Gavara

Indian community From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gavara is a term used to refer to four distinct and completely unrelated communities in South India.

Gavara is a trading community and is a sub-caste of Balija.^[1] They have marriage relationship with the Balijas.^[2] They are present in Tamil Nadu. Kavarai is the Tamil name for Balijas who have settled in Tamil Nadu and is the Tamilised rendition of Gavara.^[3] The often use the title Naidu and Chetti.^[4] The Telugu-speaking Gavara community of Tamil Nadu is related to Balijas.^[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] They are a trading community. Gavara Komatis are distinct from Gavara-Balijas as well as the Gavara caste of former Visakhapatnam district.^[7]
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.^[8]^[9] They are not related to Gavara Balija caste. They are predominantly agriculturists and are also involved in petty trade.^[8]

Kavara (also known as Gavara) is a Tulu speaking caste mostly present in Ernakulam, Palakkad and Thrissur districts of Kerala.^[10] They are classified as a Scheduled Caste in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.^[11] They are not related to Gavara Balija caste.

History

Origins

Epigraphic evidence indicates that the Gavaras migrated from Ahichchhatra, located in modern-day Uttar Pradesh, to settle across South India, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Linguistic remnants of this migration persist in the exonym seema nepalam, a ridicule term applied to the community by neighboring castes. This phrase recalls a period when Gavara ancestors occupied territory adjacent to Nepal, suggesting that the borders of ancient Ahichchhatra may have extended into the Nepalese Terai.^[12] Additionally, historical evidence suggests that a segment of the Gavara population originated from eastern India, particularly Bengal.^[13]

Medieval History

The Gavaras were a trading community and members of the Ayyavole guild.^[14] They worshipped the god Gavaresvara.^[15] Kannada inscriptional evidence from Kolhapur (1136 AD) and Miraj (1142–1144 AD) states that the Gavaras were the lords of Ayyavole.^[16] Specifically, the Miraj inscription records that Gavara chiefs were represented in the Vira Balanja syndicate of Sedambal.^[17] This is further supported by a 1240 AD inscription from Chintapalli in the Guntur district, which is written in Kannada with a mixture of Telugu expressions and notes that the Gavaras were protectors of the Vira Balanja Dharma.^[18] Historian Kolluru Suryanarayana notes that, during the medieval era, the Gavaras resembled the Vira Balanja community in both character and profession.^[19] The Vira Balanja is known as Vira balija in Telugu, Vira Banajiga in Kannada, and Vira Valanjiyar in Tamil, all of them mean valiant merchants.^[20] Their capital was Ayyavole, modern-day Aihole in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka.^[21]

Dynasties

Some Gavara families were appointed to supervise provinces as Nayaks (governors, commanders) by the Vijayanagara kings,^[22] some of which are:

Madurai Nayaks

Historian Kolluru Suryanarayana notes a strong belief within the Gavara community that the Madurai Nayaks belonged to their community.^[23] This belief is supported by epigraphical evidence. The Dalavay Agraharam Plates of Venkata I record that the Madurai ruler Virappa Nayaka held the title Lord of Ayyavalipura (Lords of Ayyavole).^[24] This is a traditional title of the Gavara community^[25] and denotes that the Madurai Nayaks were protectors of the Vira Balanja Dharma.^[26]

Thanjavur Nayaks

Based on historical inscriptions, archaeologist Kudavayil Balasubramanian demonstrated that the Thanjavur Nayaks belonged to the Kavarai community.^[27] Specifically, a 1556 A.D. inscription at the Tiruvannamalai Temple records that Timmappa Nayaka as a member of kavarai community; his son, Sevappa Nayaka, ruled as the King of Thanjavur.^[27]

Gingee Nayaks

According to records in the Annual Report on South-Indian Epigraphy (1934–35), an inscription dated A.D. 1568 at the Veerapandi Kari Varadaraja Perumal Temple in Thirukovilur notes that Krishnappa Nayaka, the founder of the Gingee dynasty, belonged to the Kavarai community.^[28] Furthermore, the Tamil Jains Kaifiyat states that the Gingee ruler, Venkatapati Nayaka, was also from the Kavarai community.^[29]

Notable people

Personalities from Tamil Nadu

Vijayakanth, actor and politician^[30]
Parthiban, actor^[31]
Dhanush, actor^[32]
Mann Vasanai Pandiyan, actor^[33]
S. Keerthana, Minister for Industries^[34]
M. Vijay Balaji, Minister for Textiles^[35]
E. V. Velu, Former Minister for PWD^[36]
K. Pitchandi, Former Minister for Housing^[36]
Trichy R. Soundararajan, Former Minister for Health^[36]
D. Janardhanan, Former Minister for Milk and Animal Husbandry^[36]
G. Lakshmanan, Former Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha^[37]
Pattukkottai Alagiri, social reformer^[38]

Personalities from Andhra Pradesh

S. R. A. S. Appala Naidu, Former Minister for Fisheries and Ports^[39]
Dadi Veerabhadra Rao, Former Minister for Information & Public Relations^[40]
Konathala Ramakrishna, Former Minister for Commercial Taxes^[41]
Appala Narasimham, Former M.P. for Anakapalle^[42]
Beesetti Venkata Satyavathi, Former M.P. for Anakapalle

References

[1]
P. R. G. Mathur, ed. (1994). Applied Anthropology and Challenges of Development in India. Punthi-Pustak. p. 341. ISBN 9788185094793. Similarly too the Balija community, with two sub-divisions, Gajalu Balija and Gavara Balija, migrated originally from Tamil Nadu. The Balija Gavarai are popularly known as Naidus and the other as Chetties Valai Chatties, Chettiars. It is said that they originally spoke Telugu. They are mainly traders and jewellers.

Pradip K. Bhowmick, ed. (2002). Man and Life. Vol. 28. Institute of Social Research and Applied Anthropology. p. 59. Balija, a Telugu speaking migrant caste to Kerala, is segmented into two sub-castes, viz., Gavara Naidu and Gajaiu Balija (Vala Chetti).

Alpana Pandey, ed. (2015). Medieval Andhra: A Socio-Historical Perspective. Partridge Publishing. p. 44. ISBN 9781482850178. Balijas: Their main profession was and commerce. They added "Settis" to their names, which showed their supremacy over other castes in trade. The subsects of the Balijas indicate the professions pursued by them. some prominent subdivision were Gajula Balija, Gandhamvallu, Kavarai, etc.
[2]
G. Karunanithi, ed. (1991). Caste and Class in Industrial Organisation. Commonwealth Publishers. p. 45. ISBN 9788171691425. A section of the Naidu migrants in Tamilnadu call themselves Kavarais. They are included in the list of backward classes. They have marital relationship with the Balijas.
[3]
Kumarasamy Rajaram, ed. (1982). History of Thirumalai Nayak. Ennes Publications. p. 82. Kamma, Gavarai, Padma Velama and Kambalathar are the Telugu speaking communities. Gavarais are also called Balijas or bangle merchants. Kambalathars are called Tottiars ( those with a Kambalam or blanket ). The Kamma and the Gavarai topped the list as merchants and agriculturists par excellence. The Padma Velamas are good agriculturists.

Mukund, Kanakalatha (1999). The Trading World of the Tamil Merchant: Evolution of Merchant Capitalism in the Coromandel. Orient Blackswan. p. 46. ISBN 978-81-250-1661-8. Kavarai (the Tamil word for Balija merchants)

Niels Brimnes, ed. (2019). Constructing the Colonial Encounter: Right and Left Hand Castes in Early Colonial South India. Routledge. p. 189. ISBN 9781136819209. The deserters, who defined themselves as maga nadu tesattar, consisted of right hand castes and were headed by Vellalas and Tamilized Balijas, known as Kavarais.

R. Nagaswamy, ed. (1997). Studies in South Indian History and Culture. V.R. Ramachandra Dikshitar Centenary Committee. p. 321. Turning now to another Telugu group, the Balijas, also called Kavarai, it appears that although this was a trading caste, members could also take to textile manufacture.

Jawaharlal Nehru University. Centre for Historical Studies, ed. (1995). Studies in History. Vol. 11, 6. Sage. p. 8. English trade in Madras, the much sought after, and obviously lucrative, exclusive contracts for trading with the English Company (both for supplying textiles and other goods and buying the European goods) had been cornered by the Right side merchants, especially the Balijas (often referred to as the Kavarai in Tamil).

Ananda Ranga Pillai, John Frederick Price, ed. (1984). The Private Diary of Ananda Ranga Pillai, Dubash to Joseph François Dupleix, Governor of Pondicherry: A Record of Matters, Political, Historical, Social, and Personal, from 1736-1761. Vol. 2. Asian Educational Services. p. 67. The Kavarais, known also as Balijas, are the trading caste of the Telugus, and belong to the right hand.

R. Roque, K. Wagner, ed. (2011). Engaging Colonial Knowledge: Reading European Archives in World History. Springer. p. 170. ISBN 9780230360075. Within the right hand division the leading individuals were from the communities of Vellalas and Kavarais. The former constituted, as in other parts of Tamil Nadu, the established agricultural elite, while the latter were Telugu-speaking Balija Chetties, who had settled in Tamil country.

Christopher John Baker, D. A. Washbrook, ed. (1976). South India: Political Institutions and Political Change. 1880-1940. Springer. p. 223. ISBN 978-1-349-02746-0. Kavarai was merely the Tamil equivalent of the Telugu word Balija

Venkatesa Iyengar, ed. (1932). The Mysore Tribes and Castes. Mittal Publications. p. 102. In the Tamil Districts, Balijas are known as Kavarais

Raju Kalidos, ed. (1976). History and Culture of the Tamils: From Prehistoric Times to the President's Rule. Vijay Publications. pp. 239, 240. Chief among the Telugu speaking communities in Tamilaham are the Kammavar, Kavarai or Balijas (bangle merchants), Uppuliya (salt merchants), Seniya (textile workers), Tottiar or Kambalattar (those with a kambalam or blanket), Oddar, Sakkiliar (the menial jobbed), Dombas (acrobats) etc. The Kavarai and Kammavar topped the list as merchants and agriculturists par excellence. In contemporary times they take the name suffix like Naidu and Naicker. The Chettis and Komatis among the Telugu speaking were (and are) noted for their subtle and ingenious practices in trade.

Baptist Missionary Review. Vol. 15. Methodist Publishing House. 1909. p. 441. Among the Nayudus there is a class called Balijas in Telugu and Kavarais in Tamil, many of whom are addicted to drinking - so much so that there is a Telugu proverb that if you are born a Balija it is your prerogative to drink, or, as it is sometimes put, you cannot enjoy the Bavarian bottle unless you are born a Balija.

P. Rajaraman, ed. (1988). The Justice Party: A Historical Perspective, 1916-37. Poompozhil Publishers. p. 19. The Balija Naidus, the chief Telugu trading caste were found scattered throughout the Presidency of Madras. In the Tamil districts they were known as Vadugan and Kavarais
[4]
David Arnold, ed. (1986). Police Power and Colonial Rule, Madras, 1859-1947. Oxford University Press. p. 114. ISBN 9780195618938.

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.
[5]
Vijaya Ramaswamy, ed. (2017). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 43. ISBN 9798216208211.
[6]
K. Ramachandra Murty, ed. (2001). Parties, Elections, and Mobilisation. Anmol Publications. p. 18. ISBN 9788126109791. The Vysyas (Komati) are the most important traditional Telugu trading caste comprising 3 per cent of the State population. They are broadly divided into two endogamous sub-castes, viz., Gavara Komatis and Kalinga Komatis.

C. Dwarakanath Gupta, Sepuri Bhaskar, ed. (1992). Vysyas: A Sociological Study. Ashish Publishing House. p. 11. ISBN 9788170244509. Komatis are mainly divided into two sections called Gavara and Kalinga

Krishna Prakash Bahadur, ed. (1977). Caste, Tribes & Culture of India: Karnataka, Kerala & Tamil Nadu. Vol. 4. Ess Ess Publications. p. 16. They are two main sections among the Komatis, namely the Gavara and the Kalinga

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. The main part of the Komati caste community in Masulipatnam were Gavara Komatis, one of the two main Komati groups on the Coromandel coast. The Gavara Komatis did not eat fish or meat.

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.

Ramendra Nath Nandi, ed. (2000). State Formation, Agrarian Growth, and Social Change in Feudal South India, C. AD 600-1200. Manohar Publishers & Distributors. p. 161. ISBN 9788173042904. Gavara Komatis, who are a prominent section of the Telugu speaking merchant community.

A. Vaidehi Krishnamoorthy, ed. (1970). Social and Economic Conditions in Eastern Deccan from A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1250. p. 47. The Gavaras, the Gavara Komatlu as they are called formed another community which claimed the status of Vaisyas.

Kumar Suresh Singh, ed. (1992). People of India: Andhra Pradesh. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 1940. ISBN 978-81-7671-006-0. The Gavara and Kalinga are the two main sections of the Komati. The Gavara Komati live far north of Vizianagaram.

K. N. M. Raju, ed. (1998). Family and Household Functions: A Demographic Study. Sunrise Publications. p. 209. Gavara is an important subdivision of Komatis and these Gavaras are probably in reality Gavara Komati.

G. Sudharshan Reddy, ed. (1998). Caste Mobility in Andhra : A Study of Vaisya Mahasabha, 1907-1930. Vol. 59. Proceedings of Indian History Congress. p. 652. The Komatis are, broadly divided into two sections called Gavara and Kalinga.

L. Krishna Anantha Krishna Iyer, ed. (1930). The Mysore Tribes and Castes. University of Mysore. p. 541. There are three main groups among the Kōmatis which constitute practically different castes, without either commensality or inter marriage, namely, Gavara, Tuppada and Trai - Varnika.

Journal of the Andhra Historical Research Society. Vol. 8. Andhra Historical Research Society. 1934. p. 138. There are several sects amongst the Komatis - such as Yajna Komati, Gavara Komati, Kalinga Komati, Arava Komati, Neti Komati, Vidura Komati, Raipak Komati etc.
[7]
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.
[8]
Murthy, B. E. V. V. Narasimha (1989). Entrepreneurship in Small Towns. Mittal Publications. p. 91.

Journal of the Andhra Historical Research Society. Vol. 26–28. Andhra Historical Research Society. 1960. p. 75.

Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. Vol. 65. 2006. p. 429. The traditional and primary occupation of the gavara is agriculture. In recent times, a few have taken up business as their primary occupation. However, the major economic resource is land and the subsidiary sources are business and government employment. The majority of the gavara live in Visakhapatnam District.
[9]
"Kapu, Gavara votes to determine Anakapalli assembly seat's fate". The Times of India. 2 April 2019. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
[10]
K. S. Singh, ed. (1992). People of India: pt.1-3 Kerala. Vol. 27. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 596. The Kavara also known as Gavara are distributed mainly in Ernakulam, Palakkad and Thrissur districts. The community perceives its distribution at medium range and its identification is at the regional level. Iyer (1981) writes that Kavara is a Tulu caste, found in the Chittur taluk of the Cochin State, who speak mutilated form of Tulu and make wicker work of all kinds. The Kavara still speak a mutilated form of Tulu language, called Kavara dialect with family members. With others they speak Malayalam.

Nagendra Kr Singh, ed. (2006). Global Encyclopaedia of the South Indian Dalit's Ethnography. Global Vision Pub House. p. 340. The Kavara, also known as Gavara, is a Tulu caste, found in the Chittur taluk of the Cochin State, who speak mutilated form of Tulu and make wicker work of all kinds. They belong to the Scheduled Castes.

Ajit K. Danda, S. B. Chakrabarti, ed. (1989). L.K. Ananthakrishna Iyer: 125th Birth Anniversary Tribute. Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Culture, Government of India. p. 118. Kavaras and Gavaras have been again listed as separate Scheduled Castes lifting the area restrictions within Kerala. As already mentioned that the Kavara / Gavaras subsist on basket making. They speak some kind of Tulu - Malayalam dialect.

David Levinson, ed. (1991). Encyclopedia of World Cultures: South Asia. G.K. Hall. p. 325. Kavara A Tulu - speaking caste found in northern and central Kerala. They do wicker work
[11]
Pradip K. Bhowmick, ed. (2002). Man and Life. Vol. 28. Institute of Social Research and Applied Anthropology. pp. 58, 59. Kavara is one of those castes belonging to the sixty - eight Scheduled Castes of Kerala. They subsist on basket - making and are mainly found in the district of Palhgat.

Tulsidas Vithooji Gedam, ed. (1999). Untouchability and Its Origin. Yugantar Education Society. p. 286. ISBN 978-81-7169-142-5.

P. R. G. Mathur, ed. (1994). Applied Anthropology and Challenges of Development in India. Punthi-Pustak. p. 356. ISBN 9788185094793.
[12]
Ramendra Nath Nandi, ed. (2000). State Formation, Agrarian Growth, and Social Change in Feudal South India, C. AD 600–1200. Manohar Publishers & Distributors. pp. 160, 161. ISBN 9788173042904. The Gavaras who form the bulk of the population in the Ankapalli taluka of the Visakhapattnam district are stated to have come in large groups from the Bareilly and Faizabad districts of Uttar Pradesh. An inscription of 1136 records that 1700 families of Gavaras emigrated from Ahicchatra, modern Bareilly region, and took shelter in the eight provinces of the kingdom of the Calukyas of Kalyani. The migration of Gavaras from Uttar Pradesh is also substantiated by the term seemā nepālam applied to the Gavara by the members of other castes to ridicule him. Seemā nepālam is apparently reminiscent of the good old days when the ancestors of the Gavaras lived in a particular region whose borders touched Nepal. Probably the limits of Ahicchatra extended in ancient times up to the terai of Nepal. Two more inscriptions found at the Malleśvara temple at Bezwada prove the veractiy of Gavara migration from Uttar Pradesh. The records mention that Gavara Komatis, who are a prominent section of the Telugu speaking merchant community, belonged originally to Hemapura, Ghāzāpur and Ayodhya. The last mentioned corresponds to modern Ayodhya in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh while Ghāzāpur may be identified with Ghazipur in eastern U.P. Two inscriptions from Nelapalli in the Chittoor district also refer to the migration of Mummudi Gavare Setți at the head of 48,000 people without, however, mentioning the place of origin. The records have been assigned to the tenth century on the strength of the contemporaneity of the donor with the Rāstrakūta king Krsna III. Some Gavaras also appear to have come from the eastern parts of India, especially Bengal.

Kolluri Suryanarayana, ed. (1992). "A Brief Study On The History Of The Gaura Community". Itihas. 18. Andhra Pradesh State Archives and Research Institute: 67.
[13]
P. Seetaramiah, ed. (1933). "History Of The Gavaras". Quarterly Journal of the Andhra Historical Research Society. 8–9. Andhra Historical Research Society: 123–146.

Suravaram Pratapa Reddy, ed. (1982). Andhrula Sanghika Charitra. Suravaram Prathap Reddy Sahitya Vyjayanthi Trust. p. 80.
[14]
Ramendra Nath Nandi, ed. (2000). State Formation, Agrarian Growth, and Social Change in Feudal South India, C. AD 600-1200. Manohar Publishers & Distributors. p. 162. ISBN 9788173042904.

A. V. Venkata Ratnam, ed. (1972). Local Government in the Vijayanagara Empire. Prasaranga, University of Mysore. p. 124.

Meera Abraham, ed. (1972). Two Medieval Merchant Guilds of South India. Manohar Publications. p. 82. ISBN 9788185054483.
[15]
Kambhampati Satyanarayana, ed. (1975). A Study of the History and Culture of the Andhras. Vol. 2. People's Publishing House. p. 52. The body of Gavares seems to have derived its name from worshipping God Gavaresvara.

P. Gururaja Bhat, ed. (1975). Studies in Tuluva History and Culture, from the Pre-historic Times Upto the Modern. Gururaja Bhatt. p. 218. These gavares had set up their own temple known as Gavaresvara - devalaya, which was granted a gift of charity in A.D.1461 by one Annapa - setti.

Channabasappa S. Patil, ed. (1992). Temples of Raichur and Bellary Districts, Karnataka, 1000-1325 A.D. Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Karnataka. p. 22. The god Gavaresvara was installed in that temple naming it after gavares, the guild of grain merchants, who made grants for the service of that god.

Rajaram Hegde (1999). "Dynamics of Sectarian Formations: Saivism in Medieval Karnataka". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 60: 195. JSTOR 44144085. The moving traders of the same town had a temple for Gavaresvara, derived from the term Gavare one of the trade groups that carried the goods from place to place who were generally called bananjigas.
[16]
Lionel D Barnett, ed. (1986). "Two Inscriptions from Kolhapur and Miraj; Saka 1058 & 1066". Epigraphia Indica. Vol. 19. Archaeological Survey of India. pp. 30–40.

Studies in Indian Epigraphy. Vol. 32. Epigraphical Society of India. 2005. p. 40. Two inscriptions from Maharashtra record the endowment of this Viravananju guild from Ayyavole. one is the Kolhapur stone inscription of Silāhāra Gandarāditya dated 1136 A.D. and the other is the Miraj stone inscription of Śilāhāra Vijayāditya dated 1142 and 1144 A.D. Both the inscriptions are in Kannada language and this show the Kannada influence over thes territories of Southern Maharashtra. Miraj stone inscripation tell us that it consisted of the Gavaras and the Mummuridandas and that they were the recipients of 500 hero edicts [ Panchaśata Viraśāsanams ) and how they support the Vira Valañju Dharma.

Ramendra Nath Nandi, ed. (2000). State Formation, Agrarian Growth, and Social Change in Feudal South India, C. AD 600-1200. Manohar Publishers & Distributors. p. 162. ISBN 9788173042904. Again, the inscription of 1136 which refers to the Gavaras as the overlord of the town Ayyavole or modern Aihole in Bijapur district shows that the Gavaras moved into the northern districts of Karnataka as early as the last quarter of the tenth century.
[17]
Ramendra Nath Nandi, ed. (2000). State Formation, Agrarian Growth, and Social Change in Feudal South India, C. AD 600–1200. Manohar Publishers & Distributors. p. 163. ISBN 9788173042904. The representation of the heads of Gavara families on the Vira Baņanju syndicate of Sedambal shows that they were treated at par with the Vīra Bananjus, the great mercantile community of medieval Karnataka. The same inscription also refers to the Gavaras as lords of the city of Ayyavale, which indicates that in certain areas the immigrant merchants ran the administration of important urban settlements. The importance of the Gavaras as a corporate body is also apparent from the fact that they figure in inscriptions as trustees of religious bodies.
[18]
K. Sundaram, ed. (1968). "The Balanja Merchant Community of Medieval Andhra, (A. D. 1300 - 1600)". Studies in Economic and Social Conditions of Medieval Andhra, A. D. 1000-1600. Triveni Publishers. p. 72. Inscriptions of the Vira Balanja merchants are spread over a period of four centuries. From the 13th century, that is, from the height of the prosperity of Kakatiyas a down to the fall of Vijayanagar empire, these merchants controlled the trade and commerce of the country. In one of the early inscriptions of the merchants from Chintapalli in Guntur District of the year A.D. 1240, it is mentioned that Ubhaya Nanadesis, Gavares and Mummaridandas as protectors of Vira Balanja Dharma.

T. Venkateswara Rao, ed. (1978). Prasasti of The Vira Balanja. Vol. 6. Itihas. p. 74. A Chintapalli record of S. 1162 mentions that the Ubhaya - Nānādēsi, Mummuridandas and Gavares were the protectors of the Vira - Balanja - Dharma.

Vasant K. Bawa, ed. (1975). Aspects of Deccan History. Institute of Asian Studies. p. 120. One record from Chintapalli 26 in the Guntur district, dated S. 1162, states the Virabalamja - samaya was composed of the Ubhaya - nanadesi, the Gavares and the Mummiridandas.

A. Vaidehi Krishnamoorthy, ed. (1970). Social and Economic Conditions in Eastern Deccan (from A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1250). p. 96. An inscription dated S. 1162, at ( Guntur District ) makes reference to it and tells us that it consisted of the Ubhaya Nana Desis, the Gavaras and the Mummirigandas and that they were the receipients of five hundred hero edicts (Panchaśata Virasasanams) and the protectors of life of Vira Balanjya Dharma.
[19]
Kolluri Suryanarayana, ed. (1992). "A Brief Study On The History Of The Gaura Community". Itihas. 18. Andhra Pradesh State Archives and Research Institute: 65.
[20]
T. V. Mahalingam, ed. (1967). South Indian Polity. Vol. 2. University of Madras. p. 402. These were the Vīra Banajas as they were called in Kanarese or Vīra Valanjiyar as they were styled in Tamil. The name signifies 'valiant merchants' and is therefore similar to our 'gentlemen adventurers'.

Vijaya Ramaswamy, ed. (1985). Textiles and Weavers in Medieval South India. Oxford University Press. p. 29. ISBN 9780195617054. The Aiyavole belonged to the Vira Banajiga caste (so called in Andhra and Karnataka but known as Valanjiyar in the Tamil), and in several prasastis they claim descent from mythological figures such as Vasudeva and Baladeva, and are endowed with many virtues.

Sakkottai Krishnaswami Aiyangar, ed. (1941). Ancient India and South Indian History & Culture: Papers on Indian History and Culture; India to A.D. 1300. Oriental Book Agency. p. 801. This occurs in inscriptions in various localities where flourished mercantile guilds or communities called Valanjiyar in Tamil, Banajigas in Kanarese, Balija in Telugu corresponding exactly to the North Indian term Baniya.
[21]
Sharma, Ram Sharan; Dhavalikar, Madhukar Keshav; Shrimali, K. M., eds. (2008). A Comprehensive History of India. Vol. 2, 4. Comprehensive History of India Society. p. 238. ISBN 9788173045615.
[22]
Velcheru Narayana Rao, Sanjay Subrahmanyam, ed. (1992). Symbols of Substance Court and State in Nāyaka Period Tamilnadu. Oxford University Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-19-563021-3.

Vijaya Ramaswamy, ed. (1994). "Richly Textured Narrative". The Book Review. 18–19. C. Chari for Perspective Publications Institute: 6.
[23]
Kolluri Suryanarayana, ed. (1992). "A Brief Study On The History Of The Gaura Community". Itihas. 18. Andhra Pradesh State Archives and Research Institute: 67.

S. Harikrishnan, ed. (2020). "Castes In Madurai An Overview". Socio-Cultural Setting of the Pandya Country Up to A.D. 1736. ResearchGate. Devanga Arts College, Aruppukkottai. p. 78.

Parthiban Rajukalidoss (2019). Claus Peter Zoller (ed.). "The Spice Road 'Vaṭakarai Zamīndāri' Its Historicity and Architectural Remains". Acta Orientalia. 74 (2013): 101. doi:10.5617/ao.4469.
[24]
Epigraphia Indica. Vol. 12. Department of Archaeology. 1982. p. 187. (Vv . 67–79 .) Virabhupa, a devout worshipper of Vishnu, was born in the family of Viśvanatha Nayaka . He was living gloriously . He constructed a mandapa of rare sculptures in front of the shrine of Sundaranayaka and presented the goddess Minakshi with a golden kavacha (mailcoat studded with gems) . The munificence of this prince is praised . He held the birudas, Samayadrōhara – ganda, and Dakshina – samudrādhipati, and was the lord of Ayyavalipura, He was the grandson of Viśvanatha Nayaka, and son of the king Krishņa by Lakshmama . At the request of this prince Virabhupa, the village was granted by Vira- Venkatapatidevaraya and it consisted of 142 shares

Tamil Civilization: Quarterly Research Journal of the Tamil University. Vol. 5. Tamil University, Thanjavur. 1987. p. 158.

Bhasker Anand Saletore, ed. (1934). Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346-A.D. 1646). Vol. 2. B.G. Paul & Company. p. 263.
[25]
Kolluri Suryanarayana, ed. (1992). "A Brief Study On The History Of The Gaura Community". Itihas. 18. Andhra Pradesh State Archives and Research Institute: 67.
[26]
Kambhampati Satyanarayana, ed. (1983). A Study of the History and Culture of the Andhras. Vol. 2. People's Publishing House. p. 53. Another body of traders, the lords of Ayyavali or Aihole, operated throughout South India, also claiming to be the protectors of Vira Balanja dharma. Their head quarters was in the Kannada country.

Mallampalli Somasekhara Sarma, ed. (1948). History of the Reddi Kingdoms (circa. 1325 A.D. to Circa 1448 A.D.). Andhra University. p. 397. The Ayyavoles, or lords of Avyavalipura, also claim to have been the protectors of the Vira Balanjya dharma, to have obtained pancasata virasasanas, evidently the same as those claimed by the Vira Balanjya union, and to have immigrated from Ahicchatrapura to Ayyavali, the modern town of Aihole, in the Hangunda taluk, Bijapur district.

Dr. M. D. Sampath, ed. (1991). "Inscriptions On Merchant Guild". The Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society. 82. The Mythic Society: 88. It is stated in the above two copper plate inscriptions from Nellore that the organisation Ayyavola or Ayyavola - enum- buru - svamigalu are the protectors of the Vira Balamja or Vira Balajiga - samaya - dharma and recipients of boons from the mandate of the Panchasata - Vira - sasana.
[27]
Kudavayil Balasubramanian, ed. (1999). Thanjavur Nayakkar Varalaru ( 1535 - 1675AD ). Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswathi Mahal Library. p. 5.

P. R. Srinivasan, ed. (1989). Tiruvannamalai: A Saiva Sacred Complex of South India. French Institute of Pondicherry. p. 523.

Kalladan, ed. (2003). Varalatru vayilgal. Kuzhali publication. p. 37.
[28]
C. R. Krishnamachari, A. S. Ramanatha Ayyar, ed. (1938). Annual Report on South Indian Epigraphy (1934-1935). Archaeological Survey of India, Delhi. p. 73. No. 240 dated in Saka 1490 and No. 262 dated in Saka 1510 in the reign of Venkata I both from the South Arcot district make mention of а Kavarai Nayaka residing at Virapandyanallur by name Vaiyappa Nayakkar ayyan and his son Nalam Krishnappa Nayakkar. In the earlier inscription he is referred to as having presented Virapandyanallur to his maternal uncle's son Kondama Nayaka, who in his turn made a gift of some taxes, etc., accruing there from to the temple of Kariya Perumal at Adichchanallur. The latter record states that Vaiyappa Krishnappa Nayaka gave Tirukkovallur Sirmai as an umbilikkai to his son-in-law Virupparasar. The latter's wife Achyutamman, the daughter of Krishnappa, is stated to have built a shrine of Krishna, the Vaikuntha vasal, and the gopura in the Vishnu temple at Tirukkoyilur, and endowed for the merit of her father a village named Kolliyur for worship to the deity. This Krishnappa was evidently the founder of the Gingee line of chiefs, who tried to assert his independence towards the close of Venkata's reign.
[29]
B. S. Baliga, ed. (1962). Madras District Gazetteers: South Arcot. Vol. 3. p. 458. One of the Mackenzie manuscripts mentions a Venkatapathi of Venkatampettai, a Kavarai by caste, as ruling over the Gingee (Senji) country about 1478 A.D. and vigorously persecuting the Jains round about.

Edgar Thurston, ed. (1909). Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 2. p. 429. The following story connected with this latter occurs in one of the Mackenzie Manuscripts, and is supported by existing tradition. In 1478 A.D., the ruler of Gingee was one Venkatampettai, Venkatapati, who belonged to the comparatively low caste of the Kavarais.
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Andrew Wyatt, ed. (2009). Party System Change in South India: Political Entrepreneurs, Patterns and Processes. Routledge. p. 122. ISBN 9781135182014.
Arild Engelsen Ruud, Pamela Price, ed. (2012). Power and Influence in India: Bosses, Lords and Captains. Taylor & Francis. p. 161. ISBN 9781136197987.
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Suresh Kumar, ed. (21 April 2026). "Tamil actor-director-producer Parthiban to get 'no caste, no religion' certificate, says Madras high court". The Times of India. My parents belong to Hindu gavara community, he said.

Mohamed Imranullah S, ed. (19 April 2026). "Actor Parthiban moves Madras High Court seeking 'no caste, no religion' certificate". The Hindu. However, he claimed to have been born and raised as a Hindu by his parents, who belonged to the 'Gavara' community.
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Hindu Tamil Thisai (21 January 2020). Exclusive - "இப்பவும் நான் 'சைக்கோ'தான்!" - கஸ்தூரி ராஜா | Part 1 | Rewind with Ramji | HTT (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 12 August 2025 – via YouTube.
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S. Shanmugasundaram, ed. (1997). Bharathiraja: Mannum Makkalum. Kaavya. p. 176.
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Mahesh Babu, ed. (21 May 2026). "TVK Cabinet Expansion: Community Wise Representation". Samayam.
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N. Sai Charan (22 May 2026). "Meet the new Ministers in Tamil Nadu CM Vijay's expanded Cabinet". The Hindu.
[36]
Tamil Nadu Gavara Naidu Welfare Association Press Conference.

S.Seenivasan, ed. (2014). Ethiopia Muthal Ellainayakkanpatti Varai. Sri Ranga Pathippagam. pp. 458–473.
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The Times of India Directory and Year Book Including Who's who. Bennett, Coleman & Company. 1979. p. 789. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
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Alandur Mohanarangan, ed. (2002). Maaveeran Anjanenjan Alagiri. Meena Gopal Pathippagam. p. 196.
[39]
Bruce Elliot Tapper, ed. (2009). Rivalry and Tribute : Society and Ritual in a Telugu Village in South India. Hindustan Publishing Corporation. p. 47. ISBN 9788170750031.
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"Dadi quits TDP, may join YSR Congress". The New Indian Express. 3 May 2013.
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"New JS entrant Konathala to contest from Anakapalli". The Times of India. 25 February 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 18 April 2024.

"Ex YSRCP leader Konatala Ramakrishna may join Janasena Party". The Times of India. 17 January 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
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"Ganababu, Ratnakar racing neck and neck". The Hindu. 17 November 2021.

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