BONDILI BRAHMIN
Our community calls itself kaanyakubj Brahmin or kannauji but other communities refer us to as Bondili Brahmin. We are said to have come from Bundelkhand in Madhya Pradesh, about 200-250 years ago, mainly to escape our conversion at the hands of Muslim rulers. Afterwards, we settled in different regions of Southern India { ANDHRA PRADESH,KARNATAKA,TAMILNADU AND KERALA} and took up agriculture. So our community derived its name as Bondili. There are two subgroups, viz., Surya vamsam and Chandra vamsam. Bondilis are distributed in Cuddapah, Chittoor, Nellore, Kurnool, Guntur, Krishna, Khammam, Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Mahaboob nagar and many districts in A.P.. Hindi is our mother tongue and we use the Devanagari sript. We, however, speak in Telugu or Hindi and English, and use the respective scripts with other communities.
Chandravamshi Bondili also called Rajput Brahman, are vegetarians. Rice, wheat and also ragi are their staple foods. Tur, moong and gram are the pulses commonly used. Groundnut oil is the cooking medium. All the seasonally available vegetables, roots and tubers are also eaten. Fruit consumption is moderate. Milk, and milk products are also consumed. However, the Rajput Bondili are nonvegetarian, who avoid beef and pork.
Bondili brahmins have gotramulu named after rishis like Bharadwaj, Kaundinya, Vashishta, Atri and Kashyapa. To regulate marraige alliances and indicate one's ancestry are the functions of gotram and surname, respectively. Most men affix with the term Prasad,Tiwari, Shukla, Dubey, Misra, Pandey, Sharma etc. to our names. Females suffix their name with the term 'Bai'. Self perception of our community by other communities is medium in the local social hierarchy. We are aware of the varna system and recognise our place as brahmin.
Gotram exogamy and community endogamy are the rules of marraige among the Bondili brahmin as well as Rajputs also. Cross-cousin marraiges are allowed. The age at marriage for girls is 18-21 years and 24-28 years for the boys. Mates are acquired by negotation through parents. Monogamy is the norm.Nimboli or Lacha (made up of gold with black beads), sindur (Vermilion) and Nath{nathini] or nathada (nose stud) are the symbols of married women. Patrilocal residence is the rule after marriage. Either party can initiate marital alliances among the Bondili brahmins through negotatiations. The marriage is solemnised within six months of the engagement ceremony. In the marraige procession (barath), only male members of the bridegroom take part and bring the bride. Marriage rituals are initiated by the teeka ceremony, in which exchanges of dresses, gifts for the bride and bridegroom takes place, followed by janoyi and barath. The bridegroom dressed with neemajama (consisting of dhoti and jubba immersed in turmeric water) with sendi ka patta (palm leaf) on the head like cap, and the bride dressed in sari immersed in turmeric water make seven rounds of the sacred fire.
Historians believe that Tiwaris were traditional researchers, warriors and farmers sometimes with a strong connection with the original Indo-European which inhabited the Great Gangetic plains. Tiwari is the degree of the premier Brahmins and found in various Brahmin societies like Saryupareen Brahmins, Kanyakubja Brahmins, Maithil Brahmin, Bhumihar Brahmin , Bhrigu Vanshiya Brahmins and other Brahmins communities .
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