Paper I · 14 Society, Culture, Heritage, Arts & Literature of Telangana · 14.1 Society and social conditions
14.1.1 Social structure of Telangana: castes, communities and the Deccani composite culture
Telangana is a Hindu-majority, caste-layered society (SCs 15.45%, STs 9.08% in Census 2011; BCs over half the people by the state's 2024 survey, as announced) that grew for five centuries under Muslim rulers in the Deccan, which gave it the shared Hindu–Muslim, Telugu–Urdu way of life known as the Deccani or Ganga-Jamuni culture.
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Core facts
- Population (Census 2011): 3,50,03,674 (about 3.5 crore). Census 2011 is still the latest completed census.
- Religion (Census 2011): Hindus about 85%, Muslims about 12.7%, Christians about 1.3%.
- Scheduled Castes (SC): 54,08,800, 15.45% of the population. SC reservation in the state: 15%.
- Scheduled Tribes (ST): 31,77,940, 9.08%. ST reservation: 10% since G.O. Ms. No. 33 (30 September 2022); it was 6% before.
- Backward Classes (BC): 29% reservation in jobs and education, split into five groups BC-A to BC-E (G.O. Ms. No. 3, 14 August 2014; restated by G.O. Ms. No. 16, 11 March 2015).
- Most SCs (number): Rangareddy district; fewest: Mulugu. Most STs: Bhadradri Kothagudem; fewest: Jogulamba Gadwal.
- Caste survey 2024: as officially announced (reported), BCs 56.33% (including BC Muslims), SCs 17.43%, STs 10.45%, Muslims 12.56% (results placed in the Assembly on 4 February 2025).
- SC sub-categorisation: the Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act, 2025 (Act No. 15 of 2025; gazette 14 April 2025) split the 15% SC quota into three groups (1% + 9% + 5%). Telangana was the first state to put SC sub-categorisation into effect.
- Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb: the phrase for the blended Hindu–Muslim culture of the Deccan, centred on Hyderabad.
- Dakhni (Deccani) Urdu: the local Urdu of Hyderabad, mixed with Telugu and Marathi words; literary language of the Qutb Shahi court.
Explained
1. The people in numbers
| Group | Census 2011 | Share | Reservation now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Castes | 54,08,800 | 15.45% | 15% (sub-categorised, 2025) |
| Scheduled Tribes | 31,77,940 | 9.08% | 10% (from 30 Sep 2022) |
| Backward Classes | not counted by caste in the Census | 56.33% (2024 survey) | 29% (A–E) |
- The Census counts SCs and STs, but not BCs. That is why the state ran its own caste survey in 2024.
- STs live mostly in the forest belts along the Godavari and in Adilabad and the Nallamala (details: TGC-TR-01). Bhadradri Kothagudem has the most STs (3,92,034), Jogulamba Gadwal the fewest (9,376).
- SCs are spread across all districts. Rangareddy has the largest number (about 3.37 lakh); Mulugu the smallest (about 47,000).
2. BC groups in Telangana (29%)
| Group | Who | Share |
|---|---|---|
| BC-A | Aboriginal tribes, vimukta jatis (denotified), nomadic and semi-nomadic groups | 7% |
| BC-B | Vocational (occupational) groups | 10% |
| BC-C | SC converts to Christianity and their descendants | 1% |
| BC-D | Other backward classes | 7% |
| BC-E | Socially and educationally backward Muslim groups | 4% |
- In local bodies, BCs are treated as one block, not by group.
3. Caste in the old village
- The four-varna idea (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra) mattered less on the ground than hundreds of jatis (castes), each tied to an occupation.
- Brahmins: split by function into Vaidiki (priests, ritual) and Niyogi (secular work: village accountants, officials); also by sect into Smarta and Vaishnava.
- Landholding castes: Reddy, Velama, Kamma, Kapu/Munnuru Kapu. Most deshmukhs and doras of the Nizam period were Reddys or Velamas (TGH-AJ-03).
- Trading: Komati (Vysya). Weaving: Padmashali, Devanga, Thogata. Toddy tapping: Goud (Eediga). Herding: Golla/Yadava, Kuruma. Fishing: Besta (Gangaputra); Mudiraj (cultivation and tank fishing).
- Viswabrahmins (Panchanam vaaru): five artisan crafts: goldsmith (Kamsali), blacksmith (Kammari), carpenter (Vadrangi), brazier (Kanchari) and stone carver (Shilpi).
- Service castes: Chakali / Rajaka (washermen), Mangali / Nayi Brahmin (barbers, also temple pipers), Kummari (potters).
- Dalit castes: Mala (farm labour) and Madiga (leather work, drumming). Other SCs include Mala Dasari, Bindla, Chindollu and Dakkali.
- Ayagars (balutedars): the village servants (washerman, barber, carpenter, blacksmith, potter, watchman, accountant and others; traditionally counted as twelve) were paid in a yearly share of grain at harvest and in inam land. Under the Nizams this service often turned into vetti (unpaid forced labour: TGC-SO-02).
4. Dependent (asrita) castes: each caste's own bards Telangana kept an old custom: certain castes lived by singing the origin legends (kula puranas) of a patron caste, which in turn supported them.
| Patron caste | Its dependent bards (books) |
|---|---|
| Madiga | Dakkali, Chindu performers (Chindu Bhagavatam), Bhagavatulu |
| Reddy, Kamma | Pichhakuntla |
| Padmashali | Sadhana Shurulu |
| Brahmin | Vipravinodulu (magic shows) |
- Many folk forms (Chindu Bhagavatam, Oggu Katha of the Kuruma–Yadava priests) grew from this patron–bard link (TGC-AR-01).
5. Muslims and other communities
- Muslim rule reached Telangana with the Tughlaq conquest of Warangal (1323); Muslim society took root under the Bahmanis (from 1347) and Qutb Shahis (1518–1687), and grew under the Asaf Jahis (1724–1948).
- Most Telangana Muslims are Sunni; the Qutb Shahis were Shia, and a Shia community remains in old Hyderabad (Muharram processions, ashurkhanas).
- Muslims were divided into:
- Dakhnis: long-settled local Muslims, speaking Dakhni;
- Afaqis: newcomers from Iran, Arabia, Central Asia and north India who joined the courts and armies.
- The same split, in a wider form, became Mulki (local) vs non-Mulki (TGH-ST-02).
- Dudekulas: Telugu-speaking Muslims, traditionally cotton carders.
- Communities that came with the Nizam's army and trade:
- Chaush (Hadrami Arabs): soldiers from Yemen; their settlement is Barkas (from "barracks").
- Siddis: of African origin, in the Nizam's guards; their quarter is AC Guards; known for marfa drumming.
- Pathans, Rohillas, Marwaris and Gujaratis (traders and bankers), Kayasthas (officials), Parsis and Anglo-Indians (Secunderabad), Sikhs (Sikh Chhawni, Kishanbagh).
6. The Deccani composite culture
- Language: Dakhni Urdu and Telangana Telugu borrowed freely from each other; the Qutb Shahis issued farmans in Telugu as well as Persian, and patronised Telugu poets.
- Shared festivals:
- Peerla Panduga (Muharram) is kept by Hindus in many villages;
- Muslims visit Bonalu and jatras;
- Hindus visit dargahs such as Jahangir Peeran (near Shadnagar) and Yousufain (Nampally).
(Festivals in detail: TGC-FE-01, TGC-FE-02.)
- Food and dress: Hyderabadi haleem (the only one of the two with a GI tag, 2010: TGC-AR-02) and biryani, sherwani and the Hyderabadi khada dupatta are shared across communities.
- Court culture: Persian and Urdu poetry, mushairas, qawwali and the Deccani school of painting.
- The phrase Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (the meeting of the Ganga and the Yamuna) is used for this shared way of life.
7. Caste associations (1910s–1940s) Educated members of many castes formed associations and student hostels in Hyderabad, to spread education in their castes. Telangana books list:
| Year (books) | Body | Person named |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Reddy Hostel, Hyderabad | Raja Bahadur Venkatarama Reddy (Kotwal of Hyderabad) |
| 1922 | Mudiraj Mahasabha | — |
| 1929 | All India Padmashali conference, Hyderabad | — |
| 1939 | Vysya Hostel and Vysya youth association | K.C. Gupta |
- The Dalit Adi-Hindu movement of Bhagya Reddy Varma (from 1906) is covered in TGH-AW-01.
8. After 2014: counting and sharing reservation
- ST quota 6% → 10%: by G.O. Ms. No. 33 of the Tribal Welfare Department, dated 30 September 2022. An Assembly Bill of 2017 for the same rise had not got Central assent. Petitions against the G.O. were filed in the High Court.
- Caste survey (2024):
- Name: Social, Educational, Employment, Economic, Political and Caste Survey, by the Planning Department, door to door in November–December 2024.
- Results placed in the Assembly on 4 February 2025 (figures as officially announced, reported by Business Standard, Scroll, The News Minute): BCs 56.33% (BC Hindus 46.25% + BC Muslims 10.08%), SCs 17.43%, STs 10.45%, OCs 15.79% (including OC Muslims), Muslims 12.56% in all.
- 42% BC quota (dated, contested):
- The Assembly passed two Bills (March 2025) to raise BC reservation to 42% in education, jobs and local bodies; they were reported to be awaiting the President's assent.
- A government order for local bodies (G.O. Ms. No. 9, September 2025) was stayed by the High Court on 9 October 2025: with SC 15% and ST 10%, total reservation would reach 67%, above the 50% ceiling (Indra Sawhney, 1992).
- The Supreme Court dismissed the state's appeal on 16 October 2025, leaving the stay in place and the case with the High Court.
- The gram panchayat elections of December 2025 were then held under G.O. Ms. No. 46 (November 2025), which kept total reservation within 50% (reported).
- SC sub-categorisation (2025):
- The Supreme Court (seven judges, State of Punjab v Davinder Singh, 1 August 2024) allowed states to sub-classify SCs, overruling E.V. Chinnaiah (2004).
- A one-man commission of Justice Shameem Akther (retired High Court judge) grouped Telangana's 59 SC castes into three groups.
- The Act (Act No. 15 of 2025) got the Governor's assent on 8 April 2025 and was notified on 14 April 2025 (Ambedkar Jayanti).
| SC group | Castes | Quota |
|---|---|---|
| Group I (most backward) | 15 | 1% |
| Group II (moderately benefited) | 18 | 9% |
| Group III (better benefited) | 26 | 5% |
- The largest SC communities, Madiga and Mala, were reported to fall in Groups II and III respectively.
- Share of the SC population (reported): Group I about 3.3%, Group II about 62.7%, Group III about 34%.
Common traps
- ✗ "Telangana's SCs are 9.08% and STs 15.45%." ✓ SCs 15.45%, STs 9.08% (Census 2011).
- ✗ "The 2011 Census gave Telangana's BC share as 56%." ✓ The Census does not count BCs; 56.33% is from the state caste survey of 2024.
- ✗ "ST reservation in Telangana is still 6%." ✓ 10% from 30 September 2022 (G.O. Ms. No. 33).
- ✗ "BC-E is for SC Christians." ✓ BC-E (4%) = Muslim groups; BC-C (1%) = SC converts to Christianity.
- ✗ "SC sub-categorisation gave 9% to Group I." ✓ Group I (most backward, 15 castes) 1%; Group II 9%; Group III 5%.
- ✗ "SC sub-categorisation was ordered by the Telangana High Court." ✓ It followed the Supreme Court's Davinder Singh ruling (2024) and a state Act (2025).
- ✗ "The district with the most STs is Adilabad." ✓ Bhadradri Kothagudem; fewest in Jogulamba Gadwal.
- ✗ "Barkas is the Siddi quarter." ✓ Barkas = Arab (Chaush) settlement; Siddis = AC Guards.
- ✗ "The Qutb Shahis were Sunni." ✓ They were Shia; most Telangana Muslims are Sunni.
Quick revision
- Census 2011: 3.50 crore; SC 54.09 lakh (15.45%); ST 31.78 lakh (9.08%).
- Most STs: Bhadradri Kothagudem; fewest: Jogulamba Gadwal. Most SCs: Rangareddy; fewest: Mulugu.
- BC 29%: A 7, B 10, C 1 (SC Christians), D 7, E 4 (Muslims).
- ST quota 10%: G.O. Ms. 33, 30 Sep 2022.
- Caste survey 2024 (tabled 4 Feb 2025): BC 56.33%, SC 17.43%, ST 10.45%, Muslims 12.56%.
- SC Act 2025 (14 Apr 2025): 59 castes, groups 1% / 9% / 5%; Shameem Akther Commission.
- Davinder Singh (SC, 1 Aug 2024) allowed SC sub-classification.
- 42% BC Bills (Mar 2025); local-body G.O. 9 stayed by HC, 9 Oct 2025; SC dismissed the state's appeal, 16 Oct 2025.
- Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb; Dakhni; Dakhni vs Afaqi; Barkas (Arabs), AC Guards (Siddis).
- Asrita castes: Dakkali (Madiga), Pichhakuntla (Reddy), Sadhana Shurulu (Padmashali).
Go deeper: Deeper, Mains writing (beyond what TGPSC MPSO / ASO usually asks)
Deeper Advanced
- Why Hyderabad State differed. A Muslim ruler over a mostly Hindu, Telugu-, Marathi- and Kannada-speaking people produced two things at once: a shared court culture (Urdu, Persian, mixed festivals) and a feudal rural order in which Hindu landed castes (deshmukhs, doras) held real local power. Caste and class oppression in the villages (vetti, bhagela) coexisted with religious mixing in the city.
- Occupation, caste and modern change. The links between caste and work loosened with:
- Salar Jung's reforms and the railways;
- Osmania University (1918) and caste hostels, which opened education to non-Brahmin castes;
- the peasant struggle (1946–51) and land reform;
- after 1956, irrigation, Gulf migration (Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Jagtial) and reservation.
Traditional crafts (weaving, toddy tapping, fishing) still mark BC identity and are the base of today's caste-wise welfare.
- The asrita (dependent) system as cultural memory. Bards such as the Dakkali for the Madigas or the Pichhakuntla for the Reddys kept each caste's genealogy and origin myth alive in performance. It shows a hierarchy (a "lower" bard caste) and also a rich oral literature that is now taught and recorded as folk art.
- Counting debates.
- The 2024 survey counted Muslim BCs inside the BC total; critics argued this both understated Hindu BCs and inflated the BC share. Others questioned coverage in Hyderabad.
- Sub-categorisation raised the reverse debate among SCs: whether the more numerous groups had taken more of the quota (the commission's view), and whether population shares should fix the split.
- Present these as debates, not settled facts.
- Lambada ST status (the largest ST group, added to the ST list for the Telangana area in 1976) is also contested by some Adivasi groups; see TGC-TR-01.
- Statement-level points.
- Census 2011 gives SC and ST counts; the BC share comes only from the state's own surveys.
- BC-E (4%) is for Muslim groups; BC-C (1%) is for SC converts to Christianity.
- ST quota rose by a G.O. (2022), not by an Act.
- SC sub-categorisation came by a state Act (2025) after a Supreme Court ruling (2024).
- Group II holds the largest share of the SC population (about 62.7%) and of the quota (9%); Group III (about 34% of SCs) gets 5%.
- The 42% BC local-body quota was held back by the 50% ceiling: the High Court stayed it (9 Oct 2025) and the Supreme Court did not interfere (16 Oct 2025).
- Barkas = Arab (Chaush); AC Guards = Siddi.
Mains writing Mains writing
- Frame: Telangana society combines three layers: an old caste–village order, a Deccani Hindu–Muslim urban culture, and a modern welfare state that now counts and divides groups to share benefits.
- Arguments to use:
- Composite culture: Dakhni, Qutb Shahi patronage of Telugu, Peerla Panduga and dargah visits by Hindus, shared food and dress.
- Inequality: feudal land control by a few castes, vetti and untouchability, low ST literacy.
- Mobility: education (Osmania, caste hostels), the Adi-Hindu movement, land reform, reservation, migration.
- New tools: caste survey 2024, SC sub-categorisation 2025, ST quota 10% (2022), BC 42% Bills (pending, contested).
- Data points: SC 15.45%, ST 9.08% (Census 2011); BC 56.33%, SC 17.43%, ST 10.45%, Muslims 12.56% (2024 survey); SC groups 1/9/5%.
- Way forward: keep data current and transparent; tie reservation shares to evidence; protect the Ganga-Jamuni tradition as a public value; pair quotas with schooling, land and jobs for the most backward groups.
- Model opening line: "Telangana's society was shaped in the Deccan: caste-bound in its villages, plural in its capital, and now re-sorting itself through data and law."
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