Komati caste

Komati Vaishya Community
Religions Hinduism, Jainism
Languages
Country
Region
Subdivisions
  • Gavara Komati
  • Kalinga Komati
  • Thrivarnika Komati
  • Jaina Komati
Komati women in western India (c. 1855-1862).

The Komati is an Indian trading community found primarily in South and Central India, that is currently organised as a caste. The members of the Komati caste are commonly engaged in banking, money lending and other business pursuits. The community consists of three sects who are followers of the Hinduism, namely the Gaura or Gavara, the Thrivarnika and the Kalinga, along with the Jaina Komatis who are followers of Jainism.

Etymology

According to one theory, the word Komati is derived from Gommata, the great Jaina saint Gomateshwara and were originally followers of the Gommata cult of Jainism and later got assimilated into the Indian caste system as Vaishya's.[1] Dwaraknath Gupta who has published books on the Komati community holds this view. This view is also published by G.V. Subramanyam[2] Professor of Central University in his books, he contends that there was wide spread prevalence of Jainism among Telugu merchants in the pre-medieval period. The publications from the department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Andhra Pradesh also mentions Komati to be derived from Gommata and the original Komatis were followers of Jainism[3][4][5]

Edgar Thurston and R. V. Russell, in their books published in the British era mention "Komati" to be derived from the Sanskrit term "Gomathi," believed to have the meaning of possessor or keeper of cows or Ko-mati to be fox minded which suggests having good business acumen to succeed in trade[6][7]

Another explanation advanced is that it records the origin of the Komatis on the banks of the Godavari river, which is also called the Gomathi river.

History

There is epigraphic evidence that the term `Komati' was in use by the 11th century CE.[8] The Komati merchants were associated with the town of Penugonda in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.[9] Inscriptions from the Godavari, Krishna and Guntor districts from 11th century refer to the merchants referred to as the "Lords of Penugonda."[10][11] The wealthier sections of the Komatis were addressed as `Setti', `Chetti' or `Chettiyar,' all derived from the Sanskrit term Sreshthi.[12] Their trade associations bore the name nagaram. They also participated in long-distance trade networks called pekkandru (literally "the many").[13] During the times of the Vijayanagara Empire, they physically relocated themselves for commercial efficiency in various parts of South India. They are presently found in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Odisha, in addition to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.[14]

After the arrival of European trading companies, the Komati merchants were among the local traders that partnered with them. The British referred to them as "Committys" and often used the term generically for all merchants on the Coromandel coast. Among the Committys that the British dealt with were the bulk sellers of cloth and other export commidities, money lenders and money changers, and the individual shop-keepers.[15] The second Chief Merchant of the British East India Company in Madras was a Komati called Kasi Viranna, appointed in 1669.[16] There was fierce competition between the Tamil-speaking Beeri merchants, who formed the `left-hand' caste division and the Komati and Balija merchants, who were referred to as the `right-hand' caste division. The competition between the divisions gave rise to riots and disputes in 1652 and 1707.[17]

Practices

The Vaidiki bramhins act as priests for the Kalinga and Gavara Komatis, the Thrivarnika Komatis have Iyengars who propagate Sri Vaishnavism as their priests. Jaina Komatis follow Jain practices and customs.

The Gaura or Gavara Komati along with Jaina Komati are pure Vegetarians, the Thrivarnika and Kalinga Komatis are allowed to consume non-Vegetarian food. The Komati community gives high importance to Ahimsa both at a social and spiritual level as per the teachings of their Kuladevata.

Sri Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari Devi is the Goddess or Kuladevata of all Komatis.[18] Kanyaki Purana—a late medieval sacred text in Telugu—is is the key religious text of Komatis.[19] Records are available for a Kanyaka Parameswari temple built on a garden owned by the Komati community in George Town, Madras in the early 18th century.[20] Komatis regard themselves as a `twice-born' caste, meaning that they are allowed to wear a sacred thread following an initiation ceremony (the upanayana).[19] This status was contested by Niyogi Brahmins in Masulipatnam in the early 19th century in the Imperial British courts at considerable expense.[21]

Inclusion into the Vaishya Varna

The Vysya Association(1905) registered the community Komati as Arya Vysyas.

References

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  1. ↑ Gupta, C. Dwarakanath (1999-01-01). Socio-cultural History of an Indian Caste. Mittal Publications. ISBN 9788170997269.
  2. ↑ Book "Rishabh Saurabh" Published on the occasion of Seminar on "Jaina Heritage of Karnataka, held at Bangalore ( Organised by Rishabh Dev Foundation, Delhi ) on 4th & 5th April 1994"
  3. ↑ Rao, Hanumantha B. S. L., 1973. Religion in Āndhra: a survey of religious developments in Āndhra from early times upto A.D. 1325, Part 1325, Issue 69 of Archaeological series. Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Andhra Pradesh, p. 175
  4. ↑ Rao, Hanumantha B. S. L., 1995. Socio-cultural history of ancient and medieval Andhra, p.130. Volume 172 of Telugu Viśvavidyālaya pracuraṇa. Telugu University.
  5. ↑ Rao, B. S. L. Hanumantha. Social mobility in Medieval Andhra. p. 176
  6. ↑ Gupta, C. Dwarakanath; Bhaskar, Sepuri (1992-12-01), Vysyas: a sociological study, Ashish Pub. House, p. 10, ISBN 978-81-7024-450-9
  7. ↑ Russell, R. V. (1916), The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India, Volume III of IV, Library of Alexandria, pp. 487–, ISBN 978-1-4655-8303-1
  8. ↑ Madras, Andhra Historical Research Society, Rajahmundry,; Society, Andhra Historical Research (1964), Journal of the Andhra Historical Society, Andhra Historical Research Society, p. 212
  9. ↑ Raychaudhuri, Tapan; Habib, Irfan; Kumar, Dharma (1982), The Cambridge Economic History of India: Volume 1, C.1200-c.1750, CUP Archive, pp. 120–, ISBN 978-0-521-22692-9
  10. ↑ Sundaram, K. (1968), Studies in Economic and Social Conditions of Medieval Andhra: A.D. 1000-1600, Triveni Publishers, p. 58
  11. ↑ Talbot 2001, p. 53.
  12. ↑ Talbot 2001, p. 59.
  13. ↑ Talbot 2001, p. 81.
  14. ↑ Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2014), "Silk and Weavers of Silk in Medieval Peninsular India", The Medieval History Journal 17 (1): 145–169, doi:10.1177/0971945814528422
  15. ↑ Mukund, Kanakalatha (1999), The Trading World of the Tamil Merchant: Evolution of Merchant Capitalism in the Coromandel, Orient Blackswan, pp. 62–, ISBN 978-81-250-1661-8
  16. ↑ Brennig, Joseph J. (1977), "Chief Merchants and the European Enclaves of Seventeenth-Century Coromandel", Modern Asian Studies 11 (3): 321–340, JSTOR 311502
  17. ↑ Mines, Mattison (1992), "Individuality and Achievement in South Indian Social History", Modern Asian Studies 26 (1): 129–156, JSTOR 312720
  18. ↑ Srinivasulu, K. (September 2002). Caste & Class Articulation of Andhra Pradesh (PDF). London: Overseas Development Institute. pp. Glossary of castes, 4. ISBN 0-85003-612-7. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  19. 1 2 Price 2000, p. 35.
  20. ↑ Neve, Geert de; Donner, Henrike (2007-01-24), The Meaning of the Local: Politics of Place in Urban India, CRC Press, pp. 102–, ISBN 978-1-135-39216-1
  21. ↑ Price 2000.
Sources

Further reading

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