TheBunt (/ˈbʌnt/,[1]Tulu:[bɐɳʈɐɾɯ]) people are an ethnictuluva community who historically have inhabited theTulu Nadu region inSouth India.[2] The Bunts were traditionally awarrior-class or martial caste community,[3][4] with agrarian origins,[2] forming thelanded gentry of the region.[5] They are the dominant land-owning, farming and banking community ofTulu Nadu and speakTulu andKundagannada as their mother tongue.[6][7] Today,[when?] the Bunts are a largely urbanised community, with a population size of less than one million worldwide.[8][9]
Etymology
The wordBunt meanspowerful man orwarrior inTulu language.[5] Bunts are also referred to asokkelme, which means farmers or cultivators and references their agrarian origins.[2]
History
Kodial Guthu family (circa 1900). This particular Bunt family were landlords in the city ofMangalore, IndiaKuloor Boodu house has a history of more than two hundred years. This is the main house in northern Kasaragod
American anthropologist Sylvia Vatuk states that the Bunt community was a loosely defined social group.[10] Thematrilineal kin groups that constituted the caste were linguistically, geographically and economically diverse, which were united by their arrogation of aristocratic status and power.[10] The Bunts speakTulu andKundagannada as their native language and were traditionally an agrarian caste engaged in rice cultivation.[11][2][12][13][14] The Bunts follow amatrilineal system of inheritance calledAliyasantana.[15] They have 93 clan names or surnames and are divided into 53 matrilinealsepts called Bari.[16] Members of the same bari did not intermarry.[16][a] According to S. D. L. Alagodi, the Bunts "originally belonged to thewarrior class. Being the martial race of Tulu Nadu, they served the ruling chiefs which brought them considerable benefits and allowed them to become the landowners and nobles of the region."[5][17]
Bunt clans claim descent from the ancientAlupa dynasty (circa 2nd century CE – 15th century CE). HistorianP. Gururaja Bhat mentions that the Alupa royal family were of local origin possibly belonging to the Bunt caste.[18] The title Alupa (Alva) survives until this day among the Bunts according to historianBhaskar Anand Saletore.[19] Some ruling and feudal clans of NorthKerala adjacent to Tulu Nadu were also likely descended from Bunts. Indian anthropologistAyinapalli Aiyappan states that a powerful and warlike clan of the Bunts was calledKola Bari and theKolathiri Raja ofKolathunadu was a descendant of this clan.[20]
Norwegian anthropologistHarald Tambs-Lyche, states that the Bunts were warriors of theJain kingdoms.[21] Jainism gained a foothold in theCanara region during the rule of theHoysala dynasty who were themselves Jains.[22] The Hoysala Ballal kings are known to have appointed Bunts as military officers.[22] A section of Bunts believe that they were originally Jains who later became a caste group.[23] A legend prevalent among the Bunts states that one of the Jain kings of the Bunts abandoned Jainism and took to eating peacock meat to cure a disease.[23]Veerendra Heggade, the hereditary administrator of theDharmasthala Temple has also publicly spoken about the Jain origin of the Bunts.[24] Heggade is the current head of the Pattada Pergade family of Bunt heritage which continues to practice the Jain religion.[25]
The concept of personal landed property existed inSouth Canara district from at least the 12th century and also a military tenure not very different from the feudal system of Europe.[26][clarification needed] The Bunts, being a martial caste, were exempt from paying land taxes.[26] Around the 15th century, the Bunts had consolidated themselves as a land-owning feudal caste grouping. Among the Bunts existed rich landlords as well as poor labourers who were often exploited by the former.[27] Bunt families controlled several villages and lived in amanor house. Several villages were generally united under a single Bunt chiefdom, and the chiefdoms had considerable autonomy despite being vassals to the Jain kings. The Bunt chiefs and petty princes became virtually independent after the rise of theNayakas of Keladi.[21] The Haleri Rajas, who were likely a cadet branch of the Nayakas of Keladi invited Bunt families to settle inKodagu district after establishing theKingdom of Coorg.[28][29]
At the start of the 16th century, theTuluva dynasty came to control theVijayanagara Empire with its capital atHampi inNorth Karnataka.[30][31] It has been suggested by scholars Mysore Hatti Ramasharma and Mysore Hatti Gopal that the Tuluva rulers were of Bunt origin.[32] A section of Bunts called Parivara Bunt have also traditionally claimed to beNayaks (chieftains) of the Vijayanagara Empire.[33]
The feudal life and society of Bunt began to disintegrate during thecolonial period, leading to a period of increasing urbanisation.[9]
The Bunts practiceHinduism as well asJainism.[34] Alagodi wrote in 2006 of the Tulu Nadu population that, "Among the Hindus, a little over ten per cent arebrahmins, and all the others, though nominally Hindus, are really propitiators or worshippers oftutelary deities andbhutas."[35]Amitav Ghosh describes the Tulu Butas as protective figures, ancestral spirits and heroes who have been assimilated to the ranks of minor deities. Thecult worship of the Butas is widely practiced in Tulu Nadu by a large section of the population. The Bunts being the principal landowners of the region were the traditional patrons of theButa Kola festival which included aspects akin to theatrical forms likeYakshagana.[36]
Butas and daivas (tutelary deities) are not worshiped on a daily basis like mainstream Hindu gods.[37] Their worship is restricted to annual ritual festivals, though dailypujas may be conducted for the ritual objects, ornaments, and other paraphernalia of the būta. Unlike with the better-known Hindu gods of thepuraṇic variety, buta worship is congregational and every caste in the Tulu speaking region has its own set of butas and daivas that they worship.[citation needed]
Depending on the significance of the people who worship them, butas or daivas can be family deities (kuṭuṃbada buta), local or village deities (jageda buta, urada buta), or deities associated with administrative units such as manorial estates (Guțțus, e.g., Adve Moodra Guthu, Andemaar Guthu, Kinnimajal Guthu, Kudal Guthu.) (Beedus, e.g., Malarbeedu, Kuloor Beedu). groups of estates (Magane, e.g., Aila Magane uppala, districts (sime) or even small kingdoms (royal butas or rajandaivas).[38] The deity Jumadi is cited as an example of a Rajandaiva, i.e. a royal deity who reigns over a former small kingdom or large feudal estate. Jumadi is worshiped mainly by the rich land-owning Bunts who are the chief patrons of his cult. In the myth, as well as in the religious Buta Kola dance, Jumadi is always accompanied by his warrior attendant, called Bante, who appears to be specially related to the patrons of the Bunt caste.[39]Kodamanthaye,Kukkinanthaye,Jaranthaye,Ullaya andUllalthi are some of the other deities from the royal Buta cult.[40]
Manor houses
Kowdoor Nayarabettu: A medieval Bunt manor house.
Most Bunts followed a matrilineal system of inheritance and the eldest male member in the female line was the head of the family.[41] This head of the family was calledYajmane and he would preside over the manorial court during the feudal era.[41]
The Nadibettu Aramane house inShirva was built in the 14th century and has copper plate inscriptions of theVijayanagara Empire[41] Chavadi Aramane ofNandalike, the manorial house of theHeggade chieftaincy has inscriptions from the 16th century.[42] Suralu Aramane of the Tolaha dynasty is another house of chieftains inUdupi district; it dates from the 15th century.[43] TheSuralu Mud Palace is currently under the ownership of Sudarshan Shetty, a descendant of the Tolahas who is leading a restoration project.[44] The Suralu Palace is aState protected Monument which was partially restored in 2016 with help from theGovernment of Karnataka.[45]
Some other houses of the Bunts that preserve medieval architecture include the Kodial Guthu house of Mangalore.[46][47] Badila Guthu[48] inKannur, Shetty Bettu,[49] Puthige Guthu, Markada Guthu[49] and Kodethur Guthu.[50][51]
Suralu Mud Palace
Organisation
The traditional community council of the Bunts have been replaced by a body of elected members called the Buntara Yane Nadavara Mathr Sangha (Bunt and Nadava Association). It was established in 1908 in Mangalore[52] and has been called the apex body of the Bunt community byThe Hindu newspaper.[53] Similar regional and international organisations operate in areas where the Bunts have migrated.[54]
The Bunt association, including its regional bodies, also runs schools, colleges, hostels and dispensaries.[55][56]
Varna classification
The traditionalchaturvarna system is largely not found in South India. According toBuchanan and historians like P.N Chopra, Gundimeda Sambaiah and Sanjay Subrahmanyam etc., Bunts belong to theSat-Shudras or "Upper" Shudras category in the Hinduvarna system.[57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64] In Southern India, the upper Shudras were generally the landholding ruling classes of South India and were analogous toKshatriyas andVaishyas in North India.[57][60] According to Dr. D. N. Yogeeswarappa, Bunts areNagavanshikshatriyas.[65][better source needed]
Bunts are categorized asOther Backward Class (OBC) in the state of Karnataka (not be confused with central list of OBC's)[71][72]
They are not included in the Central List of OBCs of the state of Karnataka.[73] However their central status is contested as legal petitions have allowed members of the Bunt community to avail OBC reservation at the national level as 'Nadavas'.[74][75]
^S. Anees Siraj quotesGanapathi Rao Aigal, one of the earliest historians to document the history of the Kanara region
Citations
^Kāmat, Sūryanātha (1973).Karnataka State Gazetteer: South Canara. Director of Print, Stationery and Publications at the Government Press. p. 108. Retrieved14 May 2015.
^Sri Sathyan, B. N. (1973).Karnataka State Gazetteer: South Kanara. Director of Print., Stationery and Publications at the Government Press. p. 108. Retrieved16 February 2018.
^Bhat, N. Shyam (1 January 1998).South Kanara, 1799–1860: A Study in Colonial Administration and Regional Response. Mittal Publications. p. 212.ISBN978-81-7099-586-9.
^Iyer, L. A. Krishna (1969).The Coorg tribes and castes (reprint ed.). Gordon Press Madras and Johnson. pp. 67–70. Retrieved14 May 2015.
^abSiraj, S. Anees (2012).Karnataka State: Udupi District. Government of Karnataka, Karnataka Gazetteer Department. p. 179. Retrieved16 February 2018.
^Hegde, Krishna (1990).Feudatories of Coastal Karnataka.Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 10.Coastal Karnataka was home to number of feudatory rulers. All of them being Bunts following matrilineal inheritance called Aliya Santana and favouring both the Hindu andJain Faith
^Ayinapalli, Aiyappan (1982).The Personality of Kerala. Department of Publications,University of Kerala. p. 162. Retrieved27 July 2018.A very powerful and warlike section of the Bants of Tulunad was known as Kola bari. It is reasonable to suggest that the Kola dynasty was part of the Kola lineages of Tulunad.
^Kāmat, Sūryanātha (1993).Karnataka State gazetteers, Volume 1. Office of the Chief Editor, Karnataka Gazetteer. p. 147. Retrieved22 June 2018.The Bants migrated from Dakshina Kannada and Kasargod to Kodagu. It is said that Haleri kings sent for these people from Manjeshwara, Kumble, Bantwala and Puttur to come and inhabit in Kodagu region.
^Mysore Hatti Gopal, Mysore Hatti Rama Sharma (1978).The history of the Vijayanagar Empire, Volume 1. Popular Prakashan. p. 101. Retrieved22 June 2018.The word Tuluva includes all the natives of the Tulu region. In a restricted sense, however, this word has been confined to the Bunts who form the majority of the cultivating class of the districts of North and South Kanara. Some of these Bunts prospering in trade have called themselvesshetties or shresties and tried to raise themselves in the social scale. Although the later kings of Tuluva dynasty have called themselvesYadavas of theLunar line and as having descended fromTurvasu, there is little doubt that they were related by blood to this class of shetties.
^S. Jayashanker (2001).Temples of Kasaragod District. Controller of Publications, Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala. p. 7.Bants of Kasaragod are a military class. They are mostly Hindus except for few Jains and they include four divisions, Masadika Bants, Nadava Bants, Parivara Bants and Jaina Bants
^K. Abhishankar, Sūryanātha Kāmat (1973).Karnataka State Gazetteer: South Kanara. Director of Print, Stationery and Publications at the Government Press. p. 697. Retrieved5 July 2018.
^Sanjay Subrahmanyam (1990).Merchants, Markets and the State in Early Modern India. Oxford University Press. pp. 24, 46.ISBN978-0-19-562569-1.p.24.Inland, and away from the narrow strip of Brahmin settlements along the coast, the land was held and cultivated by the Bants, a caste of ' clean ' Sudras . p.46.The agrarian economy was dominated on the one hand by communities of Saiva Brahmins and their institutions, particularly off the coast, and on the other by a Sudra cultivating caste, the Bants, to the inland
^abChopra, Pran Nath (1982).Religions and Communities of India. India: Orient Paperbacks. p. 122.ISBN9780391027480.:"The Bunts are Sudras, although they played the role of Kshatriyas early in the Christian era when they and the Nadavas were the military Chieftains of the area"
^Udaya, Barkur (2006)."Landlords and Peasantry in Medieval Karnataka Coast".Proceedings of the Indian History Congress.67. Indian History Congress: 226.JSTOR44147941. Retrieved18 April 2021.:"The rich peasant farmers particularly the Brahmans and the high caste sudras such as Nadavas or Bunts, Billavas and Mogavirs owned paddy fields, large areas of gardens of coconut, arecanut and other products."
^G. Shiri (1985).Wholeness in Christ: The Legacy of the Basel Mission in India. India: Karnataka Theological Research Institute. p. 195.The Aliya Kattu law (inheritance law), which was widely practised by Billavas, Mogers and Bunts, and number of other Shudra castes, was not applied to...
^Madhava, K. G. Vasantha (1991).Western Karnataka, Its Agrarian Relations, 1500–1800 A.D. New Delhi: Navrang. p. 176.ISBN9788170130734.:"For instance, the tax structure and the process of its collection of the Vijayanagara rulers and their feudatories enabled the Brāhamans, the Jains and the highcaste Sudras namely the Bunts the Nāyaks and the Gowdas to emerge as powerful landed gentry."
^Punja, P. R. Ranganatha (1948).India's legacy, the world's heritage : Dravidian. Vol. 1. Mangalore: Basel Mission Book Depot. p. 123.:"Like the Nairs in Malabar, the Bunts and Tulu Gowdas in Canara and the Vakkaligas ' and Gowdas of Nagara, the Coorgs are : in the brahminical scale – Sudra's"
^"Backward Classes, Karnataka"(PDF). p. 2,15.:p2."Candidates belonging to Category-ll(A),. 1(B), III(A), and III(B) shall be entitled to reservation in the manner specified in the new Comprehensive Creamy Layer policy";p15. Bunt/Bant is listed under III(B)
^"Caste Report".Karnataka ePASS(Electronic Payment and Application System of Scholars). Department of Backward Classes Welfare, Government of Karnataka. 2021. Retrieved6 March 2021.
^Ananya R Shetty vs The State Of Karnataka, WRIT PETITION NO.25977/2014 (GM-CC) (Karnataka High Court 11 June 2014) ("Hence, a direction is issued to respondent No.2 to reconsider the application of the petitioner seeking issue of OBC Certificate by keeping in view the observations as made by this Court and by perusing the documents furnished by the petitioner in respect of the application.").
^Sri. Naveen Kushal Shetty vs The State Of Karnataka, WRIT PETITION NO.39894/2012 (GM-CC) (Karnataka High Court 10 October 2012) ("Petitioner claims that he belongs to ‘Nadava’ community/caste. It finds place at Sl. No. 122 in the Central List of OBCs for the state of Karnataka. The Tahsildar rejected the petitioner's application by one line order stating that there is no option for bunts in OBCs list...The Tahsildar shall grant an opportunity to the petitioner to file additional documents, if he so desires and also personal hearing before passing order on the petitioner's application. The Tahsildar shall pass a speaking order and communicate the same to the petitioner immediately thereafter.").
Further reading
Claus, Peter J. (1975).Kinship organization of the Bunt-Nadava caste complex. Duke University.
Hegde, Krishananda (2008).History Of Bunts – Medieval Age To Modern Times. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
Rao, Surendra (2010).Bunts in History and Culture. Rastrakavi Govind Pai Research Institute.ISBN9788186668603.
Heggaḍe, Indirā (2015).Bunts: (a Socio-cultural Study). Kuvempu Bhasha Bharati Pradhikara.ISBN9788192627212.