Kuruba (IPA:[kurubɐ]) is aHinducaste native to the Indian states ofKarnataka,Tamil Nadu,Andhra Pradesh andTelangana.[1] They are the third-largest caste group in Karnataka.[2] Traditionally, these are shepherds who used to do the work of sheep/goat and animal husbandry and agriculture, in which they especially raised mixed herds of sheep and goats and cattle.
The termkuruba, meaningshepherd, is derived fromkuri, meaningsheep inKannada. Shepherding was traditionally their primary occupation[3] and still is for many, who lead anomadic lifestyle.[4]
Oral traditions of the Kurubas or Kuruma indicate their descent fromNeolithic farming villages in South India which also kept cattle. Oral traditions indicate some of these original cattle-keeping agriculturalists branched off into new habitats and quickly came to rely on sheep pastoralism, absorbingMesolithic hunter-gatherers. Rituals associated with hunting presumably came from the integration of these hunter-gatherers into the Neolithic pastoralists. These pastoralists later became almost totally separated from their villager antecedents and interacted with them only based on initial conflict and acculturation. For pastoralists such as the Kurubas, the horse became an important pack animal after the Iron Age and an animal for fighting.Nanjundaiah claimed the Kurubas were the descendants of thePallavas.[citation needed] Groups of soldiers from the Kuruba community became important in the armies ofDeccan powers in the Medieval era.[5] It is believed that Kurubas are ethnically related to the Kuruvars ofSangam literature. This is also supported by the fact that Kuruvars worshipedMurukan and his Kuruvar wife, Valli whereas Kurubas worshipMailara/Mallanna, who represents Murukan, and his Kuruba wife, Kurubattyavva.[6]
There are over 200 evidences saying that the Kurumas or Kurubas founded theSangama dynasty, the founding dynasty of theVijayanagara Empire.[7] According toRamchandra Chintaman Dhere, a scholar of the religious traditions ofMaharashtra:
The history of South India shows clearly that all the southern royal dynasties who arose from pastoralist, cowherd groups gained Kshatriya status by claiming to be Moon lineage Kshatriyas, by taking Yadu as their ancestor, and by continually keeping alive their pride in being 'Yadavas'. Many dynasties in South India, from thePallavas to the Yadavarayas, were originally members of pastoralist, cowherd groups and belonged to Kuruba lineages.[8]
. TheHolkars ofIndore belong to this caste which is called asDhangars inMaharastra.
They have three divisions, namely Unnikankan, Hattikankan and Hande. Those who subsist on the wool economy wear aUnnikankan (wool bracelet), while those in agriculture wear aHattikankan (cotton bracelet). These bracelets are tied during the marriage ceremony. Hande Kurubas claims a higher position than the other two and prefers to be called Nayakas. They were an important part of the armies ofHyder Ali and AnkusagariPoligars. Nayakas were military leaders who often becameInamdars.[9][5]
The priestly class of Kurubas is called Oderu Kuruba. They don't eat meat and wear thelingam, and to that extent they resemble theLingayats'Jangamas.[10]
InMaharashtra, they are a sub-caste ofDhangar community.[11] Kurubas and Dhangars have the same religious ideas and practices. TheKannada speaking Dhangars of southernMaharashtra can easily be called Kurubas. They are divided into Unnikankan and Hattikankan Dhangars, which are subdivisions of Kurubas.[12] Dhangars' priestly class is called Vadad, derived from Oderu, which is the priestly class of Kurubas. They differ from Kurubas only in name and language.[13]
By the 1920s, some of the Kurubas had begun to call themselvesPrathama Sudra ('first Sudra') orIndra Sudra ('chief Sudra').[citation needed] InKarnataka, the Kurubas are classified asOther Backward Class in theIndian system of reservation.[14] Since the community is more dispersed, the Kurubas have been called a non-dominant minority community. The Kuruba community's population in Karnataka is around fifty lakh (five million), which is 8-9% of the total 6.5 crore (65 million) population of the state.[15]
The Kuruba community mainly inhabits the eastern parts of Karnataka. The region is mainly plateau broken up by hills, rivers and tanks. The soil in this region is mainly red soils, and red sandy loams, unsuitable for agriculture. The low hills and plains have scrub and rocky country, ideal for pastoral lifestyles.[5]
The Kurubas traditionally practicedtranshumance pastoralism: moving with large flocks of sheep from one pasture to the other. A secondary source of livelihood was once weavingkamblis, but that had mostly disappeared by the 20th century.[citation needed] With the disappearance of pastureland, they have been settling down to agriculture, some as landlords and other as tenants. Today, the majority of Hattikankan Kurubas practice farming and cattle-breeding, and many Unnikankan Kurubas are also farmers. But some also sell sheep and goats, as well as cow dung, in a symbiotic relationship with local farmers.[5][16]
Although the Kurubas are traditionallySaivites, they worship a variety of deities.Mailara,Mallanna,Mallikarjuna,Vitthal (in his original Shiva form) andBeerappa, and Arivamma [Aluvelu mangamma] who all are forms of Shiva, andYellamma are some of the important gods of Kurubas. They consider Vitthal and Beerappa as brothers, however, Beerappa has traditionally been their exclusive deity.[6][17][5] Other deities they worship include Batyappa, Irachikappa, Kallu Kambhadappa, Budalappa, Settipalleppa, Karakuappa andLakshmi Devi. They worship allgramadevatas and sacrifice sheep and goats.[citation needed]
Previously, the Kurubas celebratedparashe where the group of Kurubas throughout a region celebrated the festival of their gods. During this timeGoravas, an order of saints dedicated to Mailari Devaru, are initiated. During theparashe, the idol of the temple where theparashe takes place is washed in a river, and decorated withhoovu-vibhuti. The worship is conducted by a Kuruba pujari and the Goravas sing songs dedicated to the deity. However, these celebrations were largely gone by the 1920s. The Kurubas also worshipIragaru, men who die unmarried, by building temples and setting up stones for them.[citation needed] They bury their dead.[5]
Vijayanagar's kings were Yādavas; therefore they were Kurubas; and therefore Viṭṭhal-Bīrappā must have been their original god. The temple of Anantaśayana depicts a clothed form of Viṭṭhal. At Mallikārjun temple near Mallappanaguḍī, there is a broken image of Viṭṭhal in a shrine. In Hampī, bas-reliefs of Viṭṭhal are sculpted on pillars of the Viṭṭhal temple and Kṛṣṇa temple. In Lepākṣī, there are sculptures of Dhangars standing with a blanket draped over his head, his arm resting on his staff, and his chin resting on his arm. He must be there as a reminder of the family that built the temples. There is no other reason for a human being to be carved here, when almost every other carving on the numerous pillars of these temples depicts a god or a mythological event. These two popular motifs, Dhangars and Viṭṭhal, present a clear image of the family background of the founders of Vijayanagar and the roots of their faith.
