Wednesday 19 October 2011

KSHATRIYA CASTE

Kshatriya:

Kshatriya, the term is derived from the Sanskrit word `Ksatra` which means "roof, umbrella, dominion, power, government". Kshatriya occupies the second highest position in Indian Hindu society. Under the Hindu caste system kshatrias are ruler and warrior. The Kshatriya caste members have held power for centuries in India. Although the caste system has been drastically demolished through legislation and social reform in India, it is not uncommon to see Kshatriyas in public office in India, since they have been associated with power and ruling for so long.

History of Kshatriya:

According to the earliest Vedas the Kshatriyas rank the highest in position. But they were given punishment by the sixth incarnation of Vishnu named Parasurama for their tyranny and the caste had fallen to the second position at the end of the Vedic era. Immediately after the Brahmins it is the turn of the Kshatriyas or the warrior class. They were the ruling class and often by collaborating with the Brahmins they reigned over their kingdom. In ancient India the rulers were bound by Holy Scriptures to govern their kingdoms with justice. A Hindu ruler was the protector of his subjects

The Aryans were the earliest warrior classes whose reference is found in the Rig Veda: `praja arya jyotiragrah. `. The Kshatriya dharma propagates that it is the duty of every Kshatriya to fight against injustice. Their origin can be traced back to the Vedic Civilization. However, there is more than one theory that explains their evolution. The first version has its roots in the Hindu Mythology. According to this while Lord Brahma was creating the universe it was decided that a special kind of human race would have to be created to save and protect the humans. Thus the Kshatriyas came into existence.

Another theory in Rig Veda states that the Kshatriyas are made up of God`s arms. According to the doctrine the Lord`s four body parts make up the 4 classes of the society. According to Manu, the Vedic theologist, it was due to different occupations that the people were divided. Those who practiced martial arts became Kshatriyas. In earlier times the rigidity in the caste system was not much prevalent.

Mythological references related to Kshatriya:

Kshatriyas were considered to be the descendents of Lord Surya, Lord Agni or Chandra. For instance Lord Rama was Suryavanshi or the descendent of Sun Dynasty while Lord Krishna belonged to the Lunar Dynasty or Chandravansh. No matter to which family they belonged the lives of this warrior class were divided into 4 stages -`brahmacharya`, `grihastha`, `vanaprastha` and `sannyasi.` Owing to different reasons these were not considered as a part of the warrior class. Kingdoms, such as, Kamboja and Gandhara were Kshatriya. However, for not following the Vedas they became Sudras. On the other hand, certain kingdoms, like, Sakas, Darads, Pahlavas, Dravidas and others lost their status as Kshatriya because of their neglect of the Brahmins. Much later in the Indian history the Rajput society was also depicted as Kshatriyas.

Speciality of Kshatriya:

 The Rajputs were known to make deft political chanelizes to consolidate their kingdom or to defeat an enemy. They are also known to follow certain codes of war to fight. They are legendarily said to have untiring persistence to attain their goal as in the case of Maharana Pratap Singh. The Rajputs are considered to be most revered and persistent Kshatriyas. Legendary Rajputs are Rana kumbha, Rana sanga, Raja Bhoja, Rana Mokal, Prithiviraj Chauhan, Rana Hamir, Hadi ke Rani.

The Kshatriyas were specialized in guerrilla warfare. History said that the Maratha warrior and emperor Shivaji Bhonsale had his own army specialized in guerrilla warfare.

In this caste a male child is considered as a symbol of masculinity where a female child needs to be gentle and well behaved. There were certain rules that the Kshatriya required to follow. He was not allowed to marry outside his class; joint family system was to be followed strictly and several other traditions were pre-eminent in the society.

The Kshatriyas were unsparing in their attack on whatever obstructed the growth of the nation and were never afraid to call a spade a spade. They respect people with courage and intelligence. Almost all the aggressive virtues were imbibed in them. The spirit of soaring idealism, bold creation, fearless resistance and courageous attack made them perfect rulers.


Alluri Sita Rama Raju

Alluri Sita Rama Raju Biography:


Alluri Sita Rama Raju ( born: 4 July 1897-death:1924), also known as Alluri Rama Raju, Rama Chandra Raju, and Alluri Seetha Rama Raju, was an Indian revolutionary from the Mogallu village in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India. He was the leader of the ill-fated Rampa Rebellion that fought against the British from 1922 to 1923. Popularly referred to as Raju, he is also known as Manyam Veerudu (Hero of the jungles).


Birth And Education:


He was born on July 4th 1897 in the village of Pandrangi, 12 km from Bheemunipatnam of Visakhapatnam district. He was educated in Rajahmundry and Rama-chandra-puram in the East Godavari district. His father died when Alluri was in elementary school and he grew up in the care of his uncle, Rama Chandra Raju, a Tahsildar in Narsapur. He then studied in Taylor High School, Narsapur. Then, he shifted to Tuni along with his mother, brother and sister, on the transfer of his uncle. He joined Mrs A.V.N. College in Visakhapatnam on September 20, 1912. He dropped out of the college after having failed in the fourth form (Std. IX). While in Tuni, Alluri used to frequent the agency areas of the Visakhapatnam district.


He was deeply moved by the plight of the tribals, whose rights were infringed upon by the British with the inaction of the Madras Forest Act of 1882. The Act placed restrictions on the free movement of tribals in the forest areas and prevented them from engaging in their traditional lifestyle of Podu (shifting) cultivation, and use of the forest for firewood The repressive measures and policies of the British Raj, coupled with the deeds of British contractors who exploited and oppressed the workers of the hill tribes of the Visakhapatnam district, brought Alluri Sita Rama Raju into a tussle with the police who supported the contractors. This eventually culminated in the Rampa Rebellion or Rampa Pituri (Pituri means complaints in Telugu).


The Rampa Rebellion:


Sita Rama Raju carried out his campaign in the East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh. Inspired by the patriotic zeal of the revolutionaries in Bengal, and the decisions taken by them at a meeting in Chittagong in 1921, Sita Rama Raju raided many police stations in and around Chintapalli, Krishna-devi-peta and Raja-vommangi, carrying off guns and powder, and killing several British army officers, including the Scott Coward and Hites, near Damana-palli. Between August and October 1922, he and his men attacked the Chintapalli, Rampa-choda-varam, Rajahmundry and Addati-gala and Annavaram police stations and blasted the Chintapalli police station. Despite having fewer men and weapons, Alluri and his men exacted tremendous damage on the British, as they were much more familiar with the hilly terrain and adept in guerilla tactics. In the 1920's, the British Raj offered a Rs. 10,000 award for his capture.


Under the leadership of Saunders, the British deployed a company of the Assam Rifles, near Pedagaddapalem, in December 1922. Sita Rama Raju, who had by then gone underground, resurfaced after some four months and continued the fight, strengthened by tribal volunteers, using bows and arrows. He was assisted by two brothers, Mallu Dora and Gantam Dora, who were tribal leaders.


On September 18, 1923, Sita Rama Raju raided the Annavaram police outpost. Subsequently, Mallu Dora was arrested. The Government entrusted the task of containing Sita Rama Raju's activities to one Rutherford, who fired the first salvo when his forces arrested Surya Narayana Raju Pericherla, popularly known as Aggiraju, a strong follower of Sita Rama Raju.


The British campaign lasted nearly one year from December 1922, and petered off by October 1923. Sita Rama Raju was trapped by the British in the forests of Chintapalli. He was tied to a tree and shot dead with a rifle in Mampa village. After the exit of Alluri, the tribal revolt lost its momentum.


Legacy:


Today a statue of Raju stands at the junction of Seethammadhara Junction and The Park in Visakhapatnam. The Indian Postal Department issued a commemorative stamp on Sri Alluri Seetarama Raju in the series 'India's struggle for freedom' in 1986.


A Telugu movie was made about Raju's life, entitled Alluri Sita Rama Raju. Krishna starred as Raju and V. Rama Chandra Rao directed the film. The popular song 'Telugu Veera Levara' was included in this film and has inspired generations of the Telugu Community.


Mantena Satya Narayana Raju a dietician and an Ayurvedic Consultant is a relative of Sri Alluri Sitarama Raju. The only photograph of him, which was taken after his death is preserved in the A.P. State Archives, Hyderabad




Raju surnames

Raju surnames:

The surnames of Andhra Kshatriyas were created or formed during the 12th, 13th and 14th Centuries (AD). Prior to that, there were only Gotras (clans) but no surnames. Marriage alliances were being made between persons of different Gotras but not with persons of the same Gotras. At the time of formation of surnames, the villages where persons were residing generally became their surnames.


From the data collected by Sri Buddharaju Varahala Raju, there were 109 surnames for Andhra Kshatriyas. 80 surnames were based on village names; 20 were based on Chivalry names; 1 based on nature and 8 based on other ways. It did not include Kshatriya Raju surnames of Karnataka. For some families the names of their famous and prominent ancestors became their surnames. For example - Bhupathi Raju, Rudra Raju, Tirumala Raju etc.


Gotra (clan), Vamsam means heredity. The Vamsams are of two types:


Janma Vamsam (based on Birth)
Vidya Vamsam (based on Education)


Those Kshatriyas who were educated under certain Sages (Rishis) became their Vamsiyas. They belong to the respective Vidya Vamsams.


Sage Apastamba wrote a book named Apastamba Sutramulu incorporating the traditions of persons wearing the sacred thread (Dvija). All the traditions and ceremonies of Rajus are based on these Gotras. The Rajus of Northern Circars belong to these Four Gotras:


Kaundinya
Vasistha
Dhananjaya
Kasyapa


The Rajus of Vijayanagaram have these additional Gotras:


Atreya
Bharadwaja
Pasupati
Viswamitra


They have marriage alliances with the persons belonging to the other Gotras. As Vasistha was the guru of both Koundinya and Vasistha Gotras, he is considered as the Pithru (Father) of both of them and so there were no marriage alliances between these two Gotras. However, for the last few centuries they discarded this tradition.
Most surnames in Andhra Pradesh come from the family's town of origin so some of the surnames are found in other Andhra communities. Some of the Kshatriya names are actually the same but due to regional pronunciation differences they are spelt differently.


Surnames


Gotra: Dhanunjaya
Descended from: Kota
Sub-clans of Dhanunjaya Gotra


Addala
Adluri
Byrraju
Bhupathiraju
Chekuri
Chintalapati
Cherukuri
Dandu
Dantuluri
Datla
Dasaraju
Dasariraju
Ellamraju
Gadiraju
Gandham
Guduru
Gundraju
Gandraju
Gokaraju
Gottumukkala
Guntimadugu
Guntumadugu
Gunturi
Jampana (Kota Jampana)
Jujjuri
Keertipati
Kondaraju
Kallepalli
Kammela
Kankipati
Kasi
Kasiraju
Kokkerlapati
Konduri
Koppella/Kopperla
Kothapalli
Kovvuri
Kusampudi
Kunaparaju
Mahali/Maka raju
Mudundi
Nandimandalam
Nallaparaju
Nunna
Panduraju
Pakalapati
Patchamatla/Patsamatla
Penmetsa
Penumuchuru
Poranki
Pusampudi
Rachakonda
Rasiraju
Renati
Rudraraju
Sagiraju
Suraparaju
Thotakura
Thotakuri
Tirumalaraju
Uddaraju
Vanapala
Vuddaraju
Vuyyuri/Uyyuri
Vandaraju
Vempalli
Vengamaraju
Vadlamudi
Vegiraju
Vetukuri
Yarakaraju


Gotra: Kaundinya
Descended from: Chalukyas, Vishnukundina
Sub-clans of Kaundinya Gotra


Addepalli
Ainampudi
Barapati
Eemanamanda
Inampudi
Jampana (Chalukya Jampana)
Kalidindi
Kunadharaju
Mudunuri
Saripalli/Saripella
Vemulamanda
Yamanamanda


Gotra: Vasistha
Descended from: Gajapati, Chagi/Sagi, Parichcheda
Sub-clans of Vashista Gotra


Adduri
Alluri
Bezawada
Byrraju
Balaraju
Bontaraju
Buddharaju
Chekuri
Chamarthi
Chiluguri
Chiluvuri
Chodaraju
Dendukuri
Etikuri
Vetikuri
Gadiraju
Ganapathiraju
Godavarthi
Gudipalli
Gurajala/Gurijala
Indukuri
Isikapalli
Kakarlapudi
Kolukuluri
Kosuri
kalluri
Kucharlapati
lavutu
Mahali/Maka raju
Manthena
Mulagapati
Munagapati
Muppala
Nadimipalli/Nadimpalli
Nagaraju
Nandela/Nandilla/Nandyala
Pericherla
Pinnamaraju
Pusapati/Poosapati
Potturi
Raavipati/Raayapati
Sagi
Sakhineti/Sagineti
Sagiraju
Samanthapudi
Siruguri/Siruvuri
Ulasi
Vadapalli
Valivarthi
Vatsavayi.
vatsavai.
Vegesna
Vejandla
Vejarla/Yejerla/Vejella
Velaganati


Gotra: Kasyapa
Descended from: Eastern Chalukya, Chalukya-Cholas, Kalachuri, Kakatiya (Mandapati)
Sub-clans of Kasyapa Gotra


Bellamkonda
Bhimaraju
Chodaraju
Chirutani
Dandu
Eedurapalli/Eedarapalli
Ellenti
Ganapathiraju
Gangaraju
Gobburi
Gorinta
Jillela
jaggaraju
jagapati
Kanumuri
Katari
Kondaraju
kadimella
Kuriseti
Lakhamraju
Machiraju
Madiraju
Mandapati
Manubolu
Matla
Malyapati
Mungara
Nagalpati
Namburu/Namburi
Pathapati
Sayyaparaju
Solanki
Tirumalaraju
Uppalapati/Vuppalapati
Yallamraju


Gotra: Pasupati
Descended from:
Sub-clans of Pasupati Gotra


Alugunuru
Anatharaju
Anjiraju
Ayyaparaju
Balaraju
Bayalraju
Betharaju
Bogaraju
Bontaraju
Buttamraju
Chamarthi
Chejerila
Chennamraju
Chennapay
Chevuru
Chokkaraju
Cibyala
Daasanapu
Dakshiraju
Dalavayi
Dommaraju
Gadi
Gouripuram
Govindaraju
Gunlapalli
Hasthi
Inkula
Jagadabhi
Kalvala
Kaluvala
Kamparaju
Kanchiraju
Katri
Konduru
Kocherla
Lingaraju
Medidaraju
Mudhuluru
Nandyala
Nimmaraju
Padmaraju
Patarapalli
Peddiraju
Penugonda
Raghava
Sangama
Sangaraju
Solaraju
Tipparaju
Ummalaraju
Valavarthi
Vanipanta
Vankeraju
Veligandla
Venkataraju
Yadavalli
Yellaturu
Yerramraju


Gotra: Atreya
Descended from: Vijayanagar (Saluva, Aravidu, Narapathi)
Sub-clans of Atreya Gotra


Agili
Atmakuri
Amaravathi
Bopparaju
Bontaraju(Bonta)
Dalavayi
Dorraju
Gunti
Madapalli
Mallapuraju
Mallaparaju
Juturi
Kadapa
Kadimella
Koneti
Matla
Narapathi
Nandyala
Nandela
Oruganti
Pocharaju
Saluva
Sammeta
Siddiraju
Simhadri
srinadaraju
Timmaraju
Varadaraju


Gotra: Vishwamitra
Descended from: Vijayanagar
Sub-clans of Vishwamitra Gotra


Dalavai
Pocharaju



Zamindaris of Rajus

Nizam/Colonial Period:

The Sultans, Nizams and British all employed Rajus as the governors of estates with the responsibility of collecting taxes. In 1857 the British broke up the estates and realigned the bigger brigands into Princely states and the lesser ones as Zamindars or Jagirdars. These zamindars were abolished after the formation of the Indian Union in 1947.

Zamindaris of Rajus:

Zamindars and the families that controlled them in parenthesis.


Anegundi (Narapathi)
Ankapilli (Pusapadi)
Golconda (Bhupathiraju)
Chemudu (Vyricharla)
Charmahal (Kalidindi)
Chintalapalli (Alluri)
Darlapudi (Chintalapati)
Dimili (Pusapati)
Ellore (Thirupathiraju)
Gandhavaram (Pakalapati)
Godi (Rudraraju)
Godicharla (Vatsavai)
Godilanka (Rudraraju)
Karvetinagar
Kasipuram (Pusapati)
Kumili (Pusapati)
Kuppili (Jampana)
Kottakota (Pinnamaraju)
Kota Uratla (Raja Sagi)
Kondakirla (Sagi)
Kurupam (Vyricharla)
Korukonda (Thirupathiraju)
Kottur (Sagi)
Koppuram (Nallaparaju)
Madgole (Chintalapati) Claim descent from Matsya desa.
Merangi (Satrucharla)
Mogalthur (Kalidindi)
Moida (Penumatsa)
Nakkapilli (Kakarlapudi)
Peddapuram (Vatsavai)
Puttur(Madiraju)
Rajamundry (Pusapati)
Ramachandrapuram Kota royal family SRK Raja Gopal Narasa Raju.
Rayavaram (Sagi)
Rajala (Sagi)
Rajapalayam(Valivarthi)
Razolu (Kanumuri)
Revidi(Bhupathiraju)
Padmanabham(Raja Sagi)
Srirampuram (Kakarlapudi)
Salur (Satrucharla)
Thangedu (Raja Sagi)
Tuni (Vatsavai)
Uppada (Pusapati)
Vemalapudi (Sagi)
Velchur Kodur (Sagi)
Vizianagaram (Pusapati)
pedamajjipalem (siruvuri)
Wurutla (Dantuluri)
Jeypore In 1768, Vijayarama Raju had granted the Jeypore country as a jagir.
Muppala

Modern community:

After the Independence of India Zamindari was abolished. During this time many Raju zamindars donated their property and land liberally for the upliftment of poor and Education. Vizianagaram is the oldest and largest Hindu Princely State of Andhra Pradesh (Samsthanam). Maharaja PVG Raju donated his Royal State to Republic of India. He also donated enormous wealth, Khazana, Land, Gold, Diamonds, Propertis, Palaces to Korukonda Sainik school, Andhra University, Mansas Trust and to poor and needy for schools, colleges and hospitals. Rajus of Andhra are designated as forward caste. Most of Rajus are doing well in Education, Information Technology and other fields. Despite sizeable population of Rajus being economically backward, Andhra Kshatriya Rajus never asked for Reservation.






Legends History II

Legends History :

Basing on ancient inscriptions, traditional accounts and historical evidences, the Rajus of Andhra are descendents of the following ancient clans:


Vishnukundina:  A folktale claims Madhav Varma of the Vishnukundina dynasty led the original members of their gotras to Andhra.


Chalukyas:  Chandravanshi Rajus are said to be descendents of Eastern Chalukyas.


Parichedis:  The forefathers of the Pusapatis.


Kota Vamsa:  Dharanikota Kings of Dhananjaya gotra.


Chagi:  Forefathers of the Sagis and Vatsavais


Chedi (Haiheya-Kalachuri-Kona Chodas):  Chodarajus


Gajapati and Eastern Ganga:  Kurupam and Salur zamindars claim descent from them.


Matsya of Oddadi (Orissa), which is linked to ancient Matsya Kingdom:  The zamindars of Madgole claim descent from them.


Rajus are classified into two sects (as per ancient Kshatriya tradition based on Vansh):


Suryavanshi (Sun Dynasty) include Vishnukundina, Paricheda, Kota Vamsa, Chola-Chalukyas (Cholas claimed Suryavanshi and Chalukyas were Chandravanshi, the two families merged) Eastern Ganga and Gajapati.


Chandravanshi (Lunar Dynasty) includes Eastern Chalukyas, , Kalachuris (Chedi-Haihaya), Saluva and Aravidu dyanasties of Vijayanagar.



Legends History

Legends History :


There have been varying accounts about the origins of the Raju community. Some include them among the military tribes of Rajput descent.


Regarding this community Edgar Thurston in his seven volume Castes and Tribes of Southern India writes...The Maharajas of Vizianagaram claim to be Kshatriyas from the Rajputana and the leaders of the people of gotrams said to have come to the Northern Circars centuries ago. It is noted in connection with the battle of Padmanabham(in present Visakhapatnam district) in 1794 AD that Rajputs formed a rampart round the corpse of Vijay Rama Raju. Padmanabham will long be remembered as the Flodden of the Rajputs of Vizianagaram...as a class they are the handsomest and best developed men in the country and differ so much in feature and build from other Hindus that they may usually be distinguished at a glance...they are mostly Vaishnavites, and their priests are Brahmans...Rajus of course assume the sacred thread, and are very proud and particular in their conduct. Brahmanical rites of Punya Havachanam (Purification), Jata Karma (Birth ceremony), Nama Karanam (Naming ceremony), Chaulam (Tonsure), and Upanayanam (Thread ceremony) are performed...at weddings the Kasi Yatra (Mock flight to Benares) is performed...at their wedding they worship a sword, which is a ceremony usually denoting a soldier caste...they use a wrist string made of cotton and wool, the combination peculiar to Kshatriyas, to tie the wrists of the happy couple...in some villages, Rajus seem to object to the construction of a pial, or raised platform, in front of their houses. The pial is the lounging place where visitors are received by day.


Historically South Indian royal families of Kshatriyas (Rajus) had marital relationship with Central and North Indian royal families, like Rajas of Vizianagaram, Salur and Kurupam had marital relationships with the Rajputana royal families.


The history of South India and the Puranas reveal that the Andhra Kshatriyas descended from the Aryavarta (northern India) to the south due to internal conflicts, foreign invasions, famine etc. Vayu Purana, Buddhist and Jain literatures mention about migration of Ikshvakus Kshatriyas to southern India.


Rajus traditional accounts claim descent from Ikshvaku, Vishnukundina, Chalukya, Paricchedi and Kota Vamsa.


Some historians and traditional accounts link Rajus to ancient Andhra Ikshvakus, which was the first Kshatriya kingdom in Andhra which ruled during 2nd and 3rd Centuries CE and are purportedly linked to ancient Ikshvakus of Kosala.


According to most historians and by the inscriptional evidences of Paricchedi and Chagi ruling clans, during 4th - 5th century AD few Kshatriyas of four clans travelled from northern India to the south, where they initially worked as feudatories of Vakatakas before establishing the Vishnukundina Kingdom. While some Kshatriyas of Andhra are said to be descendents of Eastern Chalukyas and few other Kshatriya dynasties.