Origin & History - DELHI KAPU WELFARE ASSOCIATION

ORIGIN AND HISTORY

Kapu is a community found mainly in the Southern Indian State of Andhra Pradesh they are also concentrated in States like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Orissa. The term Kapu / Kaapu in Telugu means Protector. The community is primarily an Agragarian community. They are also referred to by their caste titles Naidu and Setty and make up about 22% of the Andhra Pradesh State's population. Kapu as a term is used to refer to Landowning or Agragarian Communities in Andhra Pradesh.

ORIGINS

Since it is a large, diverse and geographically well spread with multiple divisions there is no one root or origin but the most prevalent theories of their origin are mentioned below.

Kapu seem to be the earliest inhabitants of the Deccan region who migrated from the North and cleared Forests for Agriculture and built Towns in the Deccan. They are considered to be the Original Aryan Descendants who migrated to South India.

Kapu Community are believed to be the descendants of migrants of the Kaampu tribe from Kampilya (near Ayodhya) and were one of the earliest inhabitants of South India who took to clearing the forests and starting agriculture in the Deccan and of the current day Andhra Pradesh.

They are also referred to as the Kaampu tribe in the Ancient Texts, which was also, referred to as the Kossar tribe, who some historians believe established, the Satavahanas and other ancient dynasties.

Kapu Community share a similar history to the Kurmi, Kunbis and Maratha castes.

The Mackenzie Manuscript suggests that Kapu Community are the Descendants of the many of the Ancient Kingdoms of Coastal AP like Satavahanas, Vishnukundis etc.

Colin Mackenzie was the Surveyor General of India who did extensive research from the available manuscripts of documented Indian history.