Ours is a Telugu weaver's caste, primarily residing in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. We are recognized by different titles in various regions throughout India.

Our community has both Vaishnava as well as Siva groups.Our forefathers are to have originated from the Satavahana Empire .Our native tongue remains Telugu. Many of our brethren who reside in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Orissa speak Telugu as mother tongue.

Members of our brethren are spread all over the world. Due to our ancestral occupation of weaving and marketing cloth, urbanization has been a boon to us. Many families of our community still are involved in the leather and wool-based household industries.

Today, many urban Padmashalis have abandoned their ancestral profession and have diversified into other activities.

Members of our community have witnessed growth over the centuries. Today members of our brethren stand as shining stars in various fields. We also have many distinguished jurists, educationists, scientists, engineers, politicians, doctors, philosophers, poets, and scholars as part of our large family.

Our community follows the gotra system of marriage. Each family has separate gotras and marriage within the same gotras is barred. Till today approximately ninety-Six gotras arranged in eight groups have been legally identified. Our community follows certain ethnic customs and social traditions uniquely representing the traits of our forefathers.

Did you know?

• In some historical scriptures the word 'Padmashali' meant intelligence.
• As per mythological inscriptions there are theories that we Padmashalis are the progeny of Rishis.
• They are the third largest other backward community.
• There are more than 90 Lakh population only in Andhra Pradesh.