Gavara

Gavara is a term used to refer to three different Telugu-speaking South Indian communities.

  • Gavara is a trading community and is a sub-caste of Balija.[1][2][3] They are present in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The Telugu-speaking Gavara community of Tamil Nadu is related to Balijas and is also known as Kavarai.[2][3][1][4] The often use the title Naidu.[5] Gavara Balijas are distinct from both Gavara Komatis and the Gavara caste of former Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh.
  • Gavara is also the name of a Komati sub-caste.[6][7] They are a trading community.[8] Gavara Komatis are distinct from Gavara-Balijas as well as the Gavara caste of former Visakhapatnam district.[9][8]
  • Alternatively, Gavara is also the name of a small caste mostly present in former Visakhapatnam district (present-day Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam districts) and in some parts of the former Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh.[10][11] They are not related to Balija caste. They are predominantly agriculturists and are also involved in petty trade.[10]

References
  1. Mathur, P. R. G. (1994). Applied Anthropology and Challenges of Development in India. Punthi-Pustak. pp. 341, 356. ISBN 978-81-85094-79-3.
  2. Census of India, 1901: Madras (3 v.). India Census Commissioner. 1902. p. 161. Kavarai - A Tamil synonym for Balija; probably a corrupt form of Gavara.
  3. Mukund, Kanakalatha (1999). The Trading World of the Tamil Merchant: Evolution of Merchant Capitalism in the Coromandel. Orient Blackswan. pp. 43, 183, 185. ISBN 978-81-250-1661-8. Kavarai (the Tamil word for Balija merchants)
  4. Brimnes, Niels (1999). Constructing the Colonial Encounter: Right and Left Hand Castes in Early Colonial South India. Psychology Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-7007-1106-2. The Kavarais were Tamilized Balija Chettis of Telugu origin, returned in the census as 'Wadugas' or 'Northerners'.
  5. 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.
  6. Yandell, Keith E. Yandell Keith E.; Paul, John J. (19 November 2013). Religion and Public Culture: Encounters and Identities in Modern South India. Routledge. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-136-81801-1.
  7. Census of India, 1961: Andhra Pradesh. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 1962. pp. 7–9. The two major sects among Komati caste are Gavara Komati and Kalinga Komati. The Gavara Komatis are strict vegetarians while the Kalinga Komatis are non-vegetarians.
  8. Singh, K. S. (1992). People of India: Andhra Pradesh. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 978-81-7671-006-0.
  9. Tapper, Bruce Elliot (1987). Rivalry and Tribute: Society and Ritual in a Telugu Village in South India. Hindustan Publishing Corporation. ISBN 978-81-7075-003-1.
  10. Murthy, B. E. V. V. Narasimha (1989). Entrepreneurship in Small Towns. Mittal Publications. p. 91.
  11. "Kapu, Gavara votes to determine Anakapalli assembly seat's fate". The Times of India. 2 April 2019. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 10 June 2023.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.