Капу: южноиндийская каста и ее субкасты

Hindu caste of South India

Kapu is a Hindu caste mainly found in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. They are classified as a Forward caste. They are a community of land owning agriculturists. Kapus commonly carry the title Naidu. They are primarily present in Coastal Andhra with major concentration in the Godavari Krishna delta region. Telaga and Ontari are the Kapu subcastes. Traditionally, both were warrior communities known for their honour and bravery. The terms Kapu and Telaga are often used synonymously. The origins of Telagas have been linked to Telugu Choda dynasties like Velanati Chodas (1076–1216 CE) who ruled Coastal Andhra and claimed descendant from Karikala Chola. Later they came to be called Telagas over a period of time. Kapu, Telaga and Ontari are all referred to as Kapu across Coastal Andhra except for the erstwhile Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts where they are known as Telaga. Balija community of Rayalaseema is closely related to Kapu caste and both are often enumerated together in government, sociological and psephological contexts. Kapus of Coastal Andhra are distinct from communities like the Munnuru Kapus of Telangana, the Turpu Kapus of Uttarandhra and Reddys of Rayalaseema and Telangana.

Various subgroups of Kapus (cultivators) branched off into separate communities in the post Kakatiya period (Velamas, Panta Kapus and Pakanati Kapus—both of whom got labelled Reddys, and Kapus of Kammanadu—eventually labelled Kammas). The remaining Kapus continue to use the original label. B. S. L. Hanumantha Rao while explaining the term Kapu noted, "people who are into cultivation, or farming, but who do not belong to Kammas, Reddys and Velamas are known as Kapus." All the cultivator caste clusters have a common ancestry in the legends. According to Cynthia Talbot, the transformation of occupational identities as caste labels occurred in the late Vijayanagara period or later.

Kapus are primarily present in the Coastal Andhra region with major concentration in the erstwhile districts of East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, and Visakhapatnam. They are present in smaller numbers in the former districts of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram (where they are primarily referred to as Telagas), and in Prakasam.

A significant number of Kapu settlers are present in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Region of Telangana. Small communities of Telaga Kapu also exist in Orissa and Kharagpur, West Bengal. In the 19th and early 20th century, Kapu Telaga were among the Telugu migrants to Burma, Malaysia, Mauritius and Fiji. Telagas were said to form the largest caste among the Telugu people of Mauritius. Telaga, a sub caste of Kapu, has no relation to the Mudiraj and Teli castes who are sometimes referred to as Telaga.

Kapu, Telaga and Ontari are the subcastes of Kapu community. All three frequently inter marry and are usually classed as a single unit. Most Telagas and Ontaris have also referred to themselves as Kapus for a long time. The terms Kapu and Telaga are often used as synonyms to collectively refer to all three sections.

Manati Kapu (మానాటి కాపు) or Mahanati Kapu (మహనాటి కాపు) is a section of Kapu community along with Telaga and Ontari.|name=PK

Charles Philip Brown's Telugu English Dictionary (1852) mentions Mahanati Kapu as equivalent to Telaga caste. Brown also notes that Mahanati Kapus were leaguesmen and members of the Mahanadu community. Mahanadu was a multi caste assembly which enforced norms in the society. Andhra Vignanamu, Volume 3 (1939) mentions that Manati Kapus were present in large numbers in erstwhile East and West Godavari districts and in smaller numbers in Krishna, Guntur, Visakhapatnam and Ganjam districts of Madras Presidency.|name=terms 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.|name=FC T They are a land owning agrarian community. Historically, they were a warrior caste before taking up cultivation. During the colonial era, Telagas were noted to be of a high social position.

Ontari (also Vontari, Vantari) are a section of Kapu caste. Ontaris are classified as a Forward caste. They are a small community and are primarily found in Kakinada and Anakapalli districts and in smaller numbers in erstwhile West Godavari and Guntur districts. In the present day, Ontaris are landholding agriculturists. Ontari literally means 'the lone one' which referred to their bravery in the context of historical warfare. Mallampalli Somasekhara Sarma notes that Ontari was the vernacular equivalent of the Sanskrit word Ekangavira a hero who fights the combat alone. Analysing literary sources, Sarma notes that Ontaris, also known as Ekkatis, took part in hand to hand fight called Ekkati Kayyamu, the combat of singles. He adds:<blockquote>Ontari forces served as the reserve army, and each fighter in this division was probably a great wrestler and also wielded heavy weapons like maces and the like. The ekkatis of the Reddi period gradually formed into a separate military caste or community, and are now popularly called Vantarlu. These now form one of the three sections of the Telaga community, the other two being the Telaga (proper), and the Kapu.

Balijas are closely related to Kapus and both are often enumerated together in government, sociological and psephological contexts. Andhra Vignanamu, Volume 3 (1939) mentions four sections in Telaga community Telagas (or Naidus), Ontaris (or Doras), Balijas, and Kapus. They are a community of land owning cultivators and are one of the dominant castes of Andhra Pradesh. The four tier varna system of ranking never really took hold in South Indian society. The two intermediate dvija varnas—the Kshatriyas and Vaishyas—did not exist. In South India, on the other hand, there existed only three distinguishable classesthe Brahmins, the non Brahmins and the Dalits. Kapus are referred to as a non Brahmin upper caste. They are considered to be a "Sat Shudra" (also known as "upper/high caste/clean Shudra") community in the traditional Hindu ritual ranking system. In a study on the history of Guntur district, Robert Eric Frykenberg categorized Kapus and Telagas among "elite agricultural (warrior) castes". In 1982, Barbara D. Miller of Syracuse University remarked, "Generally the Telaga Kapu rank fairly high in status". K. C. Suri notes that non Brahman caste groups like Kapus, whose main occupation has been cultivation, are the most important social groups in Andhra Pradesh in terms of numerical strength, land control, and access to political power.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Kapus, along with other feudal landed castes, were major supporters of the Justice Party. Prominent Kapu leader Kurma Venkatareddi Naidu In 1920, the first legislative council elections to Madras Presidency were held after the passing of the Government of India Act 1919. Naidu was one of the three ministers in the Cabinet holding the portfolios of Development and Industries. In 1936, he was appointed as the Governor of Madras Presidency, one of the only two Indians in history to have held the post. After Indian independence, Andhra State was formed in 1953. Pasala Suryachandra Rao, a Kapu from West Godavari district was the first deputy speaker of Andhra State Assembly from 1953 to 1954. Rokkam Lakshmi Narasimham Dora, a Telaga Kapu from Srikakulam district served as the second speaker of Andhra State Assembly from 1955 to 1956. In the 1955 Andhra State legislature, there were 16 Kapu legislators, the third highest among all castes. In Pondicherry, Kamisetty Parasuram Naidu, a Kapu leader from Yanam served as the first deputy speaker of Pondicherry Assembly from 19631964. He also served as the speaker of Pondicherry Assembly from 19851989. In the past decade, there have been three Kapu Deputy Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh Nimmakayala Chinarajappa (20142019), Alla Nani (20192022), and Kottu Satyanarayana (2022present).