Jump to content

Tulu people: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
mNo edit summary
Please discuss
Line 30: Line 30:
==People==
==People==


The majority of Tuluvas are [[Hinduism|Hindus]] who are subdived into various communities namely [[Bunt (community)|Bunt]]s, [[Mogaveera]], [[Billava]], [[Shivalli Brahmins]] and others. There is a small population of landlords who follow [[Jainism]] and are called [[Jain Bunt]]. Many Tuluvas have settled in Mumbai where they have excelled in various fields from banking to bollywood.<ref>http://www.screenindia.com/old/fullstory.php?content_id=9651</ref>
The majority of Tuluvas are [[Hinduism|Hindus]] who are subdivided into various communities as follows
* '''[[Shivalli Brahmins]]'''<ref name="Thurston 1909">[[Edgar Thurston|Thurston, Edgar]]; [[K. Rangachari]] (1909). Castes and Tribes of Southern India Volume 1 - Volume 7 . Madras: Government Press</ref>
Brahmins form one of the major tulu communities. Brahmins were said to have been encouraged to settle in [[Tulu Nadu]] from [[Talagunda]] and Kuppatturu, both are in Shimoga district. Talagunda agrahara was in existence as early as 3rd century C.E. Mayuravarma may have influenced Ahicchatra Brahmins to migrate to Talagunda and Kuppatturu. Later when Alupas became the feudatory of Chalukyas and the overlord of Banavasi Mandala, the Brahmins from Banavasi Mandala were given various Agraharas in Tulu nadu. They formed another holy place '''[[Shivalli]]''' which gave birth to various temples in this land. Shivalli was considered a holyplace next to distant Varanasi. Tradition tells us that there were at least 360 Brahmin families spread all over Tulunadu taking care of 360 temples..These Brahmins are referred by the place or Agraharas they belonged to. Shivalli Brahmins have two groups, the one that follows Madhwacharyas Dvaita philosophy and the other that follows [[Adi Shankara]] Advaita philosophy. This distinguishes them as Madhwa and Smartha Brahmins.

* '''[[Bunt (community)|Bunt]]'''<ref name="Thurston 1909" />
The Bunts are the [[Gentry|landed gentry]] of Tulu Nadu with a well defined martial tradition.The name of the community Bunt is derived from the Sankrit word 'Bhata'. It means warrior.The community has nearly 100 surnames, the commonest ones are Shetty, Rai and Hegde.Most are Hindus while a miniscule minority numbering around 40000 assimilate [[Jain]] traditions into their ancestral Hindu faith are called [[Jain Bunt]].Most erstwhile ruling clans of tulu nadu belonged to this community such as the [[Chowta]],Bangas,Samantha Rajas,Alupas etc.

* '''[[Sthanika Brahmins]]'''<ref name="Tulunadina Ithihasa">The Sthanika's and their Historical Importance (1938), by Dr. B. A. Saletore and Tulunadina Ithihasa of Prof. P. Gururaj Bhat</ref>
Sthanika Brahmins are the first Brahmin migration to Tulunadu. They belongs to Pancha-Dravida Brahmin commmunity. Sthanika Brahmins are the followers of Shri Adi Shankaracharya and Advaitha philosophy. They are the shishyas of Dakshinamnaya Shringeri Sharada peetam and have retained their Smartha traditions. The kuladevatha of Sthanika Brahamins is Lord Subramanya. Sthanika's acquired their name owing to their managerial position, such as Governor of the place, Temple administrator etc. The importance of Sthanikas is explained in Chanakya's Artha Shastra(1)(2)(3)(4)(5). The Temple management system under Sthanika Brahmins were known by the inscriptions and records of Tulunadu. Apart from Sthanadhipati of Temples, these Shiva Brahmins or Tulu Brahmins were working as Senabhova at place of King/Local Chieftain. During British Raj Kingsdom the Sthanika Brahmins lost their administartive position and today have diversified into variety of fields and are spread to all parts of India and abroad.

* '''[[Devadiga]]'''<ref name="Thurston 1909" />
Devadigas are a Hindu community of temple musicians and Temple attendants. The name "Devadiga" is derived from archaic Tulu term "Deva Adiga" ('Devara Adiyalu' means "God's Worker"). Devadigas are also known as Moily & Sherigar and many sport these surnames.

*'''[[Mogaveera]]'''<ref name="Thurston 1909" />
These are the Tulu speaking fishermen scattered all around the coastal land of Dakshina Kannada. The religious headquarters of these people are in Bennekudru near Sitanadi (Barakuru). Nema and Kolas(ritual dances) are constantly celebrated in Tulu Nadu and the origin of Bobbarya Stahana (temple) is attributed to Mogaveeras. They dominated the marine and fishing business in coastal Karnataka.

* '''[[Billava]]'''<ref name="Thurston 1909" />
These are the most numerous of any tulu speaking caste and were hunters during early civilization and also invovled in toddy tapping and arrack brewing.Billava stands for Bow Man.The community was reformed through the teachings of [[Narayana Guru]] and has become upwardly mobile in recent years.



[[Kodagu Gowda|Tuluva Gowda]]<ref>http://www.jstor.org/pss/598584</ref><ref name="Thurston 1909" /> and others.


==Culture==
==Culture==

Revision as of 16:16, 14 February 2011

Tuluvas
ತುಳುವೆರ್
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Tulu
Religion
Hinduism
Jainism
Related ethnic groups
Dravidian · Mudaliyar  · Telugus  · Malayali · Kannadiga · Tamilian · Kodava

The Tuluva (Tulu: ತುಳುವೆ, plural Tuluver (Tulu: ತುಳುವೆರ್ ), also called the Tulu people, are a linguistic ethnic group native to the Tulu Nadu region of India, presently divided amongst the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district of Karnataka and the Kasaragod taluk of Kerala. They are the native speakers of the Tulu language . There is a sizable emigrant Tuluva population in Mumbai, the Middle East, and in several countries of the Anglosphere.

Geographic Distribution

Though most of the Tuluva population is found in the Tulu Nadu region, migrant poplulations are found the world over. In recent times, the first period of migration started at the beginning of the 20th century to places such as Mumbai (known then as Bombay) and Chennai (known then as Madras) and other parts of South India. The Tulu speaking Shivalli Brahmins mostly migrated towards the south of Tulunadu to areas like Madras, Bangalore, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, etc. and other Tuluvas towards the north of Tulunadu especially to Mumbai and surrounding areas like Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pune where they are involved in various fields from banking to bollywood.[2]


The second period of migration started with World War II to escape rationing of food under the British administration. The third period of migration started after imposition of the Land Reform Act in the early 1970s, when thousands of landlord Bunts lost their land to tenants. The fourth wave of migration especially to Bangalore started with the IT boom in the late 1990s and 2000s[citation needed]. The migrants in this wave were educated skilled people required for the IT sector.[citation needed] There were two other waves of migration: one to the Gulf states mostly in the 1980s and 1990s. Another period of migration to the United States followed the IT boom in India, particularly in Bangalore.

People

The majority of Tuluvas are Hindus who are subdived into various communities namely Bunts, Mogaveera, Billava, Shivalli Brahmins and others. There is a small population of landlords who follow Jainism and are called Jain Bunt. Many Tuluvas have settled in Mumbai where they have excelled in various fields from banking to bollywood.[3]

Culture

Tuluvas follow Aliya Kattu system, where inheritance is from uncle to nephew, except for Brahmins and the Parivara bunt subdivision of bunts. Other distinctive features include rituals of Bhuta Kola, Nagaradhane and Yakshagana etc. Tuluva New Year is called Bisu, which falls on the same day as Baisakhi, Vishu and Thai New Year.

Demand for a separate state

From India's independence and following the reorganization of states, the Tuluvas have been demanding national language status for Tulu and a separate state for themselves called Tulu Nadu, based on their language and distinct culture. Though a bit subdued in between, this demand has grown stronger in recent years. Several organizations like the Tulu Rajya Horata Samiti have taken up the cause of the Tuluvas and frequent meetings and demonstrations are held across towns in Tulunadu (like Mangalore, Udupi etc) to voice their demands.[4][5][6]

Prominent Tuluvas

See also

Content

The Sthanika's and their Historical Importance (1938), by Dr. B. A. Saletore and Tulunadina Ithihasa of Prof. P. Gururaj Bhat[7]

References