The Perika Kshatriya, also known as the Puragiri Kshatriya or Giri Rāzu

Perika Kshatriya

Perika is a caste found in states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra. It is the 15th caste in Group B of the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Backward Castes List . It can be said to be a Kshatriya sub-caste. By profession, they are farmers and landowners. Many believe that the word Perika is derived from the Sanskrit word Vyaparak. There are also IAS and IPS among them. The Perika Bhavan in Khairatabad, Hyderabad, is providing accommodation and educating people of this caste. The main occupation of the Perikas is agriculture.

In the past, they used to sell goods (bargain) and products obtained from agriculture on their bullock carts and also did business, so they also became accustomed to the profession of business. That is, they used to do both business and trade in parallel. They are very skilled in farming and are skilled in cultivating all kinds of crops. They also used to do business (mitti) with the income obtained from agriculture. Due to the changing times in the current society, most people are paying attention to education and pursuing higher education and doing jobs in the government and private sectors.

Caste Struggle

The Mythology

In the past, the name "Perika" gradually became established as a caste name for the tribes who lived by transporting goods on perikas and that was their main occupation. According to the mythology, in the ancient ages, these Kshatriyas, unable to stand up to the might of Parashurama and fight, prayed to Shiva, and as per his orders, they put perikas on bullocks and carried on business with them. However, today, the Perikas are farmers in all parts of the state.

All the communities in the BCs have caste professions and receive some form of assistance from the government, but only the Perika caste members have been farming for generations and the state leaders of the Perika Sangam have called for a boycott of the government for not providing any welfare to them. There is a saying that Turakalasedyam Perikalapala

Legend

Kartavirya Arjuna, a descendant of Haihaya, was born without arms due to a curse. He performed great penance, pleased Dattatreya, obtained a thousand arms, and became a great hero. Once, the great king went hunting and reached the hermitage of Jamadagni, exhausted. The sage gave Kartavirya Arjuna and his family a meal with five dishes. Seeing the sage's excitement, Kartavirya Arjuna was surprised and asked the reason for this. Jamadagni told him that this was possible because of a cow belonging to the offspring of Kamadhenu. The great king asked him to give him the cow. Jamadagni refused. Kartavirya Arjuna forcibly took the cow away.Parashurama came home and realized the matter, went to Mahishmati and fought with Kartavirya Arjuna and cut off his thousand hands and head with his Akhand Parashu.When he told his father about this, his father reprimanded him and asked him to visit the holy places. ===>>>