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| ===Kunchitiga Vokkaliga=== | ===Kunchitiga Vokkaliga=== | ||
| ]s are concentrated mostly in Tumkur, Chitradurga and the cities of Bangalore and Mysore. They are also found in Salem, Coimbatore and Theni districts of Tamil Nadu. |
]s are concentrated mostly in Tumkur, Chitradurga and the cities of Bangalore and Mysore. They are also found in Salem, Coimbatore and Theni districts of Tamil Nadu.<ref name="Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Volume 5">{{cite book|first=Edgar|last= Thurston|year=1909|title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Volume 5|publisher=Government Press|location=Madras|volume=5|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42995/42995-h/42995-h.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Nanjundayya|first1=H.V|first2=L.K Ananthakrishna|last2=Iyer|date=1931|title=The Mysore Tribes and Castes|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.38701|location=Mysore |publisher=The Mysore University|page=17}}</ref> | ||
| ===Namadhari Vokkaligas=== | ===Namadhari Vokkaligas=== | ||
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Vokkaliga (also transliterated as Vokkaligar, Vakkaliga, Okkaligar, Okkiliyan) is a community, or a group of closely-related communities, from the Indian state of Karnataka. They are also present in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
As a community of warriors and cultivators they have historically had notable demographic, political, and economic dominance in the Mysore region.The members of these martial peasantries occupied administrative positions in the Vijaynagar Empire. The Vokkaligas of Karnataka, along with the Vellalars of Tamil Nadu and Telugu Reddys formed the landowning feudalistic and warrior class of South India.
Most sections of the community are designated as forward castes by the central government of India. While others (particularly the rural communities), are designated as other backward castes by the Karnataka State Government reservation system.
Etymology
Vokkaliga is a Kannada-language word found in some of the earliest available literary works of the language, such as the Kavirajamarga, Pampa Bharata, and Mangaraja's Nighantu. It has been used as an appellation for the cultivator community since time immemorial. Generally, the term has come to mean an agriculturist though various etymological derivations are available, including:
- The word okka or okkalu is a Kannada word for a family or a clan and an okkaliga is a person belonging to such a family. This is an allusion to the totemistic exogamous clans which together form an endogamous sub group, of which there are many amongst the Vokkaligas. These clans are called Bali, Bedagu, Kutumba, Gotra or simply Okkalu all of which mean family. They are named after their progenitor, primary occupation or in most cases after various birds, animals or objects.
- Okkalutana in Kannada means agriculture
- Alternate etymologies include okku, which means "threshing" in Kannada, and Vokkaliga means someone from a family that threshes
The Kannada linguist Shamba Joshi and others propose a derivation from the Sanskrit - gau (cow) and govala (keeper of Gau/Cow)(Govala->Goula->Gowda). Moreover, though the Vokkaligas did practise animal husbandry, the traditional herdsmen community, Kurubas, form a separate caste group.
Subgroups
The Vokkaliga community has several sub-groups within its fold. Exogamy at the family/clan level is strictly controlled by using the idiom of Mane Devaru (the patron god of the given exogamic clan) which dictates that the followers of same Mane Devaru are siblings and marriage is thus forbidden, allowing marital alliances only with another clan and not within.
Gangadikara Vokkaliga
The Gangadikara Vokkaligas, also known as the Gangatkar With various theories on the origins of the Gangas, this is hard to prove but some scholars do opine that the Gangas were local chieftains who ascertained their power and rose to dominance during the political unrest caused in South India after the invasion of Samudragupta I. It is however, a fact that the administrative setup of Gangas vested power, at various levels of administration and apart from administrative duties the Gauda was expected to raise militia when called for. The Gangadikaras and the Kongu Vellalars are said to share a common origin and they regard themselves Ganga Kshatriyas. In fact, the word Kongu is the Tamil equivalent for Ganga. There is a significant number of Gounders in Kollegal and T. Narsipur in Chamarajanagar.
The Gangadikara Vokkaligas have as many as 40 kulas, exogamous clans, known in Kannada as Bedagu.
Morasu Vokkaliga
According to Burton Stein, the region of modern-day Bangalore and Tumkur districts was known as Morasu Nadu, dominated by Morasu vokkaligas, who seemed to have been telugu migrants to the area in the fourteenth century. In fact Hosur which borders Bangalore claims to have been called Murasu Nadu during the Sangam Age and has a significant population of Morasu Vokkaligas.
The four main sub-divisions being the Musuku, Hosadevru (Beralu), Palyadasime and Morasu proper which is again divided into three lines called Salu viz. Kanu salu, Nerlegattada salu, Kutera salu. The Musuku sect is so-called because the bride wears a veil or 'Musuku' during the wedding ceremony.
Although Morasu Vokkaligas are a sub-section of the Vokkaliga community, they are not a fully-defined caste as they can intermarry with other sections. Polygamy is rare, and child marriage was rare. Marriage is done outside bedagu lines, and marriage with a maternal uncle or paternal aunt or elder sister is especially promoted. In most cases, a younger sister's daughter is not married except in unusual cases. Varase, which regulates marriage between those considered analogous to parent and child or brother and sister, is also observed.
After consulting the astrologer, the two families meet for the first ceremony called Oppu-vilya: where the groom's father goes to the bride's house and receives food from them. On the next day, the Vilyada shastra occurs, where the groom's family presents new clothes and jewels to the bride's family. Placing a simhasana on a kambli and taking a kalasha, puja is done to this setup and the bride-to-be is smeared with saffron and presented with fruits and flowers. Marriage letters, called lagnapatrikas, are then exchanged between the families. On the first day, mooladarshina is done where the kuladevata is worshipped and the bride and bridgroom are smeared with arshna. The Pandal is raised next with atti or nerale wood, unless either's bedagu is one of the aforementioned woods. In the ceremony called elevara, another twig of nerale wood is tied to the main post. The bride's party arrives in the evening, and women of both families worship a pot filled with 9 types of grain in karaga puja. In some families, the bridegroom goes to an intersection of three paths and offers cooked food to a human figure then leaves silently without looking back. This biragudi is meant to appease evil spirits.
The next day, the bridegroom goes to the temple or an Aswhata tree and sits while his maternal uncle ties a bhasinga on his forehead and 5 married women pour rice on his head, shoulders and knees. The bridegroom and his party then go in procession to the bride's house 3 times, with the bridegroom only coming at the least time. They are then seated opposite each other, and the two exchange kanakanas and then the groom puts the thali over his bride's head. In the evening, they worship an anthill and take dirt from it and place balls at the bottom of 12 pillars of the pandal. At the Nagavali ceremony the next day, a lime and jewel are placed in a pot in front of the couple. It is said whoever picks up the jewel will be more important in domestic life, and the kanakanas are taken off. Finally there is a simhasina puja, where a trishula is drawn with areca nuts and betel leaves in the middle and ash at the edges. The headman of the caste now does puja to a group of beings in order of precedence. They then return to the bride's house (tiruvali) and throw a feast (maravali). A bride price is also paid. Divorce is allowed for both men and women, but divorced women can't remarry but live in concubinage only.
The community celebrates Osige, or the puberty function.
Kempe Gowda
According to Burton Stein the ancestors of Kempe Gowda I of the Yelahanka Nadaprabhus are recorded to be Tamil Chiefs who migrated to these districts from Alur of Kanchi around the 15th century under Rana Bhaire Gowda, who built the fort at Devanahalli. This fort would remain in their family for 3 centuries, until it was conquered by Mysore in 1749. Bhaire Gowda founded other forts at Palyapet and Doddaballapur. Other leaders of the community were in Hoskote, Kolar, Anekal and Koratagere who were subdued by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan in the 18th century, and some received pensions after Tipu's defeat and the Wodeyar restoration.
Kunchitiga Vokkaliga
Kunchitigas are concentrated mostly in Tumkur, Chitradurga and the cities of Bangalore and Mysore. They are also found in Salem, Coimbatore and Theni districts of Tamil Nadu.
Namadhari Vokkaligas
The Namadhari Vokkaliga group is the first largest Vokkaliga sub-group.
Halakki Vokkaliga
Halakki Vokkaligas are an indigenous tribe in of Uttar Kannada district. Taking cognisance of the tribe’s demands to be recognised as a Scheduled Tribe a study was commissioned by the social welfare department in 2010 and a report was submitted.
Economy
Before the 20th century, Vokkaligas were mainly involved in agriculture. Today they, along with the Lingayats, own most of the cultivated land in the state and made up 27% of the population. Therefore they were considered "dominant-majority" communities. However, many Vokkaligas still work as agricultural labourers.
See also
References
- V.T, Sundaramurthy (2007). "The Genesis, Divisions, Movement and Transformation of Okkaligar Community" (PDF). The Anthropologist. 9 (4): 305–313. doi:10.1080/09720073.2007.11891017. S2CID 74219783.
- Ludden, David (1999). An Agrarian History of South Asia (The New Cambridge History of India). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 91. ISBN 9781139053396.
- Robert, Bruce L. (1982). Agrarian organization and resource distribution in South India: Bellary District 1800-1979. University of Wisconsin--Madison. p. 88.
- K, Seshadri (April–June 1988). "TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE POLITICAL CULTURE OF SOUTH INDIA". The Indian Journal of Political Science. 49 (2): 231–267.
- "Born to be a force to reckon with". DNA India. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- Stein, Burton (1990). The New Cambridge History of India:Vijayanagara. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 82-83,96-97. ISBN 9781139055611.
- Ludden, David (1999). An Agrarian History of South Asia (The New Cambridge History of India). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 91,198,205. ISBN 9781139053396.
- Stein, Burton (1980). Peasant State and Society in Medieval South India. Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 131, 448–449.
- Stein, Burton (1990). The New Cambridge History of India:Vijayanagara. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 82-83,96-97. ISBN 9781139055611.
- Ludden, David (1999). An Agrarian History of South Asia (The New Cambridge History of India). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 91. ISBN 9781139053396.
- "PDF - National OBC list for Karnataka" (PDF).
- ^ Dr. Ambalike Hiriyanna (1999). Malenadina Vaishnava Okkaligara Samskruti. Kannada Pustaka Pradhikara, Government of Karnataka.
- ^ Kannada Nighantu. Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Bangalore. 1970.
- Ferreira, John Vincent (1965). Totemism in India. Oxford University Press.
- Dr. Ganapati Gowda (2011). Grama Okkaligara Samsrutika Ananyate Mattu Samakaleena Sandarbhagalu. Kannad University, Hampi.
- ^ Dr. Suryanath. V. Kamath (1988). Karnataka State Gazetteer. Government Press, Bangalore.
- ^ Banerjee, Bhavani (1966). Marriage and kinship of the Gangadikara vokkaligas of Mysore. Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Inst. p. 31. OCLC 833158967.
- E.Stanley (1962). Economic Development and Social Change in South India. University of Manchester Press, Manchester.
- B.Sheik Ali (1976). History of the Western Gangas. University Of Mysore.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - Burton Stein (1987). Vijayanagara. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York. p. 82. ISBN 9780521266932.
- "Krishnagiri District Website". Krishnagiri.tn.nic.in. 9 February 2004. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- Stein, Burton (1990). The New Cambridge History of India:Vijayanagara. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 82. ISBN 9781139055611.
- Phalaksha (1999). Introduction to Karnataka History. Shashi Prakashana, Tumkur.
- Thurston, Edgar (1909). Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Volume 5. Vol. 5. Madras: Government Press.
- Nanjundayya, H.V; Iyer, L.K Ananthakrishna (1931). The Mysore Tribes and Castes. Mysore: The Mysore University. p. 17.
- "Halakki Vokkaligas await inclusion in Scheduled Tribes' list - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- Thimmaiah, G.; Aziz, Abdul (1983). "The Political Economy of Land Reforms in Karnataka, A South Indian State". Asian Survey. 23 (7): 810–829. doi:10.2307/2644290. ISSN 0004-4687. JSTOR 2644290.