Nadavaru
Encyclopedia
Nadavaru or Nadavara (Kannada:ನಾಡವರ) is a prominent agrarian community of Uttara Kannada
district of Karnataka
, India.
.
As per 1883 Kanara gazette, both men and women were tall and strong, and most of them were well featured. Many own a large area of land. Some were village headmen and moneylenders. They are now mainly found in the taluks of Ankola and Kumta.
, Keladi Nayakas and Bidanur kings. They fought as cavalrymen and infantrymen. They were very prominent in the army of queen Chennabhairadevi of Gerusoppa. They were part of the feudal setup. They traditionally kept peace in the regions also.
The Portuguese
who originally came as traders to India found looting of ports a cheaper way of obtaining goods and browbeating port traders into trading only with them. In the early eighteenth century Portuguese fleets repeatedly attacked and damaged various coastal towns of Basrur, Barkur, Honnavara, Kumta, Gokharn Mirjan and Torke
near Kumta
. The fleets caused extensive damage to the properties and looted. The Gokarna Mahabaleswara temple was also said to have been damaged. To resist the Portuguese soldier clans of Nadavas were made to settle around Gokarna and all riverine entry points like, Gangavali, Mirjan, Chandavar, Baad etc. They were agrarian people who prospered from hardwork and later education.
raised the taxes on land and lowered the land rent. A separate Agricultural Department was created by Viceroy Lord George Curzon (1899-1904 A.D) to oversee the successful implementation of the new land tax law
. Many Nadavara landlords could not collect enough land rent to pay the taxes and lost most of their lands . Still they possessed enough land to live quite comfortably but had to curtail their expenses. For the non-payment of taxes on land, they lost most of the remaining little pieces of land that they inherited from their fathers and some lost even their homes. A handful of local merchants just by paying the pending or unpaid taxes purchased lands lost by the Nadavaras for incredibly low prices. In Karnataka, Nadavaras were the major sufferers during the period of the Non-tax Payment Movement .
is commendable. During the Salt Satyagraha
(non-tax payment movement) from 1930-34 A.D, the audacious Nadavaru peacefully participated in Mohandas K. Gandhi's Ahimsa
(non-violence) revolt. It was a long awaited opportunity for them to oppose the British
rule. Many Nadavar men were imprisoned up to six years near New Delhi
.Many villages such as Soorve were participated in the freedom struggle in huge numbers and in November 1942 A.D, the entire Nadavar community, including many women, participated in the Quit India Movement
(non-violence freedom movement) headed by Mahatma Gandhi
.some people even now get pension on the basis of their participation in freedom struggle.The evidence of the community members participating in freedom struggle is even referred in the palace of mysore maharajas(wodeyars).The phrase says as"NADAVARE NIJA NADIGARU".
) Tirumala Venkataramana Tirumala - Tirupati
. They do not have a swamy or guru for their caste.
They played major roles in the religious functions of both Shiva
and Vishnu
temples until the early part of twentieth century. Nadavaras are Muktheshwaras (respected members) of many temples, including Mahabaleshwar
of Gokarna
and Venkataramana of Ankola . Between the 17th and 19th centuries for many Nadavara families, temples were sources of income. They shared the revenues generated by the local temples. Most Nadavaras idolize their own fallen family heroes (Beera) and women of virtue (Sati) whom they worship on special occasions . Beera Shrines and Sati stones are common scenes in all most all Nadavara villages. Deepavali (Festival of Lights) called as Narak Chaturdashi is the most important festival for Nadavars'. The festivity is observed for three days as the celebration of Lord Krishna's victory over Narakasura
.
Nadavara homes had miniature temples Venkataramana and Tulsi in the frontyards close to their quarters. The family temple was solely intended for the family’s private services. The temple architecture
was a hybrid drawn from the blend of northern and southern Indian styles. The proportions of the temple were rigidly standardized. It was constructed on a three-foot-high by ten-foot-square foundation. Four ornate six-foot-tall pillars were erected from the four corners that supported the tiled roof. The temple did not have walls because of the warm climatic conditions. A carved stone statue of the God Vishnu and petite sandalwood sculptures representing their ancestors who died in the wars were kept in the center of the temple. The family temple led to the decentralization of the Nadavara religious activities
. The family temple played an important role in preserving the family integrity and harmony but isolated them from the other communities .
The Jain monks after the garland exchange ritual held a meeting in the family temple with the parents to bridge the differences, if any between the two parties. The evening was dedicated to the entertainment. Some kinds of entertainments were the most awaited events of the function. Attendees made fun of the newly wed couple.
Fifty years ago they did not marry people from other castes . Lately inter-caste marriages are taking place among Nadavara younger generations. Since 1955s, they have been diversifying aggressively their interests towards education and commerce. Also of late the Nadavara girls are marrying boys of other castes which is unprecedented. The main reasons among others might be the social up-bringing, least bothered about their identity, and culture. That apart most of the girls take up professional studies and migrate to metropolis of India and other cities of the world, become financially independent. The Nadavara grooms are finding it very difficult to seek a professionally qualified bride of their choice. Although in the past, the Nadavara men choose to marry a Nadavara girl only despite he having better matrimonial prospectus keeping in mind the identity of the small community and thus preserving and developing the community its culture, with the financial independence now available to the Nadavara women they show a marked deviation from the traditional Nadavara culture.
arrticle is appropriate today our your younger generations should understand about our Nadavara samaja which is unique when compared to other caste
Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada also known as North Canara or North Kanara, is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belgaum District to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shimoga District and Udupi District to the south and the...
district of 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...
, India.
Etymology and Origins
Nadavaru means the people of Nadu or Country.Nadavaru are also known as Jain Nadavaru. Supposedly they converted to Hinduism from Jainism between the 16th and 18th centuries. One can find Golibeera Jainism temples in Nadava villages.People
Nadavaru speak Nadavara-Kannada, which is a form of Kannada. It has significant phonological variations from other Kannada dialects. Its morphology is similar to that of MarathiMarathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
.
As per 1883 Kanara gazette, both men and women were tall and strong, and most of them were well featured. Many own a large area of land. Some were village headmen and moneylenders. They are now mainly found in the taluks of Ankola and Kumta.
History
Nadavaru were soldiers during the rule of VijayanagaraVijayanagara
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....
, Keladi Nayakas and Bidanur kings. They fought as cavalrymen and infantrymen. They were very prominent in the army of queen Chennabhairadevi of Gerusoppa. They were part of the feudal setup. They traditionally kept peace in the regions also.
The Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
who originally came as traders to India found looting of ports a cheaper way of obtaining goods and browbeating port traders into trading only with them. In the early eighteenth century Portuguese fleets repeatedly attacked and damaged various coastal towns of Basrur, Barkur, Honnavara, Kumta, Gokharn Mirjan and Torke
Torke
"Torke" , is a small village in Kumta taluk of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, India. This place is about a few square kilometres in extent. Torke traditionally is the amalgmation of Hoskatt , Naranapur, Toregazani , Torke , Devarabhavi, Hallergudi , Devana and Gonehalli...
near Kumta
Kumta
- External links :*...
. The fleets caused extensive damage to the properties and looted. The Gokarna Mahabaleswara temple was also said to have been damaged. To resist the Portuguese soldier clans of Nadavas were made to settle around Gokarna and all riverine entry points like, Gangavali, Mirjan, Chandavar, Baad etc. They were agrarian people who prospered from hardwork and later education.
Nadavara as landowners
Until the first half of the twentieth century, Nadavaras were mainly landowners and farmers. Nadavaru lived in joint families and their income was from farmlands and temples. At the end of the nineteenth century, the Tenancy Act and the Land Activation Act were proposed with an objective to improve the relations between Zamindars and Raiyatas (Farmers). The British Colonial RuleBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
raised the taxes on land and lowered the land rent. A separate Agricultural Department was created by Viceroy Lord George Curzon (1899-1904 A.D) to oversee the successful implementation of the new land tax law
Tax law
Tax law is the codified system of laws that describes government levies on economic transactions, commonly called taxes.-Major issues:Primary taxation issues facing the governments world over include;* taxes on income and wealth...
. Many Nadavara landlords could not collect enough land rent to pay the taxes and lost most of their lands . Still they possessed enough land to live quite comfortably but had to curtail their expenses. For the non-payment of taxes on land, they lost most of the remaining little pieces of land that they inherited from their fathers and some lost even their homes. A handful of local merchants just by paying the pending or unpaid taxes purchased lands lost by the Nadavaras for incredibly low prices. In Karnataka, Nadavaras were the major sufferers during the period of the Non-tax Payment Movement .
Contributions to the independence of India
Even though the Nadavara community is small in size, its contribution to the independence of IndiaIndian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
is commendable. During the Salt Satyagraha
Salt Satyagraha
The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagrahah began with the Dandi March on March 12, 1930, and was an important part of the Indian independence movement. It was a campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly in colonial India, and triggered the wider...
(non-tax payment movement) from 1930-34 A.D, the audacious Nadavaru peacefully participated in Mohandas K. Gandhi's Ahimsa
Ahimsa
Ahimsa is a term meaning to do no harm . The word is derived from the Sanskrit root hims – to strike; himsa is injury or harm, a-himsa is the opposite of this, i.e. non harming or nonviolence. It is an important tenet of the Indian religions...
(non-violence) revolt. It was a long awaited opportunity for them to oppose the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rule. Many Nadavar men were imprisoned up to six years near New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
.Many villages such as Soorve were participated in the freedom struggle in huge numbers and in November 1942 A.D, the entire Nadavar community, including many women, participated in the Quit India Movement
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement , or the August Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table...
(non-violence freedom movement) headed by Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
.some people even now get pension on the basis of their participation in freedom struggle.The evidence of the community members participating in freedom struggle is even referred in the palace of mysore maharajas(wodeyars).The phrase says as"NADAVARE NIJA NADIGARU".
Religion
Nadavaras are Vaishnavas (Devotees of God VishnuVishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
) Tirumala Venkataramana Tirumala - Tirupati
Tirumala - Tirupati
Tirupati is a major pilgrimage city located in the Chittoor district and seventh biggest city of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located at the foothills of the Eastern Ghats at a distance of south of Hyderabad, the capital of the state, east of Bangalore, and north of Chennai.Tirupati is famous...
. They do not have a swamy or guru for their caste.
They played major roles in the religious functions of both Shiva
Shiva
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...
and Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
temples until the early part of twentieth century. Nadavaras are Muktheshwaras (respected members) of many temples, including Mahabaleshwar
Mahabaleshwar
Mahabaleshwar is a city and a municipal council in Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a hill station located in the Western Ghats range. With one of the few evergreen forests of the world, it served as the summer capital of Bombay province during the British Raj.-Geography...
of Gokarna
Gokarna, India
Gokarna is a village in the Uttara Kannada district of the Karnataka state, India. It is a Hindu pilgrimage centre as well as a tourist destination in India. Gokarna is a temple town and is referred to in a number of Hindu historical literature pieces. The main deity is Lord Mahabhaleshwara, a...
and Venkataramana of Ankola . Between the 17th and 19th centuries for many Nadavara families, temples were sources of income. They shared the revenues generated by the local temples. Most Nadavaras idolize their own fallen family heroes (Beera) and women of virtue (Sati) whom they worship on special occasions . Beera Shrines and Sati stones are common scenes in all most all Nadavara villages. Deepavali (Festival of Lights) called as Narak Chaturdashi is the most important festival for Nadavars'. The festivity is observed for three days as the celebration of Lord Krishna's victory over Narakasura
Narakasura
In Hindu beliefs, Narakasura or Naraka is the asura son of the earth goddess Bhudevi and Lord Vishnu in his Varaha Avatar . In other sources, he is the son of the asura Hiranyaksha. He is said to have established the kingdom of Pragjyotisha in Assam after overthrowing the last of the Danava king...
.
Nadavara homes had miniature temples Venkataramana and Tulsi in the frontyards close to their quarters. The family temple was solely intended for the family’s private services. The temple architecture
Hindu temple architecture
India's temple architecture developed from the sthapathis' and shilpis' creativit, but n general these are from the Vishwakarma . A small Hindu temple consists of an inner sanctum, the garbha griha or womb-chamber, in which the image is housed, often circumambulation, a congregation hall, and...
was a hybrid drawn from the blend of northern and southern Indian styles. The proportions of the temple were rigidly standardized. It was constructed on a three-foot-high by ten-foot-square foundation. Four ornate six-foot-tall pillars were erected from the four corners that supported the tiled roof. The temple did not have walls because of the warm climatic conditions. A carved stone statue of the God Vishnu and petite sandalwood sculptures representing their ancestors who died in the wars were kept in the center of the temple. The family temple led to the decentralization of the Nadavara religious activities
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
. The family temple played an important role in preserving the family integrity and harmony but isolated them from the other communities .
Past customs and the present
A hundred years ago, Nadavara wedding customs were quite distinct. The symbolic wedding rituals were cherry picked from both Hinduism and Jainism. The marriage celebration lasted for five days. For the first three days, both the wedding parties carried out Homas at their dwellings separately. The purpose of Homa was to strengthen the bonds of alliance and camaraderie among relatives and friends. During those days for warriors, it was difficult to survive without unity . The wedding ceremony, which was on the fourth day lasted for the entire day and part of the night. The groom was the focal point of the wedding. Professionally trained, eight palanquin bearers carried the groom wearing, a saffron or red turban, to the wedding in a specially decorated palanquin. The groom’s wedding party procession consisted of friends and families along with a carpenter, blacksmith, potter, barber, goldsmith and washer-man. His brothers and cousins who were the assigned bodyguards for the occasion surrounded the groom. Porters carrying fruits and clothes in bamboo baskets and Vajantris (live musical bands) stayed ahead of the procession. The bride wore a red sari embroidered in gold and silver threads. The Jain monks performed the wedding ceremony in front of the bride’s family temple.The Jain monks after the garland exchange ritual held a meeting in the family temple with the parents to bridge the differences, if any between the two parties. The evening was dedicated to the entertainment. Some kinds of entertainments were the most awaited events of the function. Attendees made fun of the newly wed couple.
Fifty years ago they did not marry people from other castes . Lately inter-caste marriages are taking place among Nadavara younger generations. Since 1955s, they have been diversifying aggressively their interests towards education and commerce. Also of late the Nadavara girls are marrying boys of other castes which is unprecedented. The main reasons among others might be the social up-bringing, least bothered about their identity, and culture. That apart most of the girls take up professional studies and migrate to metropolis of India and other cities of the world, become financially independent. The Nadavara grooms are finding it very difficult to seek a professionally qualified bride of their choice. Although in the past, the Nadavara men choose to marry a Nadavara girl only despite he having better matrimonial prospectus keeping in mind the identity of the small community and thus preserving and developing the community its culture, with the financial independence now available to the Nadavara women they show a marked deviation from the traditional Nadavara culture.
See also
- Thevar
- Uttara KannadaUttara KannadaUttara Kannada also known as North Canara or North Kanara, is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belgaum District to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shimoga District and Udupi District to the south and the...
arrticle is appropriate today our your younger generations should understand about our Nadavara samaja which is unique when compared to other caste
External links
- http://www.ourvillageindia.org
- http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9041261/Hoysala-Dynasty
- http://www.search.com/reference/Vijayanagara