| Caste Name: | Adi-Andhra |
| Ethnicity: | Telugus |
| Languages: | Telugu |
| Populated States: | Andhra PradeshTelanganaKarnataka |
Adi-Andhra is a Telugu caste found in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, primarily in the Coastal Andhra region. They are categorised as a Scheduled Caste by the Government of India.[1]
Adi-Andhra literally means 'the original people of Andhra'.[2] The Adi-Andhra group is a composite caste that consists of about 60% of Malas and 40% of Madigas, who belong to second and third generation of educated scheduled castes.[3] [4] Many Adi-Andhras are engaged in modern occupations created by western education. A small section of Adi-Andhra also lives in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.[5]
As per the 2001 census, Adi-Andhra constituted 9% of the total Scheduled Caste (SC) population of United Andhra Pradesh. As per the 1981 census, Adi-Andhras had the highest literacy rate among the Dalit castes of Andhra Pradesh.[6] They are the most advanced group in terms of education and employment among the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Andhra Pradesh.
Bhagya Reddy Varma (originally Madari Bhagaiah), a Mala from Hyderabad state, was a pioneer of the Adi-Hindu movement in Andhra.[7] In November 1917, he was invited to preside over the 'First Andhra Panchama Mahajana Sabha' at Vijayawada. It was convened by Guduru Ramachandra Rao, a Brahmin social reformer from Krishna district.[8] In his presidential address, Bhagya Reddy remarked that the Depressed Classes were the original inhabitants of India and ought to be called Adi-Hindu, instead of Panchama. Consequently, the conference adopted the name of Adi-Andhra Mahajana Sabha.[9] It was very active in Andhra and met in several conferences.[10]
After the first Adi Andhra conference, the Adi identity gained popularity among Dalits. The government accepted the nomenclature of Adi-Andhra vide order No. 617 on 25 March 1922.[11] Some of the educated Dalits and those who were part of the Adi movements adopted Adi identity, leaving behind their traditional caste names. By the 1931 census, nearly a third of Malas and Madigas of Madras Presidency had given their identity as Adi-Andhra.