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Kuruba

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This article is about the pastoral community in Karnataka. For the similarly-named tribe of the Nilgiris, seeKurumba (tribe).

Kurubais aHinducastenative to the Indian state ofKarnataka,Tamil Nadu,Andhra PradeshandTelangana.[1]They are the third-largest caste group in Karnataka.[2]The Kuruba community is also known by the names Kuruba, Kuruma, Kurumba,Gadariya.The natives of the Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are Hindu castes. It is the third largest caste group in Karnataka. Traditionally, these areGadariya(shepherds) who used to do the work of sheep/goat and animal husbandry, in which they especially raised mixed herds of sheep and goats and cattle.

Etymology

The termkuruba,meaningshepherd,is derived fromkuri,meaningsheepinKannada.Shepherding was traditionally their primary occupation[3]and still is for many, who lead anomadiclifestyle.[4]

History

Oral traditions of the Kurubas or Kuruma indicate their descent fromNeolithicfarming villages in South India which also kept cattle. Oral traditions indicate some of these original cattle-keeping agriculturalists branched off into new habitats and quickly came to rely on sheep pastoralism, absorbingMesolithichunter-gatherers. Rituals associated with hunting presumably came from the integration of these hunter-gatherers into the Neolithic pastoralists. These pastoralists later became almost totally separated from their villager antecedents and interacted with them only based on initial conflict and acculturation. For pastoralists such as the Kurubas, the horse became an important pack animal after the Iron Age and an animal for fighting.Nanjundaiahclaimed the Kurubas were the descendants of thePallavas.[citation needed]Groups of soldiers from the Kuruba community became important in the armies ofDeccanpowers in the Medieval era.[5]It is believed that Kurubas are ethnically related to the Kuruvars ofSangam literature.This is also supported by the fact that Kuruvars worshipedMurukanand his Kuruvar wife, Valli whereas Kurubas worshipMailara/Mallanna, who represents Murukan, and his Kuruba wife, Kurubattyavva.[6]

Traditional sources claim that the Kurumas or Kurubas founded theSangama dynasty,the founding dynasty of theVijayanagara Empire.[7]According toRamchandra Chintaman Dhere,a scholar of the religious traditions ofMaharashtra:

The history of South India shows clearly that all the southern royal dynasties who arose from pastoralist, cowherd groups gained Kshatriya status by claiming to be Moon lineage Kshatriyas, by taking Yadu as their ancestor, and by continually keeping alive their pride in being 'Yadavas'. Many dynasties in South India, from thePallavasto the Yadavarayas, were originally members of pastoralist, cowherd groups and belonged to Kuruba lineages.[8]

Subdivisions

They have three divisions, namely Unnikankan, Hattikankan and Hande. Those who subsist on the wool economy wear aUnnikankan(wool bracelet), while those in agriculture wear aHattikankan(cotton bracelet). These bracelets are tied during the marriage ceremony. Hande Kurubas claims a higher position than the other two and prefers to be called Nayakas. They were an important part of the armies ofHyder Aliand AnkusagariPoligars.Nayakas were military leaders who often becameInamdars.[9][5]

The priestly class of Kurubas is called Oderu Kuruba. They don't eat meat and wear thelingam,and to that extent they resemble theLingayats'Jangamas.[10]

InMaharashtra,they are a sub-caste ofDhangarcommunity.[11]Kurubas and Dhangars have the same religious ideas and practices. TheKannadaspeaking Dhangars of southernMaharashtracan easily be called Kurubas. They are divided into Unnikankan and Hattikankan Dhangars, which are subdivisions of Kurubas.[12]Dhangars' priestly class is called Vadad, derived from Oderu, which is the priestly class of Kurubas. They differ from Kurubas only in name and language.[13]

Varna status

By the 1920s, some of the Kurubas had begun to call themselvesPrathama Sudra('first Sudra') orIndra Sudra('chief Sudra').[citation needed]InKarnataka,the Kurubas are classified asOther Backward Classin theIndian system of reservation.[14]However, the community has been seeking to be reclassified as aScheduled Tribe.Since the community is more dispersed, the Kurubas have been called a non-dominant minority community. The Kuruba community's population in Karnataka is around fifty lakh (five million), which is 8-9% of the total 6.5 crore (65 million) population of the state.[15]

The Kurubas ofKodagudistrict are classified as aScheduled Tribe.[16][17]

Current situation

The Kuruba community mainly inhabits the eastern parts of Karnataka. The region is mainly plateau broken up by hills, rivers and tanks. The soil in this region is mainly red soils, and red sandy loams, unsuitable for agriculture. The low hills and plains have scrub and rocky country, ideal for pastoral lifestyles.[5]

The Kurubas traditionally practicedtranshumance pastoralism:moving with large flocks of sheep from one pasture to the other. A secondary source of livelihood was once weavingkamblis,but that had mostly disappeared by the 20th century.[citation needed]With the disappearance of pastureland, they have been settling down to agriculture, some as landlords and other as tenants. Today, the majority of Hattikankan Kurubas practice farming and cattle-breeding, and many Unnikankan Kurubas are also farmers. But some also sell sheep and goats, as well as cow dung, in a symbiotic relationship with local farmers.[5][18]

Culture

Although the Kurubas are traditionallySaivites,they worship a variety of deities.Mailara,Mallanna,Mallikarjuna,Vitthal(in his original Shiva form) andBeerappa,and Arivamma [Aluvelu mangamma] who all are forms of Shiva, andYellammaare some of the important gods of Kurubas. They consider Vitthal and Beerappa as brothers, however, Beerappa has traditionally been their exclusive deity.[6][19][5]Other deities they worship include Batyappa, Irachikappa, Kallu Kambhadappa, Budalappa, Settipalleppa, Karakuappa andLakshmi Devi.They worship allgramadevatasand sacrifice sheep and goats.[citation needed]

Previously, the Kurubas celebratedparashewhere the group of Kurubas throughout a region celebrated the festival of their gods. During this timeGoravas,an order of saints dedicated to Mailari Devaru, are initiated. During theparashe,the idol of the temple where theparashetakes place is washed in a river, and decorated withhoovu-vibhuti.The worship is conducted by a Kuruba pujari and the Goravas sing songs dedicated to the deity. However, these celebrations were largely gone by the 1920s. The Kurubas also worshipIragaru,men who die unmarried, by building temples and setting up stones for them.[citation needed]They bury their dead.[5]

Notable people

Main article:List of Kurubas

References

  1. ^Murthy, M.L.K. (1 February 1993). "Ethnohistory of pastoralism: A study of Kurubas and Gollas".Studies in History.9(1): 33–41.doi:10.1177/025764309300900102.S2CID161569571.
  2. ^Ranganna, T. S. (12 August 2006)."Kuruba community sets a new trend at math".The Hindu.Retrieved30 June2020.
  3. ^Ramchandra Chintaman Dhere, Translated byAnne Feldhaus(2011).Rise of a Folk God: Vitthal of Pandharpur, South Asia Research.Oxford University Press. pp. 240–241.ISBN9780199777648.
  4. ^"Bandaru assures ST category for Golla-Kuruma".The Hindu.25 August 2015.ISSN0971-751X.Retrieved27 May2020.
  5. ^abcdefMurty, M. L. K.; Sontheimer, Günther D. (1980)."Prehistoric Background to Pastoralism in the Southern Deccan in the Light of Oral Traditions and Cults of Some Pastoral Communities".Anthropos.75(1/2): 163–184.ISSN0257-9774.JSTOR40460587.
  6. ^abFeldhaus (1989),p. 106.
  7. ^Dhere, Ramchandra Chintaman(2011).Rise of a Folk God: Vitthal of Pandharpur, South Asia Research.Feldhaus, Anne (trans.). Oxford University Press. p. 237,238,243.ISBN978-0-19977-764-8.Vijayanagar's kings were Yādavas; therefore they were Kurubas; and therefore Viṭṭhal-Bīrappā must have been their original god. The temple of Anantaśayana depicts a clothed form of Viṭṭhal. At Mallikārjun temple near Mallappanaguḍī, there is a broken image of Viṭṭhal in a shrine. In Hampī, bas-reliefs of Viṭṭhal are sculpted on pillars of the Viṭṭhal temple and Kṛṣṇa temple. In Lepākṣī, there are sculptures of Dhangars standing with a blanket draped over his head, his arm resting on his staff, and his chin resting on his arm. He must be there as a reminder of the family that built the temples. There is no other reason for a human being to be carved here, when almost every other carving on the numerous pillars of these temples depicts a god or a mythological event. These two popular motifs, Dhangars and Viṭṭhal, present a clear image of the family background of the founders of Vijayanagar and the roots of their faith.
  8. ^Dhere, Ramchandra Chintaman(2011).Rise of a Folk God: Vitthal of Pandharpur, South Asia Research.Feldhaus, Anne (trans.). Oxford University Press. p. 245.ISBN978-0-19977-764-8.
  9. ^Feldhaus (1989),p. 107.
  10. ^Feldhaus (1989),p. 122.
  11. ^Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020).Central List of OBCs Maharashtra(Report). Archived fromthe originalon 10 November 2020.
  12. ^Feldhaus (1989),p. 106-107.
  13. ^Feldhaus (1989),p. 113,122.
  14. ^Central Commission for Backward Classes.Central List of OBCs Karnataka(Report). Archived fromthe originalon 22 December 2018.
  15. ^Gejji, Anil."Karnataka: Kuruba campaign seen as bid to erode Siddaramaiah's clout".Bengaluru. Archived fromthe originalon 23 December 2020.Retrieved17 December2020.
  16. ^"List of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes"(PDF).censuskarnataka.gov.in.2010. p. 3.
  17. ^"Scheduled Tribe List".kstrimysuru.in.2021.
  18. ^Feldhaus (1989),p. 113.
  19. ^Dhavalikar, Madhukar (2014).Socio-economic Archaeology of India.Archaeological Survey of India, 2014. p. 274.

Bibliography

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