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*{{cite book|editor1-last=Gilbert Slater |author2=|title=Economic studies-Some South Indian Villages
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Gilbert Slater |author2=|title=Economic studies-Some South Indian Villages
|volume=1 |publisher=H. Milford, Oxford University Press |year=1918|page=246|isbn=|quote=Balijas, the chief Telugu trading caste, found all over Madras Presidency. Many are landowners and cultivators | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UG4UAAAAIAAJ }}
|volume=1 |publisher=H. Milford, Oxford University Press |year=1918|page=246|isbn=|quote=Balijas, the chief Telugu trading caste, found all over Madras Presidency. Many are landowners and cultivators | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UG4UAAAAIAAJ }}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=K. S. Singh, B. G. Halbar |author2=|title= People of India:Karnataka, Part 1 |volume= 26|publisher=Anthropological Survey of India |year=2003|page=287|isbn=9788185938981|quote=The Balija are a community of Telugu origin and are scattered all over Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , Tamil Nadu and Kerala| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vxMwAQAAIAAJ }}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=K. S. Singh, B. G. Halbar |author2=|title= People of India:Karnataka, Part 1 |volume= 26|publisher=Anthropological Survey of India |year=2003|page=287|isbn=9788185938981|quote=The Balija are a community of Telugu origin and are scattered all over Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , Tamil Nadu and Kerala| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vxMwAQAAIAAJ }}
</ref>
</ref>


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|volume=2 |publisher=Mittal Publications |year=1932|page=100|quote=| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zseCqGFRpyQC }}
|volume=2 |publisher=Mittal Publications |year=1932|page=100|quote=| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zseCqGFRpyQC }}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=T. Madhava Menon |author2=|title=A Handbook of Kerala
*{{cite book|editor1-last=T. Madhava Menon |author2=|title=A Handbook of Kerala
|volume=2 |publisher=International School of Dravidian Linguistics |year=2000|page=668|quote=| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TjVuAAAAMAAJ }}
|volume=2 |publisher=International School of Dravidian Linguistics |year=2000|page=668|isbn=978-81-85692-31-9|quote=| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TjVuAAAAMAAJ }}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=H. D. Singh |author2=|title=543 Faces of India: Guide to 543 Parliamentary Constituencies
*{{cite book|editor1-last=H. D. Singh |author2=|title=543 Faces of India: Guide to 543 Parliamentary Constituencies
|volume= |publisher=Newmen Publishers |year=1996|page=28|quote=| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YxuLAAAAMAAJ }}
|volume= |publisher=Newmen Publishers |year=1996|page=28|isbn=978-81-900669-0-7|quote=| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YxuLAAAAMAAJ }}
</ref>
</ref>


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*{{Cite book |last=Brimnes |first=Niels |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HdSABP70H9sC&q=balija |title=Constructing the Colonial Encounter: Right and Left Hand Castes in Early Colonial South India |date=1999 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-7007-1106-2 |pages=106 |language=en |quote=The Kavarais were Tamilized Balija Chettis of Telugu origin, returned in the census as 'Wadugas' or 'Northerners'.}}
*{{Cite book |last=Brimnes |first=Niels |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HdSABP70H9sC&q=balija |title=Constructing the Colonial Encounter: Right and Left Hand Castes in Early Colonial South India |date=1999 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-7007-1106-2 |pages=106 |language=en |quote=The Kavarais were Tamilized Balija Chettis of Telugu origin, returned in the census as 'Wadugas' or 'Northerners'.}}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Christopher John Baker, D. A. Washbrook |author2=|title=South India: Political Institutions and Political Change. 1880-1940
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Christopher John Baker, D. A. Washbrook |author2=|title=South India: Political Institutions and Political Change. 1880-1940
|volume= |publisher=Springer |year=1976|page=223|quote=Kavarai was merely the Tamil equivalent of the Telugu word Balija| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fHCwCwAAQBAJ }}
|volume= |publisher=Springer |year=1976|page=223|isbn=978-1-349-02746-0|quote=Kavarai was merely the Tamil equivalent of the Telugu word Balija| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fHCwCwAAQBAJ }}
*{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ya4JAAAAIAAJ&dq=The+main+body+of+Balija+is+called+Telaga&pg=RA1-PA161 |title=Census of India, 1901: Madras (3 v.) |publisher=India Census Commissioner |year=1902 |pages=161 |language=en |quote=Kavarai - A Tamil synonym for Balija; probably a corrupt form of Gavara.}}
*{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ya4JAAAAIAAJ&dq=The+main+body+of+Balija+is+called+Telaga&pg=RA1-PA161 |title=Census of India, 1901: Madras (3 v.) |publisher=India Census Commissioner |year=1902 |pages=161 |language=en |quote=Kavarai - A Tamil synonym for Balija; probably a corrupt form of Gavara.}}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Venkatesa Iyengar |author2=|title=The Mysore Tribes and Castes
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Venkatesa Iyengar |author2=|title=The Mysore Tribes and Castes
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*{{cite book|editor1-last=Joseph Jerome Brennig |author2=|title=The Textile Trade of Seventeenth Century Northern Coromandel: A Study of a Pre-modern Asian Export Industry
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Joseph Jerome Brennig |author2=|title=The Textile Trade of Seventeenth Century Northern Coromandel: A Study of a Pre-modern Asian Export Industry
|volume= |publisher=University of Wisconsin-Madison |year=1987|page=65|quote= | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yGu2AAAAIAAJ }}
|volume= |publisher=University of Wisconsin-Madison |year=1987|page=65|quote= | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yGu2AAAAIAAJ }}
*{{cite book |title=The Political Economy of Commerce: Southern India 1500–1650 |first= |last=[[Sanjay Subrahmanyam]] |edition=Reprinted |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2002
*{{cite book |title=The Political Economy of Commerce: Southern India 1500–1650 |last=[[Sanjay Subrahmanyam]] |edition=Reprinted |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2002
| pages = 304
| pages = 304
|isbn=9780521892261 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jgSMPKVh7f8C}}
|isbn=9780521892261 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jgSMPKVh7f8C}}
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<big>'''Social Activists'''</big>
<big>'''Social Activists'''</big>
* [[Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty]], freedom fighter<ref>
* [[Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty]], freedom fighter<ref>
*{{Cite book |last=M. L. Kantha Rao |first= |url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/25437/ |title=A Study of the Socio-Political Mobility of the Kapu Caste in Modern Andhra |date=1999 |publisher=University of Hyderabad |quote=One of the earliest organisers in Madras was Gazula Lakshmi Narasu Setty, (hereafter G.L.N. Setty) who had founded the first Indian owned news paper in 1844 entitled the Crescent. He came from a Balija mercantile family that founded one of the Madras Telugu Agency houses dealing in cloth and indigo |pages=93 |language=en |author-link=}}
*{{Cite book |last=M. L. Kantha Rao |url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/25437/ |title=A Study of the Socio-Political Mobility of the Kapu Caste in Modern Andhra |date=1999 |publisher=University of Hyderabad |quote=One of the earliest organisers in Madras was Gazula Lakshmi Narasu Setty, (hereafter G.L.N. Setty) who had founded the first Indian owned news paper in 1844 entitled the Crescent. He came from a Balija mercantile family that founded one of the Madras Telugu Agency houses dealing in cloth and indigo |pages=93 |hdl= 10603/25437|language=en |author-link=}}
*{{Cite book |last1=Kumari |first1=A. Vijaya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r-ffeWmj2JUC |title=Social Change Among Balijas: Majority Community of Andhra Pradesh |last2=Sepuri Bhaskar |date=1998 |publisher=M. D. Publications |isbn=978-81-7533-072-6 |pages=14 |language=en}}
*{{Cite book |last1=Kumari |first1=A. Vijaya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r-ffeWmj2JUC |title=Social Change Among Balijas: Majority Community of Andhra Pradesh |last2=Sepuri Bhaskar |date=1998 |publisher=M. D. Publications |isbn=978-81-7533-072-6 |pages=14 |language=en}}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Alok Kumar Kanungo, Laure Dussubieux |author2=|title=Ancient Glass of South Asia: Archaeology, Ethnography and Global Connections
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Alok Kumar Kanungo, Laure Dussubieux |author2=|title=Ancient Glass of South Asia: Archaeology, Ethnography and Global Connections
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</ref>
</ref>
* [[Periyar|Periyar E. V. Ramasamy]], social reformer<ref>
* [[Periyar|Periyar E. V. Ramasamy]], social reformer<ref>
* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L9dIAAAAMAAJ|title=The political career of E.V. Ramasami Naicker: a study in the politics of Tamil Nadu, 1920-1949|last=Viswanathan , E. Sa|first= |date=1983|publisher=Ravi & Vasanth Publishers|pages=18|quote=Ramasami Naicker was born to non - Brahman parents of Balija Naidu community on 28th September 1879 at Erode in Coimbatore district . |language=en}}
* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L9dIAAAAMAAJ|title=The political career of E.V. Ramasami Naicker: a study in the politics of Tamil Nadu, 1920-1949|last=Viswanathan , E. Sa|date=1983|publisher=Ravi & Vasanth Publishers|pages=18|quote=Ramasami Naicker was born to non - Brahman parents of Balija Naidu community on 28th September 1879 at Erode in Coimbatore district . |language=en}}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Gurucharan Gollerkeri, Renuka Raja Rao |author2=|title=The Making of India, 1947-2022: Pivotal People, Events, and Institutions
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Gurucharan Gollerkeri, Renuka Raja Rao |author2=|title=The Making of India, 1947-2022: Pivotal People, Events, and Institutions
|volume= |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |year=2024|page=105|quote=|isbn=9781527561410| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=itPzEAAAQBAJ }}
|volume= |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |year=2024|page=105|quote=|isbn=9781527561410| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=itPzEAAAQBAJ }}
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*{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1IS0AAAAIAAJ|title=Women and Politics|last=Mahapatra|first=Subhasini|date=2001|publisher=Rajat Publications|isbn=9788178800233|pages=211|language=en}}</ref>
*{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1IS0AAAAIAAJ|title=Women and Politics|last=Mahapatra|first=Subhasini|date=2001|publisher=Rajat Publications|isbn=9788178800233|pages=211|language=en}}</ref>
* [[P. Varadarajulu Naidu]], freedom fighter<ref>
* [[P. Varadarajulu Naidu]], freedom fighter<ref>
* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uiVuAAAAMAAJ|title=C. Rajagopalachari, Gandhi's southern commander|last=Antony R. H. Copley |first=|date=1986|publisher=Indo-British Historical Society|pages=240|quote=P. VARADARAJULU 1887-1957 : Balija Naidu . Successful medical practice in indigenous medicine . Journalist . Arrested for sedition at Madura Mill strike , 1918. Imprisoned 1918 , 1922 , 1923. T.N.C.C. Vice - President 1922-23. President 1924-25 . Left Congress 1930. General - Secretary, Hindu Maha Sabha 1940, Vice - President 1942-44 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uiVuAAAAMAAJ|title=C. Rajagopalachari, Gandhi's southern commander|last=Antony R. H. Copley |date=1986|publisher=Indo-British Historical Society|pages=240|quote=P. VARADARAJULU 1887-1957 : Balija Naidu . Successful medical practice in indigenous medicine . Journalist . Arrested for sedition at Madura Mill strike , 1918. Imprisoned 1918 , 1922 , 1923. T.N.C.C. Vice - President 1922-23. President 1924-25 . Left Congress 1930. General - Secretary, Hindu Maha Sabha 1940, Vice - President 1942-44 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1OCfDgAAQBAJ|title=The Congress in Tamilnad: Nationalist Politics in South India, 1919-1937|last=David Arnold|first=|date=2017|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-315-29419-3|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1OCfDgAAQBAJ|title=The Congress in Tamilnad: Nationalist Politics in South India, 1919-1937|last=David Arnold|date=2017|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-315-29419-3|language=en}}
* {{cite book|editor1-last=[[Eugene F. Irschick]] |author2=|title=Politics and Social Conflict in South India
* {{cite book|editor1-last=[[Eugene F. Irschick]] |author2=|title=Politics and Social Conflict in South India
|volume= |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |year=1969|page=270|quote=| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R0K98afLnhAC }}
|volume= |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |year=1969|page=270|quote=| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R0K98afLnhAC }}
* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L9dIAAAAMAAJ|title=The political career of E.V. Ramasami Naicker: a study in the politics of Tamil Nadu, 1920-1949|last=Viswanathan , E. Sa|first= |date=1983|publisher=Ravi & Vasanth Publishers|pages=23, 32|language=en}}
* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L9dIAAAAMAAJ|title=The political career of E.V. Ramasami Naicker: a study in the politics of Tamil Nadu, 1920-1949|last=Viswanathan , E. Sa|date=1983|publisher=Ravi & Vasanth Publishers|pages=23, 32|language=en}}
</ref>
</ref>
* [[S. P. Narasimhalu Naidu]], social worker<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last= S.V. Subramanian |author2=|title=Literary Heritage of the Tamils
* [[S. P. Narasimhalu Naidu]], social worker<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last= S.V. Subramanian |author2=|title=Literary Heritage of the Tamils
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*{{cite book|editor1-last=Rekha Kaul |author2=|title=Caste, Class and Education: Politics of the Capitation Fee Phenomenon in Karnataka
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Rekha Kaul |author2=|title=Caste, Class and Education: Politics of the Capitation Fee Phenomenon in Karnataka
|volume= |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=1993|page=177|isbn=9780803994720|quote=M.S. Ramaiah belonged to the Balija community , a backward trading class.| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fn5YAAAAYAAJ }}
|volume= |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=1993|page=177|isbn=9780803994720|quote=M.S. Ramaiah belonged to the Balija community , a backward trading class.| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fn5YAAAAYAAJ }}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Bi Rama Raju |author2=|title= Telugu Saints and Sages |volume= 1|publisher=Sri Sai Publications |year=2005|page=164|isbn=|quote=| url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=BXbXAAAAMAAJ }}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Bi Rama Raju |author2=|title= Telugu Saints and Sages |volume= 1|publisher=Sri Sai Publications |year=2005|page=164|isbn=|quote=| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BXbXAAAAMAAJ }}
</ref>
</ref>



Revision as of 21:14, 25 April 2024

Balija
ReligionsHinduism
LanguagesTelugu, Kannada, Tamil
CountryIndia
Populated statesAndhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala

The Balija are a Telugu-speaking mercantile community primarily living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and in smaller numbers in Telangana and Kerala.[1]

Etymology

Variations of the name in use in the medieval era were Balanja, Bananja, Bananju, Banajiga and Banijiga, with probable cognates Balijiga, Valanjiyar, Balanji, Bananji and derivatives such as Baliga, all of which are said to be derived from the Sanskrit term Vanik or Vanij, for trader.[2][3]

Another version for etymology states that Balija is derived from the Sanskrit word Bali, a sacrifice made during 'Yagna' ritual and Ja meaning born. Therefore, Balija means 'born from sacrifice'.[4]

Origins

Beginning in the 9th century, references are found in inscriptions throughout the Kannada and Tamil areas to a trading network, which is sometimes referred to as a guild, called the Five Hundred Lords of Ayyavolu that provided trade links between trading communities in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.[5] From the 13th century, inscriptions referring to "Vira Balanjyas" (warrior merchants) started appearing in the Andhra country.[6] The Vira Balanjyas, whose origins are often claimed to lie in the Ayyavolu, represented long-distance trading networks that employed fighters to protect their warehouses and goods in transit. The traders were identified as nanadesi (of 'many countries') and as swadesi ('own country').[7] The terms balanjya-setti and balija were also used for these traders, and in later times naidu and chetti.[8] These traders formed collectives called pekkandru and differentiated themselves from other collectives called nagaram, which probably represented Komati merchants. The pekkandru collectives also included members of other communities with status titles reddi, boya and nayaka.[9] They spread all over South India, Sri Lanka, and also some countries in the Southeast Asia.[10][11]

Velcheru Narayana Rao et al. note that the Balijas were first mobilised politically by the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya.[12] Later, in the 15th and 16th centuries, they colonised the Tamil country and established Nayaka chieftaincies. At this time, Balijas were leaders of the left-hand section of castes. These Balija warriors were noted as fearless and some stories speak of them assassinating kings who interfered with their affairs.[12] Cynthia Talbot believes that in Andhra the transformation of occupational descriptors into caste-based descriptors did not occur until at least the 17th century.[13]

The classification of people as Balija was one of many challenges for the census enumerators of the British Raj era, whose desire was to reduce a complex social system to one of administrative simplicity using theories of evolutionary anthropology.[a] Early Raj census attempts in Madras Presidency recorded a wide variety of people claiming to be members of Balija subcastes but who appeared to share little in common and thus defied the administrative desire for what it considered to be a rational and convenient taxonomy. Those who claimed to be Chetty had an obvious connection through their engagement in trade and those who called themselves Kavarai were simply using the Tamil word for Balija but, for example, the Linga Balija based their claim to Balija status on a sectarian identification, the Gazula were bangle-makers by occupation, the Telaga had Telugu origins and the Rajamahendram also appeared to be a geographic claim based on their origins in the town of Rajahmundry. Subsequent attempts to rationalise the enumeration merely created other anomalies and caused upset.[14]

Balija branches

There are numerous branches, sub-divisions or social groups which make up the larger Balija social group.

  • Balija Chettis (or Chetti Balija): Mentioned in several Vijayanagar accounts as wealthy merchants who controlled powerful trading guilds.[15] To secure their loyalty, the Vijayanagar kings made them Desais or "superintendents of all castes in the country."[16] They were classified as right-hand castes.[17] David Rudner claims that the Balija Chettis became a separate caste from the Balija Nayak warriors as recent as the 19th century; and accordingly they have closer kinship ties to the Nayak warriors than to Chetti merchants.[18]
  • Gavara is a trading community and is a sub-caste of Balija.[19] They are present in Tamil Nadu. The Telugu-speaking Gavara community of Tamil Nadu is related to Balijas and is also known as Kavarai.[19] The often use the title Naidu.[20] Kavarai is the tamil name for Balijas, who have settled in Tamil Nadu.[19] That is the Tamilised rendition of Gavara.[19]
  • Dasa Banajiga are also called as Jaina Kshatriya Ramanuja-Dasa Vaniyas and Sadu Banajiga as they were formerly Jain Kshatriyas who were converted into Vaishnavism by Ramanujacharya during the rein of Bitti Deva. They are mostly found in Channapatna near Bangalore. They are clean in their habits, pure vegetarians, follow the doctrines of Ramanujacharya, worship Vaishnava gods, speak Kannada, and cremate their dead.[21]

Caste titles

Some Balijas use surnames such as Naidu or Nayudu, and Naicker, which share a common root. Nayaka as a term was first used during the Vishnukundina dynasty that ruled from the Krishna and Godavari deltas during the 3rd century AD. During the Kakatiya dynasty, the Nayaka title was bestowed to warriors who had received land and the title as a part of the Nayankarapuvaram system for services rendered to the court. The Nayaka was noted to be an officer in the Kakatiya court; there being a correlation between holding the Nayankara, the possession of the administrative title Angaraksha and the status title Nayaka.[22][23]

A more widespread usage of the Nayaka title amongst the Balijas appears to have happened during the Vijayanagara empire where the Balija merchant-warriors rose to political and cultural power and claimed Nayaka positions.[24]

Dynasties

The Vijayanagara empire was based on an expanding, cash-oriented economy enhanced by Balija tax-farming.[25] Some Balija families were appointed to supervise provinces as Nayaks (governors, commanders) by the Vijayanagara kings,[26] some of which are:

Varna status

Velcheru Narayana Rao and Sanjay Subrahmanyam say that the emergence of left-hand caste Balijas as trader-warrior-kings in the Nayaka period is a consequence of conditions of new wealth produced by collapsing two varnas, Kshatriya and Vaishya, into one.[35] Based on the Brahmanical conceptualisation of caste during the British Raj period, Balijas were accorded the Sat Shudra position.[36] The fourfold Brahmanical varna concept has not been acceptable to non-Brahmin social groups and some of them challenged the authority of Brahmins who described them as Shudras.[37]

Notable people

Warriors

Zamindar

Social Activists

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Raj theories of evolutionary anthropology, typified by the work of H. H. Risley, are nowadays considered to be scientific racism.

References

  1. ^
    • Jakka Parthasarathy, ed. (1984). Rural Population in Indian Urban Setting. B.R. Publishing Corporation. p. 52. ISBN 9788170181392. Balija are the chief Telugu trading caste , scattered ! throughout Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
    • Narendra Nath Bhattacharyya, ed. (1980). Indian Puberty Rites. Munshiram Manoharlal. p. 23. ISBN 9780836407761. Balija , a class of Telugu merchants
    • Gilbert Slater, ed. (1918). Economic studies-Some South Indian Villages. Vol. 1. H. Milford, Oxford University Press. p. 246. Balijas, the chief Telugu trading caste, found all over Madras Presidency. Many are landowners and cultivators
    • K. S. Singh, B. G. Halbar, ed. (2003). People of India:Karnataka, Part 1. Vol. 26. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 287. ISBN 9788185938981. The Balija are a community of Telugu origin and are scattered all over Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , Tamil Nadu and Kerala
  2. ^ Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar; Archaeological Survey of India (1983). "Epigraphia Indica". Epigraphica. 18: 335. ISSN 0013-9572. LCCN sa66006469. As regards the derivation of this word, the late Mr Venkayya says:- In Kanarese banajiga is still used to denote a class of merchants. In Telugu the word balija or balijiga has the same meaning. It is therefore probable that the words valañjiyam, valanjiyar, balañji, banañji, banajiga and balija are cognate, and derived from the Sanskrit vanij
  3. ^
  4. ^
  5. ^
  6. ^
  7. ^
  8. ^ Talbot, Cynthia (2001). Pre-colonial India in Practice: Society, Region, and Identity in Medieval Andhra. Oxford University Press. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-19803-123-9.
  9. ^ Talbot, Cynthia (2001). Pre-colonial India in Practice: Society, Region, and Identity in Medieval Andhra. Oxford University Press. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-19803-123-9.
  10. ^ Sarma, M Somasekhara; Sōmaśēkharaśarma, Mallampalli (1948), History of the Reddi Kingdoms (circa. 1325 A.D. to Circa 1448 A.D.), Andhra University, p. 396
  11. ^
  12. ^ a b Rao, Velcheru Narayana; Shulman, David Dean; Subrahmanyam, Sanjay (1992). Symbols of substance: court and state in Nāyaka Period Tamilnadu. Oxford University Press. pp. 10, 74. ISBN 978-0-19-563021-3.
  13. ^ Talbot, Cynthia (2001). Pre-colonial India in Practice: Society, Region, and Identity in Medieval Andhra. Oxford University Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-19803-123-9.
  14. ^ Baker, Christopher John (1975). "Figures and Facts: Madras Government Statistics 1880-1940". In Baker, Christopher John; Washbrook, D. A. (eds.). South India. Springer. pp. 222–223. ISBN 978-1-34902-746-0.
  15. ^
  16. ^ Brimnes, Niels (1999). Constructing the Colonial Encounter: Right and Left Hand Castes in Early Colonial South India. Routledge. p. 20. ISBN 9780700711062.
  17. ^
  18. ^ Rudner, David West (May 1987). "Religious Gifting and Inland Commerce in Seventeenth-Century South India". The Journal of Asian Studies. 46 (2): 361–379. doi:10.2307/2056019. JSTOR 2056019. S2CID 162764761.
  19. ^ a b c d
  20. ^ Vijaya, M.; Kanthimathi, S.; Srikumari, C. R.; Reddy, P. Govinda; Majumder, P. P.; Ramesh, A. (2007). "A Study on Tamil – Speaking Immigrants of Andhra Pradesh, South India" (PDF). International Journal of Human Genetics. 7 (4): 303–306. doi:10.1080/09723757.2007.11886010. S2CID 55044174.
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  22. ^ Talbot, Cynthia (September 1994). "Political intermediaries in Kakatiya Andhra, 1175-1325". The Indian Economic and Social History Review. 31 (3): 281. doi:10.1177/001946469403100301. S2CID 145225213.
  23. ^
  24. ^
    • Peter N. Stearns, William Leonard Langer, ed. (2001). The Encyclopedia of World History Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged. Houghton Mifflin. p. 368.
  25. ^
    • Velcheru Narayana Rao; David Dean Shulman; Sanjay Subrahmanyam, eds. (1992). Symbols of Substance Court and State in Nāyaka Period Tamilnadu. Oxford University Press. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-19-563021-3. Originally part of the great Telugu migrations southward into the Tamil country in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Balija merchant- warriors reveal the rise of hitherto marginal, and only recently politicized.. These mobile, aggressive, land-hungry, Telugu-speaking warriors...helped to build the Nāyaka state-system and to impregnate it with their particular cultural vision; strong surviving traditions; supported by contemporary evidence, assert Balija origins and / or marital connections for the major Nāyaka dynasties in the Tamil country quite apart from the well-known Balija role in restructuring the revenue systems of Nāyaka Tanjavur and Madurai
    • Hans T. Bakker, ed. (1992). The Sacred Centre as the Focus of Political Interest. Vol. 6. E. Forsten. p. 201. ISBN 9789069800363.
  26. ^
    • Daniel D'Attilio, ed. (1995). The Last Vijayanagara Kings. University of Wisconsin--Madison. p. 81. ......many of the Telugu migrant groups who settled in Tamil Nadu from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries were led by Balija warriors . These Balijas and their descendants became local rulers under the auspices of Vijayanagara.
    • Christopher Chekuri, ed. (1997). All in the Family: Nayaka Strategies in the Making of the Vijayanagara Empire, South India. University of Wisconsin--Madison. p. 29. Balija trading families in South India had significant influence in the outcome of seventeenth century Vijayanagara politics
  27. ^ a b
  28. ^
  29. ^ a b N. Venkataramanayya (1951). Raghunatha Nayakabhyudayamu. T.M.S.S.M Library, Thanjavur. p. 21. The history of thé family, as described in the Raghunathabhyudayam and Raghunathanayakabhyudayam, begins practically with Pina-Chevva one of the four sons of Timma, who is otherwise unknown. It is sometimes said that the ancestors of Pina Chevva were related to the royal family of Vijayanagara and that they held high offices in the imperial army ; but this is mere speculation unsupported by evidence. Pina Chevva came of an obscure Balija family.
  30. ^ a b
  31. ^ a b
  32. ^
    • K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, ed. (1946). Further Sources of Vijayanagara History. University of Madras. p. 302. On Sravana ba. 10 of Yuva of 146 years ago corresponding to S. S. 1558, (the Raya) granted the government of Penugonda to Koneti Nayadu, the son. of Kastuiri Nayadu, the son of Akkapa Nayadu, who was the son of Canca(ma) Nayadu of Candragiri, a member of the Vasarasi family of the Balija caste.
    • Bulletin of the Government Oriental Manuscripts Library, Madras. Superintendent Government Press. 1954. p. 49. The above said Peda Kōnēti Nṛpati ( Nayak ) First , king of Penukonda . ( 1635 A.D. ) then of Kundurti ( 1652 A.D. ) and of Rayadurga ( 1661 A.D. ) was a Balija by caste , having the surname Vānarāsi . His father Kastūri Nāyak and grand father bencama Nayak had enjoyed high favour with the fallen kings of Vijayanagar who were ruling at Chandragiri
  33. ^ a b
  34. ^
    • The Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society (Bangalore, India). Vol. 11–12. The Society. 1920. p. 47. Then Virabhadrappa Nayaka ascended the Gadi and retiring to Bidarur ruled over his country more peacefully than before. His rule lasted for 15 years from 1551 to 1566. During his reign the rule of Vokkaligas came to an end and was replaced by the rule of Banajigas. Sivappanayaka , grandson of Chikkasankanna Nayaka , was the head of administration as Yuvaraja under Virabhadra Nayaka.
    • Leelavati N. Pujar, Dr.S.S.Wani, ed. (2021). Review of Research, volume - 10, issue - 12 (PDF). lbp.world. p. 1. The Keladi rulers were of the Vokkaliga and Banajiga ranks and were Veerashaivas by faith.
  35. ^ Rao, Velchuru Narayana; Subrahmanyam, Sanjay (January 2009). "Notes on Political Thought in Medieval and Early Modern South India". Modern Asian Studies. 43 (1): 204. doi:10.1017/s0026749x07003368. JSTOR 20488076. S2CID 145396092.
  36. ^
  37. ^
  38. ^
    • K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, ed. (1946). Further Sources of Vijayanagara History. University of Madras. p. 176. Moreover, Acyutadeva Maharaya formally crowned Viswanatha Nayadu of the Garikepati family of the Balija caste as the king of Pandya country yielding a revenue of 2 and 1/2 crores of varahas; and he presented him the golden idols of Durga, Laksmi and Lakshmi-Narayana and sent him with ministers, councillors and troops to the south. Visvanatha Nayudu reached the city of Madhura, from which he began to govern the country entrusted to his care. - taken from the Kaifiyat of Karnata-Kotikam Kings, LR8, pp.319-22
    • Lennart Bes (2022). The Heirs of Vijayanagara: Court Politics in Early Modern South India (PDF). Leiden University Press. p. 79. The dynasty's first ruler was Vishvanatha Nayaka, son of the imperial courtier and military officer Nagama Nayaka. He belonged to one of the Balija castes, which originated in the Telugu region and whose members undertook both military and mercantile activities. Vishvanatha was possibly installed at Madurai around 1530 and reigned until c. 1563
    • Konduri Sarojini Devi, ed. (1990). Religion in Vijayanagara Empire. Sterling Publishers. p. 100. ISBN 978-81-207-1167-9. According to the Kaifiyat of the Karnata Kotikam Kings, "Acyutadeva Maharaya formally crowned Visvanatha Nayadu of the Garikepati family of the Balija caste as the King of Pandya country yielding a revenue of 2 and 1/2 crores of varahas; and he presented him with golden idols of Durga, Lakshmi and Lakshminarayana and sent him with ministers, councillors and troops to the South."
  39. ^
  40. ^ Richman, Paula (2001). Questioning Ramayanas: A South Asian Tradition. University of California Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-520-22074-4. Raghunathanayaka, a Balija who ruled Tanjavur during the early seventeenth century, also wrote a Ramayana.
  41. ^
    • The Feudatory and zemindari India. Vol. 9. the University of California. 1938. p. 250. He was a lineal descendant of the famous warrior and diplomat Rama- bhadra Nayak who had held the post of Fouzdar or Military Chief and Collector of Revenue under his relative Viswanatha Nayak of the House of Vijianagar , King of the Pandyan country
    • A. Vadivelu, ed. (1915). The Ruling Chiefs, Nobles and Zamindars of India. Vol. 1. G.C. Loganadham. p. 679. The Honourable Diwan Bahadur V. Rama Bhadra Naick Garu is one of the most prominent noblemen of South India . As a representative of the zamindari interests of the Southern Group , he has , since 1910 , been in the reformed Legislative Council of Madras. He represents the ancient house of Vadagarai , and is the lineal descendant of the famous Rama Bhadra Naick . To trace the ancestry of the founder of this well - known ancient family we have to go back to the events that had occurred three centuries ago , that is , to the period when the power of the once famous kingdom of Vijianagar was at its height , Rama Bhadra Naick I is said to have been a follower as well as a close relation of the well - known Kottiya Nagama Naick , the Revenue Collector and Commander of the Vijianagar army in the South.
    • The Who's who in Madras: ... A Pictorial Who's who of Distinguished Personages, Princes, Zemindars and Noblemen in the Madras Presidency. Pearl Press. 1938. p. 52. Dewan Bahadur V. Ramabhadra Naidu , member of a family which had close relations with the ruling house of Madura , the Great Tirumal Nayak. Belongs to an ancient Palayagar family of Madura.
    • Vuppuluri Lakshminarayana Sastri, ed. (1920). Encyclopaedia of the Madras Presidency and the Adjacent States. University of Minnesota. p. 450.
    • A. Vadivelu, ed. (2016). The Aristocracy of Southern India. Mittal Publications. p. 245.
    • C. Hayavadana Rao, ed. (1915). The Indian Biographical Dictionary. Forgotten Books. p. 344.
  42. ^ Vuppuluri Lakshminarayana Sastri, ed. (1920). Encyclopaedia of the Madras Presidency and the Adjacent States. University of Minnesota. p. 453. The illustrious House of the great Komarappa Naidu of the South Arcot District traces its ancestry to Tupakula Krishnappa Naidu, the ruler of the Ginji Fort under the aegis of the now Forgotten Empire of Vijayanagar. This ruler of Ginji constructed many new temples and renovated the old and time-honoured temple of Tirukoilur. We find inscriptions bearing the name of Tupakula Krishnappa in several temples of the South Arcot District. Komarappa Naidu belonged to the Kshatriya Balija caste; and his caste- men, who had been warriors till the advent of the Muhammadans, took up trade as their profession thereafter. It can be seen from the existing records that as early as 1752 Komarappa Naidu was carrying on his trade, which mainly consisted in the export of Indian goods to foreign countries in his ships and the import of precious stones, horses, elephants and the products of other countries. He owned sixteen ships and in a few years he made enormous profits. He constructed the Komarappa Naickenpettai, a suburb of Tiruvendipuram in 1780 to attract weavers from other parts of the country. He rendered substantial pecuniary help to the weavers and thus enabled them to purchase the looms and other necessary appliances. The East India Company, which had just settled in India for carrying on trade between India and England, sought the help of the famous overseas merchant, Komarappa Naidu and established commercial relations with him which remained cordial throughout. Komarappa Naidu, who had been religiously disposed from his boyhood, left his entire business in the hands of his son Sankariah Naidu, shortly after the latter came of age and spent the remaining years of his life in religious study. It was during this, his age of retirement, that he built many new temples and gave a fresh lease of life to the old ones in the district. The pious Komarappa used to feed large numbers of Brahmins and pandits daily and more so on festive occasions. He breathed his last in peace in 1819 at the age of eighty-five. We find the image of Komarappa carved on the stone pillars in the Mantapams of the Tiruvendipuram and Tirupapuliyur temples. A monumental Shaivite temple has been erected over his remains in one of his gardens on the bank of the Gadilam river, in which Archana is daily performed. His wife, Mangammal, has renovated the shrine of Sri Dagaleswar Perumal at Tirukoilur, in a prominent part of which we find an inscription bearing her name. Sankariah Naidu, who was sixty-five years of age at the time of his father's demise, had already risen to prominence. He considerably improved the trade of the family, particularly that with the East India Company and constructed more ships. He acquired considerable landed property in the South Arcot, Chinglepet and Tanjore districts. In 1809 he purchased the small Zamindari of Chennappa Naiken Poliem, a few miles to the west of Cuddalore, which also includes the village of Naduvirapattu. To facilitate his export and import trade, he established ports at Cuddalore, Pondicherry, Porto-Novo and Karaikal. He had a big firm at Madras, on the grounds of which now stand the Madras Christian College, the Anderson Hall and the buildings of Messrs. Parry and Company. He constructed a number of choultries among which those at Chidambaram and Tirupapuliyur deserve special mention. Sankariah Naidu married two wives. He had one son, Devanayagam Naidu by his first wife and four sons by his second wife, Ramaswami, Chandrasekhara, Balakrishna and Chinna Devanayagam. Sankariah Naidu died in 1826.
  43. ^
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  46. ^ S.V. Subramanian, ed. (1981). Literary Heritage of the Tamils. International Institute of Tamil Studies. p. 783.
  47. ^

Further reading