Devadiga

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Devadiga (also Moily, Sherigar, Shriyan, Gujaran) is a sub-caste in Hinduism, who mainly hail from south and west coast of Karnataka, India. Traditionally, the name is ascribed to a community of Hindu temple musicians.

[edit] Origins

The name "Devadiga" is derived from archaic Kannada term "Deva Adiga" ('Devara Adiyalu' means "God's Worker"). The community members are now scattered all over India mainly in south of Karnataka, Mumbai, Bangalore, North Karnataka, and other cities. However, the major concentration of the population is still in Canara (South Karnataka and some parts of North Karnataka) districts.

[edit] Notable Devadigas

Many educated community members made their mark on society. Veerappa Moily is a noted name, who is the former Chief Minister of Karnataka and a senior politician with various portfolios in Government of India/Karnataka.

Maestro Kadri Gopalanath is a renowned musician in saxophone is considered as a great maestro in Indian classical music field. The famous Hindi film actress Miss. Sneha Ullal to name a few.