Gavara
Encyclopedia
Gavaras or Gavara Naidu are one of the many small communities or caste
of Andhra who live mostly in the north coastal districts. Large concentrations of Gavara population are distributed in and around Anakapalle
in Visakhapatnam district
. A few isolated villages in Vizianagaram
and East Godavari
districts are also inhabited by Gavaras.There is a significant population in Tamil Nadu as well.A large number of Gavara families from these villages migrated to other parts of India
mainly as Railway employees and workers in Steel factories.
The prominent towns in other states with sizeable Gavara population are Jamshedpur/Tatanagar (Jharkhand
) and Kharagpur
(West Bengal
). During British rule, Gavaras spread to Burma (Myanmar), Malaysia, Mauritius
, Fiji
and South Africa
. In more recent decades, educated Gavaras moved into higher jobs in Hyderabad, Bangalore
, Chennai
and abroad. Gavara population in the United States of America grew in leaps and bound in the 1990s onwards compared to a handful of families until the 1980s.
A similarly named Kavarai community is prominent in southern Andhra and Tamil Nadu
. Although they share a common name and profession the Kavarai are related to the Balija Naidu community.Both the communities are not connected and there is very little social interaction between them.
There are three popular stories about the origin of the Gauras. The first two legends connect them with the Kauravas of Mahabharata
.
Whatever might be the historic value of these legends, it is believed that the Gavaras were one among the many communities that came down to settle in South India
from Ahichchatra from Panchala
, in the early centuries of the Christian era.
, as their tutelary deity. We may trace out the antiquity of this worship of Gauri by Gauras to the practice of 'Gaurivratha' in the 13th century referenced in an inscription of the Matsyas of Oddadi. Gaurivrata is in practice even now among the women of the Gaura and Balija communities. The word 'GAURA' or 'GAVARA' also means a Vanija or businessman. According to the book, Suka Saptati, Gauras formed a separate community with business as its profession.
K. Bhogalingacharya in his article (1931) entitled Gauravulu Kauravulu Kara? attempted to connect the Gauras with the epic Kaurava
s, just on the basis of myths and legends. In a similar manner D. Adinarayana (1936) wrote an article entitled Gaura Kulobavamu tracing out the origin of the Gauras. Petakamsetty Sita Ramayya made a successful attempt to bring all the known facts about the early history of this community in his work entitled Gaurula Prachina Charitra (1961). Villuri Ramana surveyed surnames as well as the Gotras of Gavara. Karri Appala Narasimha Rao (1986) attempted to identify some of the early rulers of Andhra as Gauras in his work entitled Sri Satavahanuladrulu. Besides these, there are works like Balija Vamsa Puranamu, Gauriputra Charitramu, Balija Kula Charitra and Sadhusetti, which mention the details of the Gaura community too. All these works deserve credit for bringing out the historical and traditional accounts of the Gauras.
offer much information about the services of the Dadi and Kanisetty families under the Kakatiya dynasty power. Similarly the copper plate records
like the Narsipatnam plates of Vajrahasta Deva of the Eastern Gangas dated 1045 A.D. offer clues on 'Gaurasetti Vishaya', one of the early settlements of the Gauras in Andhra. The community is rarely mentioned in the literary works of early centuries. The only known work that mentioned the community is Suka Saptati written by Pala Vekari Kadiripati of the 17th century.
The inscriptions at Punganur and Nelapalli in Chittor district state about the early settlements of Gaura Settis in the in those areas even before the 10th century. On their way to Ahichchatra to Kanchipuram, they settled at various places in Andhra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
.
Bubri G Narayanswamy Naidu, Former Coucillor & Naidu Sangam Head, Srivilliputhur.
S Thirupathy, Former District Judge, Tamil Nadu
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
of Andhra who live mostly in the north coastal districts. Large concentrations of Gavara population are distributed in and around Anakapalle
Anakapalle
Anakapalle is a town and Municipality in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh, a state in India.The Anakapalle town is famous for its jaggery market. Its market is ranked second in India in terms of jaggery imports/exports. Anakapalle is also a very busy and famous business center in this...
in Visakhapatnam district
Visakhapatnam district
Visakhapatnam district , also known as Visakha Zilla, is an administrative division of Andhra Pradesh, India. The administrative headquarters of the Visakhapatnam District is Visakhapatnam.-Post-Independence:...
. A few isolated villages in Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram
Vizianagaram is the main city of the Vizianagaram District of north-eastern Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Vizianagaram district was formed on 1 June 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. It is, at present, the largest municipality of...
and East Godavari
East Godavari
East Godavari District is a district situated on the northeast of the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Its district headquarters is Kakinada. It is the second richest district in the whole country...
districts are also inhabited by Gavaras.There is a significant population in Tamil Nadu as well.A large number of Gavara families from these villages migrated to other parts of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
mainly as Railway employees and workers in Steel factories.
The prominent towns in other states with sizeable Gavara population are Jamshedpur/Tatanagar (Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
) and Kharagpur
Kharagpur
Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...
(West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
). During British rule, Gavaras spread to Burma (Myanmar), Malaysia, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. In more recent decades, educated Gavaras moved into higher jobs in Hyderabad, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
and abroad. Gavara population in the United States of America grew in leaps and bound in the 1990s onwards compared to a handful of families until the 1980s.
A similarly named Kavarai community is prominent in southern Andhra and Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. Although they share a common name and profession the Kavarai are related to the Balija Naidu community.Both the communities are not connected and there is very little social interaction between them.
Legends
Like other communities, the Gaura folklore describes interesting stories about its origin. Interestingly, some of these traditional stories closely resemble the stories of other communities like Vaisyas, Sadshusettis and Perikis. Additionally, some of the surnames and gotras of the Gauras overlap with those of the Sadhusettis, Perikis, and Vaisyas.There are three popular stories about the origin of the Gauras. The first two legends connect them with the Kauravas of Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
.
- According to one of the legends, when Parkshit became the ruler after the great Mahabharata war, he desired to marry a lady of Kaurava descent. The Kauravas did not accept his proposal and escaped to a far away country, Andhra, to save their honour as well as their lives. The descendents of these Kauravas gradually called themselves as Gauravas or Gavaras.
- According to the second legend, the daughter of Dussala, named Gauri married Subahu, the son of one of the Kauravas. Their lineage came to be known as Gauras.
- The third legend is of historical character and closely resembles the story of the Vaisyas known from the Kanyakapurana written by Guru Bhaskaracharya of the 16th century. According to this story, once the ruler of VengiVengiThe Vengi kingdom extended from the Godavari River in the north to Mount Mahendragiri in the southeast and to just south of the banks of River Krishna in the south of India. This area was part of Kalinga until that kingdom was conquered by Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire in the mid 3rd century...
desired to marry a lady of the Gaura community and asked them to give their consent to the marriage. Due to some reasons, the community was not prepared to give their consent. Fearing retaliation by the king, the community escaped from Vengi to Pudimadaka by sea route and settled down in the areas of Anakapalle in the Visakhapatnam district. On the other hand, the story of Vaisyas mentions the split among the Vaisya community on the issue of marriage with their community’s lady with the king. Out of 714 gotras, only 102 gotras of Vaisyas are stated to have stood for their prestige and honor by challenging the king, whereas the remaining families decided to run away from the place. Based on these parallel episodes of Gauras and Vaisyas, it can be said that the Gauras were among those 612 gotras of the Vaisyas and are an important subset of the Vaisya community.
Whatever might be the historic value of these legends, it is believed that the Gavaras were one among the many communities that came down to settle in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
from Ahichchatra from Panchala
Panchala
Panchala is an ancient region of northern India, which corresponds to the geographical area around the Ganges River and Yamuna River, the upper Gangetic plain in particular. This would encompass the modern-day states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. During the ancient times, it was home to a...
, in the early centuries of the Christian era.
- According to some reachers of Andhra University, Gavaras are from Sri Lanka. They were refused by Sri Lanka later on, by the sea route they migrated and settled in Anakapalli near Visakhapatnam.
Gauri Devi
Some say that the community has come to be known as 'Gauris' or 'Gaureyas' because they worshipped 'Gauridevi', the consort of Lord ShivaShiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, as their tutelary deity. We may trace out the antiquity of this worship of Gauri by Gauras to the practice of 'Gaurivratha' in the 13th century referenced in an inscription of the Matsyas of Oddadi. Gaurivrata is in practice even now among the women of the Gaura and Balija communities. The word 'GAURA' or 'GAVARA' also means a Vanija or businessman. According to the book, Suka Saptati, Gauras formed a separate community with business as its profession.
Literary evidence
History of Gavras is a subject of study of many books. S. Pratap Reddi in his Andhrula Sanghika Charitra refers to the Gauras (Gavaras) as the community who migrated from Bengal in the 6th & 7th centuries. E. Thurston in his “Castes and Tribes of Southern India” considered Gauras as a sub-division among the Vaisyas and also complimented them as the best agriculturists of the area.K. Bhogalingacharya in his article (1931) entitled Gauravulu Kauravulu Kara? attempted to connect the Gauras with the epic Kaurava
Kaurava
The term Kaurava is a Sanskrit term, that means the descendants of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahābhārata.The term is used in the Mahābhārata with two meanings:...
s, just on the basis of myths and legends. In a similar manner D. Adinarayana (1936) wrote an article entitled Gaura Kulobavamu tracing out the origin of the Gauras. Petakamsetty Sita Ramayya made a successful attempt to bring all the known facts about the early history of this community in his work entitled Gaurula Prachina Charitra (1961). Villuri Ramana surveyed surnames as well as the Gotras of Gavara. Karri Appala Narasimha Rao (1986) attempted to identify some of the early rulers of Andhra as Gauras in his work entitled Sri Satavahanuladrulu. Besides these, there are works like Balija Vamsa Puranamu, Gauriputra Charitramu, Balija Kula Charitra and Sadhusetti, which mention the details of the Gaura community too. All these works deserve credit for bringing out the historical and traditional accounts of the Gauras.
Inscriptions
Inscriptions form an important source of information on the history of the Gavaras. A number of inscriptions issued between the 13th & 15th centuries A.D. at places like Panchdarlu, Draksharamam, Gudimetta, Tatikonda, Malkapuram, Kolakaluru, Kopparam and SrisailamSrisailam
Srisailam is a holy town and mandal, situated in Nallamala Hills of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located on the banks of River Krishna, about 232 km south of Hyderabad....
offer much information about the services of the Dadi and Kanisetty families under the Kakatiya dynasty power. Similarly the copper plate records
Indian copper plate inscriptions
Indian copper plate inscriptions play an important role in the reconstruction of the history of India. Prior to their discovery, historians were forced to rely on ambiguous archaeological findings such as religious text of uncertain origin and interpretations of bits of surviving traditions,...
like the Narsipatnam plates of Vajrahasta Deva of the Eastern Gangas dated 1045 A.D. offer clues on 'Gaurasetti Vishaya', one of the early settlements of the Gauras in Andhra. The community is rarely mentioned in the literary works of early centuries. The only known work that mentioned the community is Suka Saptati written by Pala Vekari Kadiripati of the 17th century.
The inscriptions at Punganur and Nelapalli in Chittor district state about the early settlements of Gaura Settis in the in those areas even before the 10th century. On their way to Ahichchatra to Kanchipuram, they settled at various places in Andhra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
.
External links
- http://www.gavara.in
- http://www.gavara.net
- http://www.gawaraworldwide.com
- http://www.gavarakalyanam.org
- http://www.gowrisangham.org
- The connected Kaurava race of Sri Lanka
Notable People
Dr. M R Govindsamy Naidu, First Doctor from Srivilliputhur, Rajapalayam Taluks of the early 1920's.Bubri G Narayanswamy Naidu, Former Coucillor & Naidu Sangam Head, Srivilliputhur.
S Thirupathy, Former District Judge, Tamil Nadu
Surnames and Gotrams
Surname - Gotram- Adari - Munikula
- athikamsetty - nagendra
- Aitamsetti - Vajraudham
- Alla - Sowsheelya
- Boddeti - Suwarna
- Badisetti - Bhardwaja
- Bheemarasetti - Sootra
- Bheesetti - Sootra
- Bhimisetti - Sootra
- Bheemisetty - Sutha
- Boddeti - Suwarna
- Boddeda - Suwarna
- Buddha - Haripathi
- Chadaram - Sudarshana
- Dadi - Janakula
- Doddi - Aparna
- Kalla - Mauktika
- Kandregula - Soutrika
- Kanisetti - Shrungara
- Karri - Narella
- Koilada - Supratishta
- Kodali - Supratishta
- Konathala - Sujnana
- Koribilli - Thardhya
- Maddala - Shathasosha
- Madeti - Manjula
- Malla - Midhunakula
- Marisetti - Srishaila
- Molleti - Sowjanya
- Peela - Janardhana
- Pentakota - Nausya
- Petakamsetti - Vrushabha
- Pilla - Mangala
- Polamarasetti - Prudukula
- Polimera - Dhannulla
- Rajagiri - Prapradhama
- Rapetti - Veginati
- Sadaram - Sudharshana
- Saragadam - Panchajanya
- Sarakanam - Panchajanya
- Sarisa - Pradyumna
- Silaparasetti - Marithi
- Surisetti - Inakula
- Tanakala - Gopraja
- Tekkali - Dhanikula
- Ulluri - mardhiva
- Vodisetti - Prdhumna
- Vegi - Kashmira
- Villuri - mardhiva
- Yellapu - Pydipala