Hyderabad: An expert group that analysed the caste survey conducted by the Congress government in Telangana in 2024-25 observed that Iyengers or Iyers report the highest share of households with inter-caste marriages, followed by Backward Class (BC) or Scheduled Caste Christians and Rajus.
BC-A Gangiredlavaru and BC-A Agnikulakshatriyas also show a higher share of inter-caste marriages, along with Kapus and Brahmins.
However, dominant land-owning groups such as Velamas and Reddys have far lower rates of inter-caste marriages, well below the state average, said the Independent Expert Working Group (IEWG), headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy.
Inter-caste marriages indicate the weakening of social barriers and signal growing social mobility, especially in terms of individual agency, with women exercising greater freedom in choosing their partners, it said.
“Iyengars/Iyers report the highest share of households (12 per cent) with inter-caste marriages, followed by BC-C, SC Christians (9.9 per cent) and Rajus (8.7 per cent), the IEWG said.
Breaking of traditional norms likely due to education, urbanisation
The prevalence of inter-caste marriages points towards the communities, particularly Iyengars/Iyers, breaking traditional matrimonial norms—possibly influenced by high urbanisation, education, and exposure, it said.
A significant factor for inter-caste marriages could be urban residency. Over 90 per cent of Brahmins reside in urban areas, where caste barriers in marriage tend to be more flexible, it said.
On the other hand, castes like Scheduled Tribe (ST) Kolam (2.6 per cent), BC-D Mali (2.6 per cent), and ST Gonds (2.8 per cent) are among those with the least share of inter-caste marriages.
This could be attributed to their relative geographical isolation, low exposure to urban influence, and adherence to traditional norms, it said.
Lower inter-caste marriages in privileged castes sects
The lower rates of inter-caste marriages among land-owning forward castes, including Reddys and Velamas, suggest that despite socio-economic privilege, these groups retain strong caste-based matrimonial boundaries—reflecting both societal rigidity and limited personal agency, especially for women in marriage decisions.
The expert group observed that while economic progress and urbanisation can loosen caste barriers in marriage for some, deep-rooted caste identities continue to shape marital patterns in much of Telangana’s society.
Though the Telangana Socio-Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) survey-2024 was conducted in 2024-25, the state government released the reports to the public domain on April 15.
