Kapu (caste)

"Ontari" redirects here. For the 2008 film, see Ontari (film).

Kapu
Religions	Hinduism, Buddhism
Languages	Telugu, Kannada, Tamil
Region	Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Orissa, Maharashtra
Subdivisions	Balija, Telaga, Munnuru Kapu
Related groups	Reddy

Kapu refers to a social grouping of the Telaga and Balija subcastes found primarily in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Kapus speak Telugu and are primarily an agrarian community, forming a heterogeneous peasant caste.

The Kapu community in Andhra Pradesh is predominantly concentrated in the coastal districts, North Telangana and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh. They are also found in large numbers in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and some other Indian states as well as Sri Lanka.

Etymology

Modern sources give etymology of the Kapu name variously as "to protect", "agricultor", and "watchman".

Varna status

The Kapu are considered to be a Shudra community in the traditional Hindu ritual ranking system known as varna.

Kapu titles

The Kapu have been described by Srinivasulu as a "dominant peasant caste in coastal Andhra", with the Telaga listed as "a backward peasant caste" and the Baliji as a peasant caste who hold Lingayat beliefs. The 1921 census of India was the last to collect data regarding the caste. It predates the creation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956 and also the post-Indian independence socio-economic classification system, Further, it treated Reddys as being among the Kapu community for enumeration purposes because of the generic definition of kapudanam as people involved with farming. Srinisavulu has analysed the 1921 census data to cause alignment with the new state and classification system, from which he concludes that Kapus (including Reddys) amounted to around 17 percent of the state's then population and are a Forward caste, whilst the Balija and Telaga are Backward castes and comprised 3 percent and 5 percent of the 1921 population, respectively.

Srinivasulu notes that the Reddys and Kammas are the politically dominant communities of Andhra Pradesh as a whole, rather than just the coastal areas, and that the Kapus are among a group with lesser but still significant influence, despite their small population. They are particularly effective in the districts of East Godavari and West Godavari, although Srinivasulu notes that "The Kapus of the coastal districts are distinct from the Munnur Kapus of Telangana. While the former are fairly prosperous, the political emergence of the latter, who are part of the OBC category, is a recent phenomenon."

See also

• List of Kapu dynasties