Naidu
Encyclopedia
Naidu is a title used by various social groups of the Andhra Pradesh
and Tamil Nadu
states of India
. It is also used in Karnataka
, Kerala
, Maharashtra
, Orissa
and Chattisgarh. It is a Telugu derivation of the Sanskrit
Nayaka
, meaning "protector" or "leader".
The word Naidu is etymologically related to the Tamil Naicker, the Nair
of Kerala
, Marathi Naik and Nayaks (Pattanayak) in Orissa.
dynasty which ruled from the Krishna and Godavari deltas during the 3rd Century A.D. Little is known about the title usage prior to that. A more widespread usage of the term Nayaka can be traced to the expansion of the Western Chalukyas
into Andhra country during the 7th Century. However, the most widespread usage of the term Nayak happened during the Vijayanagar rule.
The word Naidu is used by the older writers in southern India in several senses, of which the following example given by Yule and Burnell may be cited:
Though originally not meant to be a heredity title, by modern times, the Naidu title had been inherited by many, although they no longer were governors, army commanders or tax collectors.
Naidu, Baljia Naidu,
Gavara naidu, vaduga naidu,kajulu naidu use the title Naidu , whereas the title Naicker is used by both Tamils and Telugus.Boyar is telugu speaking people They are doing construction work. There are sub-communities in Boyar, consturction works are doing by Boyar(Sunnambu-Oddar) cut stone work are doing by Boyar(Kal-Oddar).In tamilnadu now a days Kamma, Gavara, Balija Naidus are called in the Name of Vadugan. Vadugan is notified as backward Class by Government of TamilNadu and Other Backward class by Government of India. In Vijanagar Dynasty Kammas and Balijas were warriors and LandLords They were Close circle of the Emperor or King. During British Periods They were called Palayakarargal.
region. Some families came from Tirunelveli
region. They belong to Balija
caste group.
], Polynesia, mainly the South-western arc and eastern island chains.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
and Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
states of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is also used in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
and Chattisgarh. It is a Telugu derivation of the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
Nayaka
Nayak (title)
Nayak, Nayaka, Nayakar, Nayakkar, Naik, Naiker, Naicker, Naickan, Naiken, Nayakkan, Naidu, Nayudu or Naidoo is a common title used by various caste and ethnic groups across India. They are all derivatives of the original Sanskrit Nayaka, meaning a leader...
, meaning "protector" or "leader".
The word Naidu is etymologically related to the Tamil Naicker, the Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, Marathi Naik and Nayaks (Pattanayak) in Orissa.
Usage
- The term Naidu is the caste name and the title of Kapu caste(Telaga/Balija Naidu)of Andhra Pradesh which accounts for about 28% of the population of Andhra Pradesh.
- Nayaka (Naidu) was an honorary title that was used by the people belonging to the other Telugu castes of Ekari (Pala Ekari) Boyar(warrior), Kamma, Mudi Raju, Koppula/Polinati Velama,Ayyaraka,gangavar(Boyar) etc in Andhra Pradesh and other states.
- It was used as a title denoting a village or lineage headman.
- Medieval Andhra dynasties like the Vishnukundins and Chalukyas and the recent ones like the Vijayanagara EmpireVijayanagara EmpireThe Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
conferred the title Nayaka / Nayakudu to a commander or Danda-nayaka (Army Commander) or a leader of a band of soldiers. - Nayaka title was originally conferred upon Telugu communities. In the medieval times, the KakatiyaKakatiyaThe Kakatiya dynasty was an Indian dynasty that ruled most parts of what is now Andhra Pradesh, India from 1083 CE to 1323 CE, with Orugallu , now Warangal , as its capital. Orugallu is also called 'Eka Sila Nagaram'...
and VijayanagaraVijayanagaraVijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....
Kingdoms had many prominent nayakas from various castes. During the expansion of Vijayanagar Empire, the Nayak title was conferred upon non-Telugu speaking communities who served in the same function in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. This title is also used by other communities in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. - The Nayaka title was conferred upon warriors who received land along with the title Nayaka as a part of the Nayankarapuvaram system for services rendered to the court during the Kakatiya dynasty. Nayaka was one among approximately 25 titles used by the Kakatiyas to create a new political infrastructure to undercut the authority of heredity regional elites. The Nayankara system was also used by the Vijayanagar empire wherein land was granted to a Nayaka or Palayakarrar (Polygar) on condition that they would place their military service at the disposal of the king.
- However many communities later began using the Naick or Naidu surname. Edgar Thurston (Castes and Tribes of Southern India Vol. 5; p. 138) noted that "Naidu" or "Nayudu" title was in use by several Telugu castes in colonial India (in alphabetical order): Balija, Bestha, Boyar(warrior) caste, Ekari, gangawar(Boyar), Gavara, Golla, Kalingi, Kamma, Kapu, Mudirajus, Velama, Odde, Tottiyan, Reddy, Telaga, Uppiliyan, Idiga and Valmiki.
Origins
The Nayaka / Danda Nayaka term started being used during the VishnukundinaVishnukundina
The Vishnukundina Empire was an Indian imperial power controlling the Deccan, Orissa and parts of South India during the 5th and 6th centuries, carving land out from the Vakataka Empire. It played an important role in the history of the Deccan during the 5th and 6th centuries CE...
dynasty which ruled from the Krishna and Godavari deltas during the 3rd Century A.D. Little is known about the title usage prior to that. A more widespread usage of the term Nayaka can be traced to the expansion of the Western Chalukyas
Western Chalukyas
The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This dynasty is sometimes called the Kalyani Chalukya after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's Basavakalyan in Karnataka and alternatively the Later Chalukya from its theoretical...
into Andhra country during the 7th Century. However, the most widespread usage of the term Nayak happened during the Vijayanagar rule.
The word Naidu is used by the older writers in southern India in several senses, of which the following example given by Yule and Burnell may be cited:
- It denoted a Commander or a Governor.
- Native captain or headman.
- Title of honor among Hindus in the Deccan. "The kings of deccan also have a custom when they will honor a man or recompence their service done, and raise him to dignity and honor. They give him the title of Nayak." -Linschoten
- The general name of the Kings of Vijayanagar.
Though originally not meant to be a heredity title, by modern times, the Naidu title had been inherited by many, although they no longer were governors, army commanders or tax collectors.
Andhra Pradesh
In Andhra Pradesh, the title is predominantly used by Kapu caste (Balija Naidu/Gavara Naidu/Telaga Naidu/Kapu Naidu) though other castes such as kamma, pala ekari, Boyars,Koppula/Polinati Velamas, Kammas, Kalingas etc started using of late.Tamil Nadu
Many Telugu speaking communities like boyar, gangawar naidu, kammaKamma (caste)
Kamma or the Kammavaru is a social group that are classed as Upper Shudras is found largely in the Southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Karnataka. The Kamma population was 795,732 in the year 1881. According to 1921 census they constituted about 4.8% of Andhra Pradesh...
Naidu, Baljia Naidu,
Gavara naidu, vaduga naidu,kajulu naidu use the title Naidu , whereas the title Naicker is used by both Tamils and Telugus.Boyar is telugu speaking people They are doing construction work. There are sub-communities in Boyar, consturction works are doing by Boyar(Sunnambu-Oddar) cut stone work are doing by Boyar(Kal-Oddar).In tamilnadu now a days Kamma, Gavara, Balija Naidus are called in the Name of Vadugan. Vadugan is notified as backward Class by Government of TamilNadu and Other Backward class by Government of India. In Vijanagar Dynasty Kammas and Balijas were warriors and LandLords They were Close circle of the Emperor or King. During British Periods They were called Palayakarargal.
Kerala
In Kerala there are just about 5000 families spread all over Kerala state. Their ancestors migrated around 200 years back from MaduraiMadurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
region. Some families came from Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
region. They belong to Balija
Balija
Balija is a social group spread across the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh , Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala...
caste group.
Diasporas
Notable diasporic communities are found in South Africa [spelled Naidoo: Xavier NaidooXavier Naidoo
Xavier Kurt Naidoo is a German singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actor. Born and raised in Mannheim, Naidoo worked in several jobs in the gastronomy and the musical industry before relocating to the United States in the early 1990s, where he released his first full-length English...
], Polynesia, mainly the South-western arc and eastern island chains.
Notable Naidus
- Sarojini NaiduSarojini NaiduSarojini Naidu , also known by the sobriquet The Nightingale of India, was a child prodigy, Indian independence activist and poet...
- first Indian woman President of the Indian National Congress - Krishna Devaraya - Freedom Fighter
- Leela Naidu,Savitri - Indian actress
- C. K. Nayudu - Indian Cricketer
- Janakiraman Naidu.First person developed Acetoxy silicone sealant in Middle East,Africa,Indian sub continent,Central Asia and CIS Countries.
- Vangaveeti Ranga-Politician of Naidu
- Konidela Chiranjeevi(Siva Shankara Vara Prasad)-Indian Actor(Tolly wood no:1)
General references
- Caste and Race in India (by G.S.Ghurye)
- The Tribes and Castes of The Central Provinces Of India, by B V Russel
- The Castes and Tribes of Southern India, by EdgarThurston
- Further Sources of Vijayanagara History By K A Nilakanta Sastry
- Penumbral Visions - by Sanjay Subrahmanyam
- Trishan Naidoo