Velama relations as told by Madhurima Vodnala

Madhurima. Vodnala, daughter of Vodnala. Narender rao and Jangili Shobharani from karimnagar, who Currently live in Newyork with her husband Dr. Narayan Rao. Inuganti read the blog on Yellapu history.

  she has given following information......

 I was married to a velama, Dr. Narayan Rao. Inuganti from Srikakulam. In my inlaws family to a great surprise I heard most of our yellapu surnames in and around Srikakakulam, Vijayanagaram......esp in a village called Palakonda.

 I enquired about this with grand elders in my inlaws family. To surprisingly they know very very well about our Yellapu caste details and they were speaking great about Yellapu's honesty, loyality and bravery. Esp about yellapu women. It was said by one old person that.......velmas and yellapus were like relatives in ancient days and many matrimonials were in between velmas and yellapus which suggest the presence of our yellapu surnames in velmas of Srikakulam.

 After the downfall of bobbili ........velmas along with yellapus, made their agricultural lands around Palakonda and lived together happily. and it was said that Yellapu girls were most beautiful, multitalentedl among those times for which Velamas preferred to marry yellapu girls it seems.she has appreciated the research I made.

The following are my logical conclusion on the information provided by her. 

The velama and yellapu castes relations were started from the kakatiya period. Prataparudra -2 gave a lot of priority to velamas. It caused irritation among the other castes.At the time of last  war with Delhi sulthans in 1332, other people did not cooperate.But, Yellapus and Velamas fought valiantly. This has improved the relations between both castes. (Elucidated in other blog"Origin and History")
After kakatiya downfall, many yellapu families moved to Rachakonda dynasty to work under the velamas.Yellapus were present on the borders of Rachakonda, as there are villages on the surnames and caste name such as yellagiri, malkapur . This clearly reveals the service by yellapus in Rachakonda Velamas. 

During the vijayanagara times, yellapus, Velamas and Gavaras moved to Tamilnadu. The surnames of kotta/kottai  and Naidu in velamas and yellapus suggest the mutual relations in TN also.

After vijayanagara period , Yellapus worked under Bobbili.  I heard the information of stay of yellapus in vijayanagaram and srikakulam district is learnt from other friends also. It requires the consolidation of surnames and compare them to substantiate the view.I try to collect during my Stay at bobbili.Koppula is a famous surname both exists in Yellapus and velamas of North coastal area.The other surnames common among the both castes are Bethi, Jampala,Kaluvala,Oruganti,Muppala ,Saini and Recherla. These names reveal the relations between both castes.

 On one hand the relations of these castes have been cordial in north coastal area , as they know the value of valor, honesty of yellapu people. More particularly the extraordinary talent shown by the bairushetty and other women belongs to yellapu caste during the war,which may be still alive in the minds of velamas of North coastal area. These women killed about 200 soldiers with stones, as per micheal katten.

On the other hand, in telangana, velamas down played the yellapus and not regarded for their honesty, though provided Jobs in their Gadis. However, some elderly persons regarded the honesty. There were matrimonial relations between these castes in two places. But most of the higher level persons among the Yellapus merged with velamas only, since the ages of kakatiyas up to the times of Bobbili. This merger also transferred the some cultural aspects of Rajasthani origin disseminated in to Velamas and followed widely, though velamas are originally belongs to Bihar area.

It is believed in the caste by elders that tandra papanna, brother of queen of Bobbili is yellapu only. So many of his loyal soldiers are from telagas.

Hence, the yellapu surnames are naturally present in Velamas. This is also one of the reasons for the less number of yellapus. During and after the bobbili war, migrations of yellapus were taken place to telangana area. Some people migrated independently. It is elucidated in the blog "from bobbili to bonagiri unveiled ".Some people migrated with velamas and most of them reached karimnagar in the end.

The independently migrated persons stayed in Warangal and Nalgonda district. Some of them lately reached the Karimnagar district. However, some people of both these castes are dispersed to the different parts of srikakulam and vijayanagaram districts after Great War of bobbili.On the other hand the people who lost their employment and could not get any lands, etc. are still living nomadically.

 Marrying the Girls of yellapus is a great technique to merge yellapus in to their castes. It is not only due to their beauty but also to make use of their valor for their safety.During the needy times Velamas claim that both the velama and yellapu castes are related and one same.Hence, yellapus has to serve for their cause.However, there are cordial relations are existing in many places between these people.

 The most important thing I observe is that the people living in U.S and other countries are showing great interest in providing information to build the history than people living in a.p.She is the first women to evince interest on the history of yellapus and to provide information.

Some people have misconception that Yellapus are telagas migrated from north coastal area to telangana area. But still the yellapus have been maintaining their identity both in north coastal area and telangana, though some people are merged with telagas, kapus and velamas and maintaining good relations including matrimonial relations.It is clarified by the information provided by madhurima.


References:
1.Story informed by Madhurima vodnala
2.Oral stories told by elders of both yellapu and Velamas.
3.Velama website
4.

Gavara relations of Yellapus

             During my recent visit to vizag to participate in a international conference on Slum Free Urban India held in Novotel hotel, I found one Yellapu Suribabu, belongs to the telugudesam party. I started thinking once again about the caste after a long time. The name of the surname has further changed to Yellapu from the Yellapu, which has long phonetic in telangana area. Earlier also I learnt from one of my friends belongs to Anakapally that the pronounciation is Yellapu only. Moreover they are belongs to Gavara community.

             Interestingly, Gavaras and kapus are dominant castes in the Anakapally town. But Yellapus have merged with the Gavaras only. After the war of Bobbili did they fear to some one of extermination? Did the yellapus found it easy to continue the business with the help of Gavaras?Is it a terminating point to loose the relationship with kapus in north coastal area? One fact is that the existing yellapus along with other malla,dadi and konathala families are no more yellapu. They may do not like to know the history or identify themselves. But we have to unearth the history.I could not get the time to go to Anakapally.But I have to know it from the known persons. I may have to visit them all the way.

         On the other hand I have to visit vijayanagaram district also to know about yellapi community, who are still leading nomadic life. The visit of bobbili may be the best option to serve the purpose.

         The merger of yellapu families in to Gavara community may be due to following historical event: The yellapu families maintained separate entity during and after bobbili war.Their men were involved in the business also, in addition to the warfare. It is also learnt from the elders and stories told in north coastal area that women of yellapu were equally competent in warfare. As per Micheal katten, the yellapu men, especially bhairushetty families were went outside on business work at the time of War of bobbili.At this time many women were killed, when these women pelted the stones in special way and killed about 200 soldiers of opposite camp. On the other hand many women and children were killed by their own people to save from the humiliation. Some people migrated else where along with Velamas.Some people lost employment and continuing as nomads.Some families migrated to telangana area during the war time and after also. That is why there may be shortage of women and forced the yellapu families including konatham, malla,dadi to join in to gavara community, as both of these families are well acquainted with one other in business and both are minority castes.

         The reason for upkeeping the surnames and caste name is to marrying of Gavara women by yellapu men. The information available in the inscriptions revealed about the Gavaras tells that dadi familes were under the service of kakatiyas.Similarly, yellapus and dadi families have also worked under kakatiyas.Hence, these castes may have known each other since many centuries and that facilitated easy merger.

         The Gavaras are called Gavara Naidus. It may be due to merger of some Naidu families in to Gavaras. These Naidus may also include Yellapu families. Gavaras spread to the areas of Karnataka and Tamilnadu, as per the Gavara website.In those areas there are places like dadinayakanpalaya,dadikkombu,dadithota,etc, which testifies to the authority as well as dominance of the dadi families in those area.

        Intersetingly the yellapus have migrated to tamilnadu during the period of krishnadevaraya.This clarifies that yellapus and Gavaras have very good relations during this period also. The Gavara dominant areas of Rayapalayam and the yellapu/Nadar dominant areas of Avaraikulam, chettikulam are in near by areas.It is already mentioned that yellapus came back from those areas and some people would have stayed there itself.But, these migrations during the period of krishnadevaraya to fight against the father of vishwanatha Naika in Tamilnadu has developed close relations between Yellapus and Gavaras.

         In the later stages, after the Bobbili war the merger of Yellapu families in to Gavara community is completed. Another interesting thing is that both the yellapu and Gavaras are migrated from the Near by areas of Delhi.The yellapus migrated from the delhi and meerut districts.where as Gavaras are from ahichchatra, a near by place of delhi and meerut.Delhi to meerut is 65 k.m. and delhi to ahichchatra is 250 k.m. Thus, these people would have close contacts from ancient days.and that may be fecilitated in the close relations and merger of yellapu families in to Gavara caste.

The yellapus have merged with Gavaras.The question now is which family members have possibly merged with them? Usually the family name changes frequently in migrating communities.But the gotram is almost constant. The Pydipala is the Gotram of Yellapu families in Gavaras.So, the following families have the same Gotram.

  

•  Arkala- Pydipala
• Koppula - Pydipala
•   Kotte- Pydipala 
•   Nanvala- pydipala
•   Rapolu -  Pydipala
•  

Hence, it is clear that Kotte,koppula,Arkala,Nanvala,Rapole families or all the families having above surnames would have merged with Gavaras after Bobbili war.Other Yellapu families might have also merged in small number and upkeeped the same Gotram or we do not have information about it.I also informed the same to sri.Yellapu mukunda Ramarao, a gavara researcher.

Let us also examine the other substantiating factors for merger,which are not mentioned above that Kotte families migrated to Tamilnadu as a part of Vijayanagara army and many Gavara families also migrated there and came back.Thus, they have historical relations. It might have fecilitated merger.