 Kunchitigas | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Karnataka, andTamil Nadu, India | |
| Languages | |
| Kannada, andSanskrit | |
| Religion | |
| Vaishnavism,Shaivism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Dravidian · Kannadiga |
TheKunchitigas[1] (also known as Kunchatiga, Kanchitiga, Kanchitigar, Kunchitigar, Kunchidigar, Kunchigar, Kunchu Okkaliga, Kunju Okkaliga, Kurichigar, Kunchiliyan, Kappiliyan) are a community of people fromKarnataka, India. They are mostly concentrated in theTumkur,Bangalore,Mysore,Ramanagara,Shivamogga andChitradurga districts.[2][3] They are also found inTamil Nadu.[4][5]
While the Kunchitigas are considered a sub-division ofVokkaligas,[6][2][7] they are listed separately by the government.[1][8][9] Some Kunchitigas wereVeerashaivas who embracedLingayatism to become a separate division.[10][11][12] The Kunchitigas are classified under theGeneral/Unreserved Category by the Central Government of India.[13][14][15][12]
The Kunchitigas were historically a landholding community of cultivators and merchants.[16] They formed part of the administrative[17][18] and warrior classes[10][19][20][21] in ancient times. Their chiefs were called "Gowda"[22] and "Nayaka"[23] in Karnataka, and "Gounder"[24] in Tamil Nadu.
The origin of the wordKunchitiga is uncertain, and there are two speculative theories about it. The first is that the wordkunchiti is a combination of two words:kuncha (referring to the brush-like crest on a soldier's helmet) anditi (spear), describing soldiers with spears.[25]
The other is that aKuruba, Jaldhi Bapparaya, held akuncha, a brush used by Kuruba weavers. Unde Yattaraya is said to have named his community Kunchitiga in his honour.[26]
While the exact origins of the community are disputed to date, there are legends describing the migration of the community from the north to the south of India.[5][4][27]
It is believed that the Kunchitigas were originally from North India and were forced to migrate south due to various circumstances in that region. In most legends concerning this migration a Muslim ruler is involved, who is said to have coveted the chief's daughter, Unde Yattaraya. While fleeing the Muslim ruler, she was unable to cross an overflowing river (some accounts sayGodavari, others sayTungabhadra) and was helped by aKuruba Gowda[5][27][4] called Jaldhi Bapparaya, who was one of the two divine foundlings (the other being Avinakamaraya).[27] Jaldhi is said to have offered himself as a sacrifice to the river goddess to create an easy passage for the fleeing people. Unde Yattaraya is said to have given her daughter to marry Jaldhi Bapparaya's corpse, who was then revived by divine grace. Unde Yattaraya, Jaldi Bapparaya, and Avinakamaraya are ranked among the progenitors of the Kunchitigas. After crossing the river, the Kunchitigas settled in Vijaynagar first, before moving further south to Nandana Hosur inChitradurga District, where they migrated toSira, which is still considered to be their headquarters.[27][28][4]
There seems to be evidence to link the Kunchitigas with theSeuna dynasty.[5][29][30] The Seunas known asYadavas ofDevagiri[31] often proudly claimed their pastoral ancestry.[32][33] It is believed theVokkaligas had pastoral origins.[34][35] The legend of Jaldhi Bapparaya[30] has a clear theme of being chased south by Muslim invaders. The arrival of the Kunchitigas at Nandana Hosur matches withAlauddin Khalji's raid on Devagiri.Alauddin Khalji sentMalik Kafur to recapture Devagiri in 1313;[36] Singhana III was killed in the ensuing battle and Khalji's army occupied Devagiri.[37][38] Seunas were once the feudatories of the Rashtrakutas who were dispatched to rule the northern regions[38]and later became feudatories of the Western Chalukyas.[39][40] Further epigraphic evidence suggests that the Seuna dynasty likely emerged from a Kannada-speaking background.[41]Many Seuna rulers had Kannada names and titles such as Dhadiyappa, Bhillama, Rajugi, Vadugi, Vasugi, and Kaliya Ballala.[25] Kunchitigas could beYadavas that migrated south with the fall of their dynasty.[5]
According toEdgar Thurston, the Vokkaligas claimed to be descendants of the Ballāl Rājah of Ānēgundi.[6] TheHoysalas or Ballāl Rājas were contemporaries of the Seūnas of Devagiri.[42]
An alternate version of the history of Kunchitigas and the traditions of Unde Yattaraya is recorded in the Nandana Hosur Copper Plate, but its reliability is doubted.[23]
A legend follows Veera Keturaya, his son Veera Nagappa, and daughter-in-law Veera Nagamma. Keturaya is described as a divine ruler born in Warangal that rose to power after the fall of the Kakatiya empire. He is said to have moved south to fulfill his legacy of killing an evil demon king. In his adventure, he meets the 48 clans of the Kunchitigas coming from Dwarka and becomes their leader. Veera Keturaya moves to Vaddagere with the Kunchitigas, conquers Nelamangala by killing the demon king Baicha, and becomes the king ofPenukonda. He is succeeded by Nagappa.[43]
Nagappa's unexpected death at the hands of enemy forces brings Nagamma‘a youthful marriage to an end. She is disappointed inShiva for failing to protect her husband and ends her life by performingsati. Shiva, displeased with the turn of events, revives her. The Kunchitigas worship Mahasati Devi Veera Nagamma as Shiva's daughter, who through her pure and sincere devotion was able to overcome death.[43]
Keturaya is said to have ruled a part of the Warangal'sKakatiya kingdom in the 12th century, which is approximated by archaeological evidence like a copper inscription.[citation needed] He was a contemporary of Penukonda's ruler Jagaraya or Jaga Devaraya. The Penukonda rulers dominated parts of South India roughly during and after the fall ofKakatiya dynasty of Warangal, and much before the rise of theVijayanagara Empire. After ruling Warangal for 12 years, Keturaya settles down in Varapura, Tumkur.[44]
The poet Kempananjaiah praises Keturaya in hisyakshagana plays.[44]
The story of Veera Nagamma in Vaddagere, Tumkur, and the movement of the Kunchitigas from the north to south form the basis that Kunchitigas were Yadavas who moved towards Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Some believe Kunchitigas wereChalukya orRashtrakuta warriors. Historian S. C. Nandinath proposed that the wordChalukya originated fromSalki orChalki, which is a Kannada word for an agricultural implement.[45][46] Some of the Rashtrakuta inscriptions found in the Banavasimandala carry the depiction of a plough at the top, the symbol of the Vokkaliga.[47] There is a view that the Rashtrakutas were originally prosperous cultivators, who later dominated the political scene. Some of the inscriptions refer to them as Kutumbinah, which is interpreted to mean "cultivators".[48] This theory is supported with evidence from Kunchitiga settlements and migration patterns, which resemble a mobile army's method of setting up outposts in their conquests.[25]
As a community of warriors[20][19][10] and cultivators,[22][49][10] they were historically associated with the Vijaynagar Empire[50][51] and the Wodeyars of Mysore, among other rulers.[52][20][17] Kunchitigas were the rulers ofSira,Madhugiri, andKoratagere.[53]
Kunchitigas are also found in interior parts of Tamil Nadu.[4][5] Some of thePolygars in the Madurai district were Kunchitigas.[54][55] Wodeyars frequently battled Madurai Nayakars and had briefly won Dindigal and Theni afterChanda Sahib ended theMadurai Nayak dynasty. Some Kunchitigas are believed to have received land grants.[56] They are also associated with the expansion of the Dindigal fort.
It is believed that Kunchitigas originally had 101gotras. Currently, people of the following 48 gotras are found in the Karnataka region. The archaeological department found a stone inscription in Nandana-hosuru, Chitradurga District, with information about the 48 gotras.[44] Endogamous marriages within the same gotra are forbidden.[57]
According to various inscriptions that were found on the copper plates and palm leaves in South Indian archives,[58] the 48 gotras were named after their characters and physiques. Among them, Avinavaru, Baduvanavaru, Basalenavaru, Emmenavaru, Dasalenavaru, Danyadavaru, Undenavaru, Jaldhinavaru, and Janakallinavaru married girls of Shri Krishna Kula Nagakanni sect of Yadavas, and the rest of them were married to the offspring of these couples during pre-Vedic periods.[29][5]
| 1. Undenavaru | Humorous ones, descendants of Unde Yattaraya |
| 2. Yelenavaru | Powerful, Anjaneya Bhaktas |
| 3. Janakallinavaru | Caretakers |
| 4. Arasanavaru | Guru, judge |
| 5. Jaldhinavaru | Jailors, descendants of Jaldhi Bapparaya |
| 6. Rageoru | Crazy ones |
| 7. Avinavaru | Traditional, descendants of Avinakamaraya |
| 8. Jannakkoru | Wardens |
| 9. Alunavaru | Philanthropists |
| 10. Danyathavaru | Elegant people |
| 11. Eradukkariouru | Absent minded ones |
| 12. Kankalanavaru | Zealous ones |
| 13. Alenavaru | Sober ones/Teetotallers |
| 14. Surenavaru | clan guru/Advisor |
| 15. Basalenavaru | Traders |
| 16. Emmenavaru | Diplomats |
| 17. Ethirukaraioru | Moral, straightforward |
| 18. Huliyaru | Humane ones |
| 19. Settenavaru | Decision makers |
| 20. Goniyoru | Rigid people |
| 21. Alpenavaru | Aloof ones |
| 22. Bellenavaru | Aggressive ones |
| 23. Andenavaru | Good anchors, Traders and Wise ones |
| 24. Jeerikkoru | Jealous ones |
| 25. Kattaratavaru | Ardent ones |
| 26. Onamanavaru | Powerful people |
| 27. Kakkiyavaru | Enthusiastic ones |
| 28. Manasanvaru | Recited Hymns |
| 29. Kambalioru | Juvenile natured |
| 30. Ellaioru | Elite people |
| 31. Mayoru | Confused ones |
| 32. Athenavaru | Commanders |
| 33. Karikkenavaru | Youthful ones |
| 34. Sarangathoru | Wise people |
| 35. Ravuththnaoru | Chatterboxes |
| 36. Uthathoru | Toolmakers |
| 37. Gudiyoru | Guard, Guest |
| 38. Jeriyoru | Entertainers |
| 39. Uthathoru | Toolmakers |
| 40. Badavanavaru | Singers |
| 41. Dasalenavaru | Tailors |
| 42. Ullenavaru | Autocrats |
| 43. Thabakkioru | Weavers |
| 44. Saradenavaru | Intelligent ones |
| 45. Thomkuthioru | Meticulous ones |
| 46. Kokkenavaru | Knowledgeable ones |
| 47. Kuloru | Traditional people |
| 48. Koopaenavaru | Ones with decorated eyes |
| 49. Olakkaloru | Celebrities |
| 50. Aranmaneyaru or Dasarivaru | Zamindars |
The following gotras are found outside Karnataka.[28]
The Kunchitigas ofMalenadu were cattle traders that were known asmaroru (transl. "vendors").[59]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Some of the Poligars in this part of the country were Kappiliyans, and they doubtless brought with them a retinue of their own castemen.
The Kombai Parivarams , who are the servants of the Kappiliyan Zamindars of Kombai and Tevaram in the Periyakulam taluk...
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)