Raju
| Raju (Kshatriya) | |
|---|---|
| Religions | Hinduism |
| Languages | |
| Country | |
| Region |
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The Raju (or Rajulu[citation needed]) is a Telugu Kshatriya caste found mostly in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Some of the Raju castes have Varma as their last name. Andhra kshatriyas have only 5 gotras 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]
Notable people from Raju community
- Alluri Sitarama Raju, the telugu freedom fighter who revolted against British in India.
- Krishnam Raju, the telugu actor.
- Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju, the Minister of Civil Aviation, India.
- Prabhas Raju Uppalapati , the telugu actor.
- Ram Gopal Varma, the Indian film director.
- Satya Sai Baba, the religious guru.
- Venkatapathy Raju, Indian cricket player.
- Gokaraju Ganga Raju, Member of the India Parliament
- AVS Raju, chairman of Nagarjuna Construction Company Ltd
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.