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Kuruba or Kuruma or Kuruba Gowda is a caste of Hindus who in the past were mainly devoted to raise cattle. They are also called as Gowdas[citation needed] or Kuruba Gowdas. The community is present in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. They are known as Dhangars in Maharashtra, Kurumba / Kurumans / Kurumbar in Tamil Nadu, Kuruba Gowdas or Halumatha in Karnataka and Kurma in Andhra Pradesh. Unofficial population estimate Karnataka is about 16 million.
Etymology [edit]
The word Kuruba means "warriors" and "trustworthy people".[citation needed] The word "Kuru" means "do or seek" in Sanskrit, and "Kuruhu" means "trust" in Kannada.[citation needed] The majority of Kurubas were shepherds in ancient times In fact, animal breeding was a very early profession; just after hunting-gathering and just before farming. According to the British historian Reginald Edward Enthoven, Kurumas are none other than the Ahirs of the south.[1][2] Kurubas are among the most ancient and original inhabitants of India and were a pastoral community,an occupation which predates agriculture and farming. The majority of the Kurubas have abandoned their traditional profession as pastoralists, who at some point in history had a foresight about shrinking pastoral landscapes which influenced their occupational shift to settled agriculturalists, hence asserting themselves in this region where they settled down. In the process a few of them grew powerful. It signifies the transition of the ancient animal rearing and nomadic humans into more settled and farming communities. People have branched out of the Kuruba community and developed into other communities over the ages when they started professions other than animal husbandry. Kurubas are of two major divisions: the larger one is the Kannada-speaking pastoral middle caste of Western Karnataka, while the other is the Kurumba language speaking tribe of Nilgiris and surrounding parts.
History [edit]
The Kuruba community is one of the oldest existing communities of India, tracing its history back to prehistoric times. Kurubas have a great and ancient association Kannada language. The population of the Kuruba community in Karnataka alone is nearly 80 lakhs. People of the Kuruba community have long practised a variety of professions, and have not been confined to their traditional (and still predominant) occupation as shepherds and farmers. They have been the source of several ruling dynasties, most recently the Holkars of Indore who were Maratha Dhangars.[citation needed] Undeniably, a large section of rural gentry and peasantry in Karnataka have belonged to the Kuruba community. Some Kurubas have been social thinkers and poets, such as Kanakadasa. Before the Tamil Sangam, South India was inhabited by megalith-builders. These were a pastoral people who lived in caves and in the wilderness. They made stone and metal weapons and pottery. These people built dolmens and cromlechs for their noble dead. In these they buried their dead along with foodgrains, tools, weapons and other eminities for the afterlife. They were locally called as the Pandava people.[citation needed] These were the earliest monuments found in South India. These megalith-builders were the Kurumba people.[citation needed] Kuruba Gowdas reached the zenith of prosperity during the Vijayanagara Empire, which they founded and the Kuruba dynasty (Sangama Dynasty) lasted from 1336 CE to 1488 CE.[3][4][5] Virupaksha Raya II was the last Kuruba emperor of Vijayanagar Empireha
Culture [edit]
Kurubas are Hindus who follow Halumatha, referred to as Palamatha in some parts of India, the religion of the Palakas. Worshiping Almighty Source in stone (Linga) form might have originated from Halumatha. Since animals are indirectly related to stone(soil is formed from stones, plants grow on soil, animals depend on plants), this may be the reason for worshiping Almighty in Stone. Through the ages, this stone worship tradition might have led to worshiping Shiva (Pashupati) as Beeralingeswara, Bharamalingeshwar Mailara Linga, Khandoba, Mahadeshwara, Nanjundeswara, Mallappa, Mallara, Mallikarjuna, Junjappa, Malingaraya, Bommagondeshwara, Sande devaru etc. Even the worshiping of shakti as Manchamma, (Temple in Naganahalli, Kunigal Taluk, Tumkur District, Karnataka, Yellamma, Renuka, Chowdamma, Kariyamma, Hulluramma, Hallehoramma, Thottilhiramma, Chamundi, Bhanashankari, Gullamma, Gangamma etc. might have come from this tradition. Even today ancestral worship as deities is very common. The worship of ancestors like Revanasidda, Rama, Hanuman, Krishna, Keshava, Ranganatha, Eera Thimmanna, Tirupati Thimmappa, Venkateswara, Kalidasa, Siddarama, Kanakadasa, etc. as Devaru very much exists in Kuruba traditions.
Beeralingeswara temples have Balaga with Gowda.,[6] Buddhivanta, Bandari, Kolkara, Heggade[6] etc. Generally, priests in Beeralingeshwara and Milaralingeshwara temples are Kurubas. The forefathers of these people were of the major Indian dynasties.[7]
Other names [edit]
Kurubas are known by different names in different regions of the country, like Maldhari / Bharwad / Rabari, Bharavadaru, Dhangar, Dhangad / Dhanwar / Dhanka /Dhangod, Doddi Gowda, Goravar,Gadhariya, Gadaria, Gowda, Gaddi, Gadri, Golla, Kurumba Gounder, Halumatha, Heggades, Idyar, Kuruba, Kuruba Gowda, Kuruva, Kurumba, Kurmar, Kurumbar, Kuruma, Kurkhi, Kurupu, Naikers, Naidus, Nikhers, Oraon, Pal / Pala, Palaru, Paalakshtriya. Gowda is the commonly used surname among Kurubas. These people perform the role of the village or community head called "Gowdike".
Sub-castes [edit]
Gotras [edit]
The tradition of gotras was started by Kuruba Gowdas as a means of identifying people of same familial lineage. Gotras were used to prevent intermarriages amongst family members within the community. Allama Prabhu, the Lingayat saint had said "Kuruba Hutavamunna Kulavilla Gotra Villam, Kuruban fal kani Basavanna", meaning "Before the Kurubas there were no gotras, gotras came with Kurubas, Basavanna, we are the descendants of kurubas". This shows that many Lingayats were Kurubas/Dhangars previously.[citation needed] The gotra system was later adopted by other communities and is even prevalent to this day.[citation needed]
Culture [edit]
Language [edit]
Kurubas are probably the only major caste in south India with a distinct Kuruba Language spoken by Betta Kurubas and Jenu Kurubas of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.[original research?][citation needed]
Deities [edit]
Festivals [edit]
Traditions [edit]
Traditionally Kuruba Gowdas celebrate most Hindu festivals. They have their own costumes, songs, ballads and plays in praise of god such as:
Current situation [edit]
Traditionally warriors and farmers,[citation needed] Kurubas were late to take up modern education, but have made rapid progress in many fields. They reached the zenith of prosperity under the Vijayanagara empire.[8]
Kingdoms and rulers [edit]
Notables [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ The tribes and castes of Bombay - Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
- ^ Reginald Edward Enthoven, The tribes and castes of Bombay, volume 1, page 19
- ^ a b c d By James Mansel Longworth page 204
- ^ Oriental Historical manuscripts in Tamil Language, volume 2 page 140
- ^ By S N Sadasivan page 242
- ^ a b By K.Balasubramanyam
- ^ OurKarnataka.com(OKC). "Prof A V Narasimha Murthy: Rare Royal Brothers: Hakka and Bukka". Ourkarnataka.com. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
- ^ A forgotten Empire Vijayanagar - Google Books. Books.google.co.in. 2001-03-26. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
- ^ By L. Krishna Anantha Krishna Iyer(Diwan Bahadur) year 1936
- ^ a b By Suresh K Sharma page 173
- ^ a b By Sabyasachi Bhattacharya page 40
- ^ Mackenzie collection: a descriptive catalogue of the oriental manuscripts and other articles of south india, surver general of India, volume 1 page cxl3
- ^ By Ti Ecc Pi Centarasseri Page 62-63
- ^ By Vera Micheles Dean page 40
- ^ By Taylor and Francis page 408
See also [edit]
Further reading [edit]
- "Bharatha Kurubara Charithre" by V R Hanumanthaiah
- "Halumatha Darshana" by Shambha Joshi
- "Karnataka Kurubas" by Shivanand Gubbanna
- "Badal Aamhi Ghadvinar" in Marathi by Mahadeo Jankar
- "Satyashodhak,Dandnayak - Saint Kanakadass" (in Marathi) by S.L.Akkisagar
- "Bharathada Kurubaru" by Dr B.K.Ravi(Kannada) original author Dr Sham Singh Shasi
In film [edit]
External links [edit]
