Telaga is a community found in Coastal Andhra region of India. Telaga is a subcaste of Kapu and both terms are often used synonymously. They are classified as a Forward caste. They are a land-owning agrarian community. Historically, they were a warrior caste known for their honour and bravery.
The origins of Telagas have been linked to Telugu Choda dynasties like Durjayas of Velanadu (1076–1216 CE) who ruled Coastal Andhra and later came to be called Telagas over a period of time. Telagas commonly carry the titles Naidu and Dora. Balija and Ontari communities are closely related to Telaga.
Telagas in the erstwhile districts of East and West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Visakhapatnam have called themselves Kapus for a long time, while those in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts are still known as Telagas to distinguish them from the unrelated caste of Turpu Kapus who are also present in the same districts.
History
Origins
Historians like Etukuru Balaramamurthy and Chintamani Lakshmanna note that Telagas are the descendants of Telugu Choda dynasties like Durjayas of Velanadu (1076–1216 CE) who ruled Coastal Andhra. These Telugu Chodas later came to be called Telagas over a period of time.
Various sources mention Telaga as a historically military caste known for their honour and valour. They were also known as Nayakas and later Naidus. Telaga surnames (intiperlu in Telugu) include names of weapons apart from village names. Surnames like Tupakula (musket), Eetela (spear), Bakula (dagger), Soorakattula (knife), Katari (katar) are found among them. Telagas and Kapus of former Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts are referred to as Pedda Kapu when comparing them with Turpu Kapu.
Medieval period
An inscription dating to 1205 CE (1127 Saka year) mentions Teliki Kapulu, which K. Iswara Dutt interprets as referring to Telagas.
During the medieval era, many Nayakas belonged to Telaga community along with Velamas and Balijas. In the late medieval era, Telagas led the right-hand caste faction in Machilipatnam and other places of Andhra. The right-hand caste faction included Komatis and various other castes. At the end of the eighteenth century, Telagas, along with Niyogi Brahmins, were the leaders of the Maha-nad, a multi-caste secret assembly that was created to exact retribution for breaking the rules and rights of castes.
There existed Nayak (Telaga) regiments in the Vijayanagara Empire and they later joined the British army after the fall of Vijayanagara. Telagas of Bobbili served as commanders and generals in armies. They formed a major part of the Bobbili army along with Velamas in the famous Battle of Bobbili in 1757. Telagas in British army held ranks such as Major, Naik, Subedar, Jemadar, Havildar etc. When the British reduced their recruitment in the army, Telagas concentrated on agriculture.
First edition of Charles Philip Brown's Telugu-English Dictionary (1852) mentioned Telaga caste as equivalent to Mahanati Kapu (మహనాటి కాపు). Brown also notes that Mahanati Kapus were leaguesmen and members of the Mahanadu community.
H. A. Stuart wrote in 1891, "The Telagas are a Telugu caste of cultivators, who were formerly soldiers in the armies of the Hindu sovereigns of Telingana. This may perhaps account for the name, for it is easy to see that the Telugu soldiers might come to be regarded as the Telugus or Telagas par excellence". During the colonial era, they were noted to be highly Brahmanised and of a high social position.
20th century
The early 20th century witnessed caste consciousness in various social groups of Andhra. A Telaga Mahajana Sabha happened at Railway Koduru in Kadapa district in September 1920. The first Telaga Mahasabha () was held on 7 October 1923 in Machilipatnam and declared 'we are Telagas, we are Kapus'. The second Krishna district Telaga Mahajana Sabha was held in February 1925 in Pūlla under the presidentship of the Zamindar of Vallur, Bommadevara Naganna Naidu.
In 1936, Kurma Venkata Reddi Naidu, a leading advocate and Telaga leader was appointed as the Governor of Madras Presidency, one of the only two Indians in history to have held the post. In 1937, he was elected as the Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency, which included the present-day states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu along with parts of Kerala and Karnataka.
Meraka Veedhi in Rajahmundry, Padamati Veedhi in Eluru, Srikakulam, and Bangalore were the localities of some historically prominent Telaga clans.