Raju
| Raju | |
|---|---|
| Languages | Telugu |
| Populated states | Andhra Pradesh |
The Raju (or Rajulu[citation needed]) are a Telugu Kshatriya caste found mostly in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Some of the Raju castes have Varma as their last name. According to manuscripts available in tanjore saraswati library ,Andhra kshatriyas have only 5 gotras named as-vashishtha , koundinya , dhananjaya , kashyapa and bharadwaja. [1]
Etymology
Raju is a Telugu language variant of the Sanskrit title Raja, a term for a monarch or princely ruler. [2]
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.[3]
As of 2002[update] the Rajus constituted less than 1 per cent of the population in Andhra Pradesh, concentrated mainly in the coastal region.[4]
A well-known contemporary Raju was Sathya Sai Baba.[5]
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ "History of Andhra country".
- ^ "A SANSKRIT-ENGLISH DICTIONARY"".
- ^ 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 2012-02-29.
- ^ 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 2012-02-29.
- ^ N. Suman Bhat (2005), Saints of the masses, Sura Books, p.82