Billava

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Billava is a name of the caste found mainly in the Tulu regions of Karnataka and Kerala.

1 Origins
- 1.1 Billava, etymolgoy
2 The social conditions
3 Culture
4 Present
5 Sri Narayana Guru
6 References
7 See also

[edit] Origins

The region of South India is abundant with various types of Palm trees like coconut palm, areca palm and palmyra palm. In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, they were known as Edigas. In Kerala, Ezhava. The Tulu speaking population involved in this occupation that became endogamous unit owing to caste rules of the later period is known as Billava.

[edit] Billava, etymolgoy

It is believed that billava, ezhava, idiga are derived from a Proto-Dravidian word. Plausibly, the root of the word could have been coined for palm trees in general. Still in Tulu, the word for coconut taarai and palmyra tree taale look like cognates. Also, Tulu word for palmyra fruit is irol. That might also show that root word might have meant palm tree and not palm juice.

[edit] The social conditions

The families involved in toddy tapping were declared impure as the caste rules were implemented and prohibited from entering temples. Many social restrictions were imposed upon this community. As a result, until the social reforms in twentieth century the community faced many a hardships.

[edit] Culture

Billavas in the past were matrilineal or followed Aliya Kattu, a system typical to Tulu and Malayala regions. Their lineage, known as bali, is similar to that of other Tulu and northern Malayali communities. However, now they follow patrilineal system.

[edit] Language

Tulu is the main language spoken by billavas. In some areas of karnataka where billavas also speak kannada and identifies themselves as kannada billavas. The Tulu dialect spoken by the Billava people is known as common or shudra Tulu. There ia also group within billavas also called thiyyabillas or malaylali billavas in South canara district who considered as Malayalam community

[edit] Garodi

The coastal regions of Karnataka and Kerala had a very active martial traditions. In fact, name of another Tulu caste, bunt, means mercenary. Many men irrespective of their occupation (be it farming, toddy tapping or weaving) worked as mercenaries in various armies.

Many Billava families, though now handicapped by the caste rules, did not lose this tradition. Very soon they developed some kind of community identity. They built Garodis in the line of Kalaris in Kerala in honour of their folk heroes Koti and Chennayya. These Garodis became major religious and martial centre of Billavas all over coastal areas of Karnataka. Though this tradition was common to their equivalent caste in Kerala, due to rigid caste rules they lost all their independent religious/martial traditions.

[edit] Nema

Just like Theyyam in Kerala, Tulu regions have Nema, a kind of spirit worship. Billavas were important part of this native worship.

[edit] Present

Due to their hard-work and sheer determination, billavas are today fast improving, spiritual, gaining strength economically, culturally and politically.

[edit] Sri Narayana Guru

Narayana Guru (1856-1928), who was born into a religious billava family, was a great sage and social reformer of India. Billavas wre backward class people,however they emerged dramatically mainly due to the role played by Sri Narayana Guru, a great saint and social reformer who preached a message of self-help, self-improvement, and self-esteem. A devout Saivite monk and Sanskrit scholar, the Guru's goal was not to destroy Hinduism, but to purify it and improve it; he suggested to all that they appropriate Hinduism: that it was theirs, too -- Hinduism belongs to all.

During Guru's time, he exhorted people to educate themselves and to improve themselves through industry and thrift; but most of all, he preached the dignity of the individual: a universal message for our troubled times.

But never once did the Guru attack Hinduism. He never advocated hatred for any faith or its priests.'No matter what the religion, man must improve,' he said. He personally believed the core of the Vedanta teachings was eternal and truthful and universal. The social excrescences that had attached themselves to those sublime philosophies could and would be excised.

An order of monks called the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) was established by Guru. The SNDP Yogam has gained immense popularity as one which nurtures the material and spiritual welfare of the community at large.

He has visited all parts of kerala, South canara, Srilanka and tamil nadu and built temples for billava community and has given the foundation for the progress of the community.When he established his own temples, he was challenged by the upper caste.When challenged about His right to consecrate a Shiva image once, he replied, that it was billava Shiva that he had consecrated! And brhamins have no right to question it.