Thogataveera
Thogataveera (also known as Thogata, Thogataru, Thogatiga, Thogatagera Thogataveera Kshatriya and Thogaja Pushpanjali)[1] are a community made up predominantly of weavers found in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. They are Chandravanshi Kshatriyas [2]and descendants of Maharshi Pushpandaja Muni[3] and are worshippers of Chowdeshwari Devi [4]. It is believed that Chowdeshwari Devi came from Varanasi to Nandavaram and 500 brahmin families who stayed back at Nandavaram became Nandavarika Brahmins, a section of who became the custodians of the Chowdeshwari Devi temple [2]. The Thogataveera community and the Nandavarika Brahmin community live in amity and close association with one another.
[edit] Details
In Andhra Pradesh, the Thogata are classified under the Backward Castes as Thogata Sali as a sub-caste under the Padmashali grouping [5]. In Karnataka, the community is considered to have remained economically backward and socially unintegrated[3].
