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Revision as of 05:56, 20 May 2010 by Linguisticgeek (talk | contribs) (hoax removal improper citations)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Namadhari Naik is a Hindu [community predominantly found in Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka State in India and are numerically a majority community in the district. They are also known as Halepaika and are referred to as the same in most of the literature. Deeva, Idiga are the other terms used for reference. They are clubbed along with other similar communities like Idiga and Billava in the government list. The term Arya-Idiga is also used widely to refer them. They are mainly into agriculture, though toddy tapping once formed an important source of income. The people of the community use Naik, Nayak, and Namadhari as surnames. The community considers the Lord of Tirupati as their deity, apart from the local gods as family deities depending on the place of their origin.
Etymology
The word Namadhari seems to be of later origin attributed to their Vaishnavite allegiance. Initially they seem to have been following Shaiva or Jain belief which was widespread in Kannada region. In 14th century they were brought to Vaishnava fold under the guidance of a Shrivaishnava pontiff along with other communities in the region. Hence the term Namadhari. It can be noted here that among the Vokkaligas too there is a grouping called Namadhari Gowda which has similar origin. This has been referred to by greatest poet of modern Kannada, Kuvempu in his magnum opus Malegalalli Madumagalu. Halepaika in Kannada means Old Soldiers . In the Vikramarjunavijaya of Adikavi Pampa dating back to 10th century there is a reference to the houses of Halepaika in the new capital of Yudhishtira, the Indraprastha. This indicates the prominence enjoyed by Halepaika during that time. And to refer them as "old soldiers" during that time should convey the fact that Halepaika formed one of the earliest martial settlers in this part of country. This fact can be compared with another similar community in the region, the Komarapaiks which means 'junior soldiers' in Kannada and are said to have migrated during 12th century. There is a reference to a regiment of Halepaika in one of the paintings of Mysore Palace. It is known that the community served as soldiers , mercenaries and commanders. Nayaka or Naik in Kannada or Sanskrit means commander. Halepaiks seem to have served almost all the important Kannada dynasties right from the Chutu satakarni and Kadambas to Vijayanagar kingdom and later Keladi Nayakas. While serving in the armies Namadharis or Halepaiks attributed to have invented a novel way of escaping certain death in the battlefield by applying jaggery on their buttocks and acting dead. The flies swarming around the jaggery on the buttocks created the illusion of a rotting corpse and the opponents did not realise that the brave fallen soldier is not dead but just acting. This led to a popular kannada saying in Uttara Kannada District amounting to "even if thousands of heads roll, the deevars/namdharis will survive".
The term Deeva finds mention in the great epic Mahabharata as to one involved in the naval occupation and to denote islanders. In Kannada, Deeveru means islanders. Incidentally the term Idiga also means islander or someone belonging to Srilanka. Hence it is not surprising to know about some similar communities of Lanka with similar antecedents . Incidentally the term Arya' in Arya-idiga is said to indicate the northern origin. In all probability the terms Deeva and Idiga are used to indicate the occupation of toddy tapping which the Halepaiks resorted to,and cannot be used to indicate ethnicity or origin. In this aspect the term Halepaik stands out prominently and holds the key to the origin of the community.
Culture
The Namadharis or Halepaiks have a distinct culture, complete with a distinct dialect of their own. Though the dialect is no more differentiable from normal Kannada, it still retains some distinct words. Worship of local divine spirits can also be seen and the worship of Baleendra during Deepavali has been continuing since ages and is common to almost all communities in coastal Karnataka. Certain rituals as during marriage ceremony indicate their martial origin. Until recently it seems the bridegroom rode on a horse in full martial attire complete with a sword to his marriage. The betrothal ceremony too is accomplished in a manner indicating the bride being won in a duel.
In popular culture
Halepaiks find continuous reference in Kuvempu's Malegalalli Madumagalu which deals with life in the Western Ghats in the 19th century. The then contemporary condition of Halepaiks, vague reference to their origins, social standings, inter relation with other communities, ongoing class struggle can be summed up from this work. Kuvempu indicates that there was a decision taken among the landlords that Halepaiks were to be not allowed to hold their own lands and were to be confined to tilling others' lands. The discrimination extended to ceremonies and rituals as well with the Halepaik groom not allowed to ride a horse to his marriage as was the practice for ages. The landlords seem to have guarded this privilege of theirs very closely. This also indicates the social downfall Halepaiks had attained by then.
Present conditions and social status
The martial Halepaiks took to agriculture and toddy tapping in peacetime and down the centuries were left with small landholdings, a condition which led to them being downtrodden and marginalized. Until recently Halepaiks were known for their status as resident cultivators, that is working on lands passed on by heredity on the condition of parting with a portion of produce. This system is known as Geni paddati in Kannada. There are two versions, Moola geni being the hereditary one and Chala geni given on a contract lasting 4–5 years. Halepaiks became almost synonymous with the Moolageni system. With the undergoing changes at the socio-political level and the onset of lenders the condition became such that over the last century every family which was poor to own land by themselves took to the above said system irrespective of caste, creed and community. From Brahmins to Muslims they were at it for livelihood. Most became resident cultivators in their own land due to debt trap. Even so there was oppression in the Geni system with the landlords resorting to arm twisting and violence to extract greater share. This led to one of the most important agrarian movements in post independent India, the Kagodu satyagraha. The Kagodu Satyagraha of 1951 turned out to be a memorable period for the community, with many from community assuming leadership in the movement. The doyen of community like H.Ganpatiyappa, Savaji Beera Naik, Mandagadale Ram Naik worked closely with leaders like Shantaveri Gopalagowda, Yusuf Meherally to make it a success. This movement was very much responsible for the future land reforms that took place giving the land to the tiller. The community today has produced many notable personalities and the younger generation continues the remarkable work done by its predecessors. Today the community is prosperous & boasts of a workforce including software professionals, doctors, lawyers, actors, civil servants, teachers, entrepreneurs and people in other successful fields. The literacy rate is high in both males and females and presently the emphasis has been rightly placed on education as may be evident from the fact that many youngsters are opting for higher studies abroad.
References
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- Malegalalli madumagalu, Kuvempu.
- Pampana samastha bharata kathamruta, Dr.L.Basavaraju.
- Bombay gazetteer in Karnataka: Dharwad,Belgaum,Bijapur and Kannara districts, Venkataramgo Katti.
- Kaada toreya jaadu: Autobiography of Kadidal Shamanna. Kagodu ondu nenapu, C.B.Chandrashekhar.