Kuruba / Kuruba Gowda or Kuruma is a caste of Hindus who mainly were shepherds in the past. The community is present in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. They are known as Dhangars in Maharashtra, Kurumba / Kurumans / Kurumbar in Tamil Nadu, Kuruba Gowda or Halumatha Gowda in Karnataka and Kurma in Andhra Pradesh. Unofficial population estimate Karnataka is about 16 million.
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| Classification: | Caste Kuruba / Dhangar/Kurma | |
| Significant populations in: | Southern India | |
| Language | Kannada, Kuruba language, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil | |
| Religion | Hinduism | |
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The word Kuruba means "warriors" and "trustworthy people." The word "Kuru" means "do or seek" in Sanskrit, and "Kuruhu" means "trust" in Kannada. Majority of Kuruba Gowdas were shepherds in ancient times, not anymore. In fact, animal breeding was a very early profession; just after hunting-gathering and just before farming. According to British historian Reginald Edward Enthoven, Kurumas are none other than Ahirs of the south.[1][2] Kurubas are among the most ancient and original inhabitants of India and were a pastoral community,an occupation which predates agriculture and farming. Majority of the Kurubas have abandoned their traditional profession as pastoralists, who at some point in history had a foresight about shrinking pastoral landscapes which influenced their occupational shift from pastoralists to settled agriculturalists, hence asserting themselves in this region where they settled down and in the process a few of them grew powerful. It signifies the transition of the ancient animal rearing and nomadic humans into more settled and farming communities. People have branched out of Kuruba community and developed into other communities over the ages when they started professions other than animal husbandry.
Kurubas are of two major divisions: the larger one is the Kannada-speaking pastoral middle caste of Western Karnataka while the other is the Kurumba language speaking tribe of Nilgiris and surrounding parts.
The Kuruba community is one of the oldest existing communities of India, tracing its history back to prehistoric times. Kurubas have a great and ancient association Kannada language. The population of the Kuruba community in Karnataka alone is nearly 80 lakhs. People of the Kuruba community have long practised a variety of professions, and have not been confined to their traditional (and still predominant) occupation as shepherds and farmers. The Holkars of Indore were Maratha Dhangars. Undeniably, a large section of rural gentry and peasantry in Karnataka have belonged to the Kuruba community. Some Kurubas have been social thinkers and poets, such as Kanakadasa.
Before the Tamil Sangam, South India was inhabited by megalith-builders. These were a pastoral people who lived in caves and in the wilderness. They made stone and metal weapons and pottery. These people built dolmens and cromlechs for their noble dead. In these they buried their dead along with food grains, tools, weapons and other amenities for the afterlife. They were locally called as the Pandava people. These were the earliest monuments found in South India. These megalith-builders might have been the Kurumba people.
Kanakadasa was born into a shepherd family as the son of a village chieftain; his father was the Gowda of a Kuruba village. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna the cowherd and hence set out on a pilgrimage to Udupi. But as he was a non-Brahmin the casteist priests of the Udupi Krishna temple prevented him from having a darshan of the Lord. Feeling hurt he went behind the temple and prayed ardently to the Lord. Lo, there was a miracle when a crack appeared on the wall of the temple and Lord Krishna appeared before him. Hence even today devotees at Udupi view the statue of Krishna through a crevice on the back wall of the temple. Kanakadasa was also a famous classical musician as well, he had contributed many bhajans hence he is remembered fondly by Carnatic music singers. Hence Kanaka dasa needs to be revered just as much as Kalidas and Tulsidas.
The Great Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar was the first freedom fighter who made an army, in 1803, mostly consisting of Kurubas (Dhangars) to fight the British and to drive them out of India. He built a factory to manufacture tanks. He appealed to the rest of the Kings of India and said, "First Country and then Religion. We will have to rise above caste, religion and our states in the interest of our country. You too must wage a war against the British like me". His appeal fell on deaf ears as all of them had already signed treaties with the British. The Kurubas took part in the revolt of 1857. Many of them were hanged to death in Berar (M.P.). The British were so much afraid of Kurubas that they made a law banning purchase of land by Kurubas stating a reason that they were not Kunbis (agriculturists). They were oppressed in all spheres of life.
He was the only king in India to whom the British approached to sign a peace treaty. Initially he refused to sign any treaty with the British, but when he saw that rest of the kings were not ready to unite and were interested in personal benefits he was the last to sign a treaty with the British on 24 December 1805 at Rajghat. He did not accept any condition which would affect his self respect.
Allama Prabhu, head of Lingayat Temple at the time of allowing saint Rewad in the temple stated "Kuruba Hutavamunna Kulavilla Gotra Villam, Kuruban fal kani Basavanna." meaning "Before the Kurubas there were no gotras, gotras came with Kurubas, Basavanna, we are the descendants of kurubas". This shows that many Lingayats were Kurubas/Dhangars previously
Kurubas are Hindus who follow Halumatha. Halumatha is also referred to as palamatha in some parts of India. Religion of the Palakas. Worshiping Almighty Source in stone (Linga) form might have originated from Halumatha. Stone is the source for the soil. Soil is the source for the plants. Plants are the source for the animals. This may be the reason for worshiping Almighty in Stone. Through the ages, this stone worship tradition might have led to worshiping Shiva (Pashupati) as Beeralingeswara, Mailara Linga, [[Khandoba]], Mahadeshwara, Nanjundeswara, Mallappa, Mallara, Mallikarjuna, Junjappa, Malingaraya,Bommagondeshwara etc. Even the worshiping of shakti as Yellamma, Renuka, Chowdamma, Kariyamma, Hallehoramma, Thottilhiramma, Chamundi, Bhanashankari, Gullamma etc. might have come from this tradition. Even today ancestral worship as deities is very common. The worship of ancestors like Revanasidda, Rama, Hanuman, Krishna, Keshava, Ranganatha, Eera Thimmanna, Tirupati Thimmappa, Venkateswara, Kalidasa, Siddarama, Kanakadasa, etc. as Devaru very much exists in Kuruba traditions.
Beeralingeswara temples have Balaga with Gowda, Buddhivanta, Bandari, Kolkara, Heggade etc. Generally priests in Beeralingeshwara and Milaralingeshwara temples are Kurubas. Despite fabulous speculations, no means of right, truth or knowledge have been able to say that the forefathers of these people were of the major Indian dynasties.
Kurubas are known by different names in different regions of the country. In some locations in Karnataka, people from the Kuruba community use Naiker as surname. It means the same as Gowda (a leader of village or temple). The following are used:
Andar, Ahiyaru, Ahir, Appugol, Maldhari / Bharwad / Rabari, Bharavadaru, Dhangar, Dhangad / Dhanwar / Dhanka /Dhangod, Doddi Gowda, Goravar,Gadhariya, Gadaria, Gowda, Gaddi, Gadri, Gollavadu[Yerra Golla, Asthanthra Golla, Puna Golla, Karuveppilla Golla], Gounder, Halumatha, Heggades, Idyar, Kaude, Khuruk, Kuda, Kuruba, Kuruba Gowda, Korama, Kurumba, Kurmar, Kurumbar, Kalavar, Koruma, Korumavaaru, Kurkhi, Kurupu, Naikers, Nikhers, Oraon, Pal / Pala, Palaru, Paalakyatriya, Poduvar, Yadavalu,Mane(being the upper class of the following),Metre, Mehtre, Madgond, Malgond, Pujari.
Kurubas are probably the only major caste in south India with a distinct Kuruba Language spoken by Betta Kurubas and Jenu Kurubas of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Traditionally warriors and farmers, Kurubas were late to take up modern education, but have made rapid progress in many fields. They reached the zenith of prosperity under the Vijayanagara empire[3]
Traditionally Kuruba Gowdas celebrate most Hindu festivals. They have their own costumes, songs, ballads and plays in praise of god such as:
See list of Kurubas.
Kurubas are portrayed in films such as