Telugus along with other Indians from India's east coast and the Bay of Bengal arrived on the shores of ancient
Suvarnabhumi (referring to
Malay Peninsula and
Lower Burma, meaning "Land of Gold" in
Sanskrit) and other parts of Southeast Asia. Indians from the Godavari basin arrived in the ancient Malay peninsula, trading and settling down, thus influencing local customs and culture.
Sejarah Melayu addressed India as Benua Keling and Indians as "
Keling", a word taken from
Kalinga, an ancient Indian kingdom which is likely the source of Indian influence across Southeast Asia. Kalinga is located in the
northern part of
Andhra Pradesh and the southern part of
Orissa with people in this region now speaking either Telugu or
Oriya. The current population of Malaysian Telugus are mostly third and fourth generation Telugus who descended from indentured laborers under the
Kangani system who arrived in the 19th and early 20th century. The migrants usually shared the same neighbourhood background, blood ties or caste connections. Telugus who arrived during the British colonial era were mainly non-Brahmin Hindus from the
Kamma,
Reddy,
Gavara,
Kapu (
Telaga),
Velama,
Chakali, and Mangali castes. Another recruitment centre was
Nagapattinam in
Tamil Nadu. Many Telugus arrived via Penang, settling in
Bagan Datoh, Perak before scattering across the Malay peninsula, commonly found in the rubber and coconut plantations in
Perak (such as
Telok Anson),
Johor, and
Kedah. Other areas with notable Telugu populations include
Lumut, Perak and
Rawang, Selangor. In 1955, the Malaya Andhra Sanghamu, later Malaysia Andhra Sanghamu, was formed to support the Telugu community, foster their culture and promote their language. == Population ==