Padmasali (caste)
Padmashali (Telugu: పద్మశాలి) is a Telugu-speaking Hindu endogamous caste of weavers predominantly residing in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Padmasali (also spelt as Padmashali, Padmasale) is a Hindu caste residing in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. In coastal Karnataka they are called Shettigar. Their traditional occupation is weaving.
Etymology
The term Padmasali is derived from two words Padma and Sali; Padma means lotus and Sali means weaver. The word Padma refers to the myth of the thread that was a lotus which sprang from the navel of Vishnu.
History
The Padmasalis are part of the wider community of Telugu weavers, who are known as "Sale" or "Saliya". Historically, they were also referred to by other castes as "Julai".
The Padmasalis follow their historical origins and Puranas such as Kulapurana and Markandeya Purana.
The Padmasalis and the Devangas, who are another caste of weavers, were originally a single caste in ancient times and followed Vaishnavism. The caste then split due to differences in faith, with the Devangas being influenced by Lingayatism and accepting Chamundeswari, the fierce form of Durga as their kuladevi.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Padmasali (caste)” is padmashali (Telugu: పద్మశాలి) is a Telugu-speaking Hindu endogamous caste of weavers predominantly residing in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Padmasali, caste and Padmashali, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “padmashali (Telugu: పద్మశాలి) is a Telugu-speaking Hindu endogamous caste of weavers predominantly residing in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5275371. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Padmasali (caste)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.