Vokkaliga (Kannada: ಒಕ್ಕಲಿಗ) (rightly pronounced Okkaliga) is an umbrella term for various agricultural, previously endogamous social groups with a martial past, found mainly in the Old Mysore Region of southern Karnataka. The Vokkaligas are primarily agriculturists.[1][2] They form a politically and numerically dominant caste group and were the most populous group[3][4] until the States Reorganisation Act of 1956 which enlarged the erstwhile State of Mysore by the inclusion of predominantly Canarese districts of the State of Bombay, State of Hyderabad and Coorg, (Mysore State was renamed Karnataka in 1973) following which the Lingayats became the most populous social group. Together the two communities dominate Karnataka State politics.[5][6]
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Vokkaliga is a Kannada word of considerable antiquity finding mention in some of the earliest available literary works of the language, such as the Kavirajamarga, Pampa Bharata, Mangaraja's Nighantu et al and has been used as an appellation for the cultivator community since time immemorial.[7][8] Generally the term has come to mean an agriculturist though various etymological derivations are available. A few likely derivations are as follows:
People of the Vokkaliga community ascribe various honorifics to their castemen, the most popular of which is Gauda anglicized as Gowda. Titles such as Reddy,Hegde,Shetty and so on are also popular, generally used according to their sub group, language spoken and geographical area they belong to. The words Vokkaliga and Gowda are almost synonymous in usage and in colloquial, Gowda has come to mean a Vokkaliga. However the term itself is also used by people of various other castes as an honorary title.[7]
The etymology of Gauda is also heavily debeated by scholars. The term and its archaic forms Gamunda,Gavunda,Gavuda (and hence Gauda), appear frequently in the inscriptions of Karnataka,recorded in the Epigraphia Carnatica. In fact the Epigraphia Carnatica is replete with such references to land grants, donations to temples, hero-stones "Veeragallu",stone edicts and copper plates dating back to the age of the Western Ganga Dynasty (est. 350 CE) and earlier.[13] Attributing a Sanskrit origin, H.V.Nanjundayya has derived the word from Grama or Gava meaning a village and Munda meaning head, thus a Gamunda being the head of the village. Edgar Thurston, (Castes and Tribes of Southern India), the popular Kannada linguist Sham.Ba.Joshi and others propose a derivation from the Sanskrit - Go (cow) and Govala (cowherd) (Govala->Goula->Gowda).[7][14] Though, this etymology does not explain the archaic forms of the name mentioned earlier. Alternately Tamil origins to the word claim its derivation from 'Kavundan or Kamindan' (one who watches over). The Vokkaligas of Tamil Nadu (found mostly in and around Coimbatore district) use 'Gounder' as their surname. Whether the name Gauda/Gowda is an allusion to the Gauḍa region[15] or not has not been conclusively proved.
The Vokkaliga Community has several sub-groups within its fold. Previously they were mostly endogamous but in the modern context inter-group marriages have become a common affair, especially since the colonial times.[1] However to this day, within any given sub-group, exogamy at the family/clan level is strictly controlled by using the idiom of Mane Devaru (the patron god of the given exogamic clan) which dictates that the followers of same Mane Devaru are siblings and marriage is thus forbidden, allowing marital aliances only with another clan and not within.[16] This system is akin to the Brahminical Gotra System and is seen as a common feature in most Indian communities.[11] The community is largely patrilineal, though matrilineal (Aliya Santana or Aliya Kattu) sub-groups are also present. It is opined that all the sub-groups previously formed a single unified community which broke into several factions over the ages.[1]
The major sub-groups of the Vokkaligas include the Gangadikara,Morasu Vokkaliga,Namadhari Gowda,Kunchitiga and Kodagu Gowda sections, which form the corpus of the community with several other sub-groups like the Hallikara,Halu,Grama,Kotte,Kare Vokkaligas and so on. The Bunts of Tulunadu and the Nadavaru/Nadugaudas (Kannada speaking Bunts) are also included while naming the various Vokkaliga sub-groups.[1][7][17][18]
A brief note on the various sub-groups is given below:
Numerically the largest among the Vokkaligas,[1][3] the Gangadikaras are mostly found in the Mysore,Mandya,Chamarajnagar,Hassan,Bangalore districts of Karnataka.Gangawadi was the name for the area covering these districts, ruled over by the Western Ganga Dynasty and Gangadikara is a contraction of the term Gangawadikara (A man of Gangawadi).[1] The Gangadikara Gowdas claim to be descendants of the erstwhile Ganga royalty.[7][17][19][20] With various theories on the origins of the Gangas, this is hard to prove but some scholars do opine that the Gangas were local chieftains who ascertained their power and rose to dominance during the political unrest caused in South India after the invasion of Samudragupta I.[21] It is however, a fact that the administrative setup of Gangas vested power in the Ooru Gauda,Nadu Gauda, Pergade (archaic for Hegde.Pergade->Peggade->Heggade) and so on, at various levels of administration and apart from administrative duties the Gauda was expected to raise militia when called for.[21]
The Gangadikaras have two primary sections - the Bujjanige (or Dhaare Shastradavaru) and the Pettige (or Veelyada Shastradavaru) based on differences in rituals performed during the wedding ceremony. They can be Shaiva or Vaishnava in religious affiliation ( called Mullu and Dasa sects). In fact, the Dasa sect forms a separate endogamous group under the Gangadikaras and are called Dasa Vokkaligas.[1] The Gangadikara Vokkaligas have as many as 40 exogamous clans called Bedagu.[1][16][22] They speak Kannada and the castemen mostly use 'Gowda' as a surname.
The Morasu Vokkaligas are found mostly in the Kolar, Tumkur, Chitradurga and Bangalore districts of Karnataka.[1] They claim to have migrated from Morasu Nadu located near present day Kanchipuram and hence their name. In fact the ancestors of Kempe Gowda I (the founder of Bangalore city) of the Yelahanka Nadaprabhus who belonged to this sect are recorded to have migrated to these districts from Alur of Kanchi around the 15th century under Rana Bhaire Gowda (who built the fort at Devanahalli).[23]
The Morasu Vokkaligas also call themselves as Hosadevara Vokkaligas. The sect has both Kannada and Telugu speaking groups, the four main sub-divisions being the Musuku,Reddi,Palyadasime and Morasu proper which is again divided into three lines called Salu viz. Kanu salu,Nerlegattada salu,Kutera salu. The Kannada speaking sections use the name Gowda while the Telugu speaking Reddi and Palyadasime sections fashion themselves as Reddi said to have been derived from the word Raatta an honorific dating back to the Rashtrakuta Dynasty. There are 70 odd exogamous clans among the Morasu Vokkaligas.[1]
The Namadhari Vokkaliga group is the second largest Vokkaliga sub-group.[7] Found mainly in the 'Malnād' region of Karnataka in the districts of Shimoga, Chickamagalur, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada though they have spread to the Karāvaļi and Bayalu Seemae also. (Karnataka is divided into three Seemaes or geographical areas: starting from the coastline called Karāvaļi, The Western Ghats called Malnād and the plain lands called Bayalu Seemae).
Though originally said to belong to 18 root families or Balis the vast Namadhari population encompasses numerous sub-sects and folds. Like most Vokkaligas, they have Shaiva and Vaishnava folds. It is said that the Namadhari Gowdas acquired their name after they were re-converted to Hinduism during the time of the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana, by the celebrated Srivaishnava Acharya, Ramanuja and they started wearing the Srivaishnava Nama or Tilaka. The Namadhari Gowdas who had earlier been converted to Jainism (which had gained popularity in Karnataka during the period of the Western Gangas) thus came to be Vaishnavas and ardent followers of Tirupati Timmappa. To this day they retain vestiges of Jain traditions. For instance, some Namadhari sub-sects are still strictly vegetarian (a majority of Vokkaligas being non-vegetarian) and in most families, while honouring their ancestors, a separate vegetarian offering of food called Jaina Ede is made.
They are closely related to the Kannada speaking Nadavaru or the Nadugauda sect of the Bunts and like them trace their lineage or Bali matrilineally. The Namadhari Gowdas use Gowda, Hegde, Nayaka, Shetty etc as their surnames. Their culture and traditions have been described in detail by Kuvempu in his novels. He was himself a member of the community. In fact the poet explains that amongst the Vokkaligas, Gowda was an administrative title, Nayaka a military title and Hegde,the title for the dispenser of law.[7][17]
The Kunchitiga Vokkaligas are found mainly in Tumkur and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka. They are also found in large numbers in the cities of Mysore and Bangalore. Those in the cities have been known to be traders and businessmen since olden days.[1] The Kunchitigas have a reputation for being traditionally inclined. They attribute their name to a legend of origin according to which, the progenitor of their community promised a Kuruba to name the community after a Kuncha or brush (which the Kuruba carried to weave blankets) in honour of the service he had rendered them, during their flight from a 'Northern' country. They are said to have 16 'Moola Gotras' or root families from which separated about 48 'Kulas' or exogamous clans.[1][17]
The Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada Gowda community as their name indicates, hail mostly from those districts. They are also called Tulu Gowdas.[24] They speak the Are Bhashe or 'Gowda Kannada' dialect of Kannada and in the Dakshina Kannada district they speak Tulu affectuated by Tulunadu customs. They are said to have 10 Kutumaba and 18 Balis as their primordial root families, from which arose around a hundred Mane or families. Their customs and traditions are a unique blend of Gowda and Kodava practises. They are mostly Vaishnavite and worship 'Tirupati Timmappa' and 'Sabbakka' (Sharada of Sringeri).[25]
Some prominent Vokkaliga personalities are: Kempe Gowda I, founder of Bangalore, Kuvempu writer and poet, H. D. Deve Gowda, Prime Minister of India & Chief Minister of Karnataka, H. N. Nage Gowda, Poet, H. L. Nage Gowda, author, Dr. K. Chidananda Gowda, Vice Chancellor Kuvempu University, Dr. M. H. Marigowda, horticultural expert, Tirumakudalu Chowdiah, Violinist, Ambarish, actor and politician, B. Saroja Devi, actress, Nagathihalli Chandrashekar, director, S M Krishna, Minister of Foriegn Affairs and Ex-Chief Minister, Karnataka, Ramya, actress, Jaggesh, actor, V. G. Siddhartha, founder of Cafe Coffee Day, Arjun Halappa, mens hockey and Dodda Ganesh, Indian pace Bowler.