Reddy Catholics
{{Short description|Indian ethnoreligious group}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Reddy Catholics
| native_name = రెడ్డి కతోలికులు (Reddy Katholikulu)
| native_name_lang = రెడ్డి కతోలికులు
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| regions = Rayalaseema, Guntur district, Rangareddy District, Hyderabad
Diaspora: United States,
| languages = Telugu
| religions = Catholicism
| related_groups = Reddy people, Telugu people
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Reddy Catholics (Reddies) are a loose sect or association of Catholics that grew out of the first Christian converts in Andhra Pradesh, India. They generally speak Telugu and often retain some of their Hindu customs. There are branches in many parts of the world.{{Cite web |title=American Telugu Reddy Catholic Association {{!}} ATRCA |url=https://atrca.org/ |access-date=2023-01-22 |language=en-US}}
History
The first convert to Christianity in Andhra Pradesh was Thumma Hanumantha Reddy, also known as Manda Reddy.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fOQrAQAAIAAJ|title=The Quarterly Review of Historical Studies|date=2002|publisher=Institute of Historical Studies.|pages=14|language=en}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qtxlCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT119|title=Medieval Andhra: A Socio-Historical Perspective|last=Pandey|first=Alpana|date=2015-08-11|publisher=Partridge Publishing|isbn=9781482850178|pages=119|language=en}} Manda Reddy, along with thirty Reddy families of Muddiguba and some other Reddy families in Alamuru, embraced Christianity in 1715.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KJBPAQAAMAAJ|title=Itihas|date=2002|pages=111|isbn=9789854420769 |language=en}} In the Rayalaseema region, many Reddies began visiting churches and converted to Christianity (Catholicism).{{Cite journal|last=Jangam|first=Chinnaiah|date=2013|title=The Story of a Jailed Prince: Feudal Roots of Democratic Politics in Andhra Pradesh|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23527964|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|volume=48|issue=25|pages=11–15|jstor=23527964|issn=0012-9976}} By 1735, in Southern Andhra, there were thousands of Christians, most of whom belonged to the Reddy and traditional weaver communities.
Many Reddies in Guntur district have converted to Roman Catholicism and many still keep some Hindu traditions like Thali and bottus. Some of the Catholic Reddies migrated to Telangana via Krishna River. In Telangana, they named their village as Guntur pally, Reddypuram, or Reddypalem.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KMrYAAAAMAAJ|title=Christianity in India: Search for Liberation and Identity|last=Hrangkhuma|first=F.|date=1998|publisher=Indian Society|isbn=9788172144579|pages=67|language=en}} By 1750, Christianity further spread to the Circar Districts due to the migration of Christian Reddies into those areas. In the early 18th century, many Catholic Reddies had migrated from Rayalaseema to some parts of Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
Reddy Catholics mainly live under
Migration to Tamil Nadu
The Catholics belonging to Reddy community settled in the bordering villages of Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu.