulu, K. (September 2002). Caste, Class and Social Articulation In Andhra Pradesh. Mapping Differential Regional Tragectories (PDF). London: Overseas Development Institute. p. 3. ISBN 0-85003-612-7. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- Suri, K. C. (September 2002). Democratic Process and Electoral Politics in Andhra Pradesh, India (PDF). London: Overseas Development Institute. p. 10. ISBN 0-85003-613-5. Retrieved 29 February 2012.