Reddy Customs

Reddy Customs

Reddy (also transliterated as Reddi, Raddi, Roddy, Ruddy) is a large caste of India, predominantly inhabiting Andhra Pradesh. They are enlisted as a forward caste by the government. Traditionally, they were a diverse community of merchants and cultivators. According to academics, they were a warrior caste in the past and later became feudal overlords and peasant proprietors. Historically they have been the land-owning aristocracy of the villages. Their prowess as rulers and warriors is well documented in Telugu history. The Reddy dynasty (1325–1448 CE) ruled coastal and central Andhra for over a hundred years. The origin of the social group of Reddys has been linked to the Rashtrakutas.

Reddys regard Telugu as their mother tongue. According to the 1921 census, they constituted 6.5% of the population of Andhra Pradesh.