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 Andhra Pradesh and took up agriculture. So our community derived its name as Bondili. The name Rajput is derived from the Sanskrit term 'Rajputra', son of a ruler. There are two subgroups, viz., Surya vam
sam and Chandra vamsam. A majority amongst us belong to the former group. We, Bondilis are distributed in Cuddapah, Chittoor, Nellore, Kurnool, Guntur, Krishna, Khammam, Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad districts. 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. We Rajput Bondili are nonvegetarian, who avoid beef and pork. However, the 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. All the seasonally available vegetables, roots and tubers are also eaten. Fruit consumption is moderate. Milk, and milk products are also consumed. We, Rajput Bondili 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 'Singh' 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 Kshatriya. Gotram exogamy and community endogamy are the rules of marraige among the Rajput Bondili. 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. Lacha (made up of gold with black beads), sindur (Vermilion) and nathada (nose stud) are the symbols of married women. Patrilocal residence is the rule after marriage. Either party can initiate marital alliances among the Rajput Bondili through negotatiations. The marraige 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. Marraige rituals are initiated by the tikah 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 kapatta (palm leaf) on the head like cap, and the bride dressed in sari immersed in turmeric water make seven rounds of the sacred fire.
