In Telangana, inside many homes, marriage still follows old caste rules.

The SEEEPC Survey-2024, which tracked inter-caste marriages across 56 major castes, shows that social change is happening, but slowly and unevenly.

Some communities are clearly opening up. Many others are not.

Top of the List

These communities reported the highest share of households with inter-caste marriages:

• OC Iyengars/Iyers – 12%

• BC-C SC Christians – 9.9%

• OC Rajus – 8.7%

• BC-A Gangiredlavaru

• BC-A Agnikulakshatriyas

• OC Kapus

• OC Brahmins

Bottom of the List

These communities reported the lowest share:

• ST Kolam – 2.6%

• BC-D Mali – 2.6%

• ST Gonds – 2.8%

Real Surprise

Dominant communities like OC Velamas and OC Reddys remain below several others in inter-caste marriage rates.

That means status, land and wealth do not automatically break caste boundaries.

But when it comes to choosing a life partner, caste still influences decisions across much of Telangana.