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The Kurubas are a community of people who reside in South India . An indigenous community, they are known to have resided in the area since time immemorial.


ETYMOLOGY

The word "Kuru" means "do or seek" in Sanskrit , and "Kuruhu" means "trust" in Kannada . "Kuruba" can be inferred to mean "doers" or "trustworthy (male person)". Kuruba can also be inferred to mean Seeker of Knowledge, Kuru (seek), Bha (Knowledge, Light).


CLAN BACKGROUND

People of the Kuruba community have long essayed a variety of professions, and have not been confined to their traditional (and still predominant) occupation as Shepherd s and Farmer s. They have sprung several ruling dynasties, most recently the Holkar s of Indore ; It has also been surmised by some scholars that the Hoysala dynasty may have hailed from this community. Undeniably, a very large section of rural gentry in Karnataka , and many Chieftains and feudal barons in past eras, have belonged to the Kuruba community.

Prominent Kurubas have been Hakkaraya and Bukkaraya, founders of Vijayanagara Empire , Hoysalas , Holkar s, Sangolli Rayanna etc. Kurubas have also been social thinker and poets. Great poets like Kalidasa , Kanakadasa are Kurubas.


CULTURE

Kurubas are Hindu s follow Halumatha . 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 Almight in Stone. Through the ages, this stone worship tradition might have lead to worshiping Shiva ( Pashupati ) as Beeralingeswara , Mailara Linga , Malladevaru, Mahadeshwara , Nanjundeswara, Mallappa, Mallara, Mallikarjuna, Junjappa etc. Even the worshiping of shakti as Yellamma, Renuka, Chowdamma, Kariyamma, Chamundi, Bhanashankari, Gullamma etc might have come from this tradition. Even today ancestoral worship as deities is very common. The worship of ancestors like Revanasidda, Rama , Hanuman , Krishna , Keshava , Ranganatha , EeraThimmanna, Tirupati Thimmappa , Venkateswara , Kalidasa , Siddarama, Kanakadasa etc as Devaru very much exists in Kuruba traditions.

Beeralingeswara temples have ''"Balaga"'' with Gowda , Buddhivanta, Bandari, Kolkara etc. Generally priets in Beeralingeshwara and Milaralingeshwara temples are kurubas. Kurubas were great warriors and had established many ancient kingdoms such as the Hoysala kingdom in Karnataka and Pallava kingdom in present day Tamil Nadu ; they reached their zenith of prosperity between AD.1300 & AD.1600 under the great Vijayanagara Empire .

Kuruba or Golla or Yadava is a community which is existed in
Ramayana days (8,80,000 -Eight lacs eighy thousand years ago)
or Mahabharata times( around 5000 years ago) when the castes in Vaisya or Sudra community is getting divided in terms of the trade, they do's. The commnity trades are very much mentioned in Ramayana and Mahabharata times. There are different trading communities that exist are

Yadava or Kuruba - Cow herders or Ancestral Non Kshatriya
Yadava community kings as the population percentage is very high.

Goud or Ediga- Liquor or Wine or Toddy tappers.

Padmasali - Cloth Weavers

Brahmin - Priests and ministers in Kingdoms

Vysya - Business people.

Kshatriya - Actual kings

Mangali or Nai Brahmin - Barbers

Rajaka - Cloth washers

Dalit - Doing cleaning jobs( Different names and Different work)

Mali - Gardeners

There are different Castes like Reddy,Kamma,Gowda(Vokkaliga),
Kapu,Balija who have earlier different trades mainly producing food products. The food products are related to different items being used in cooking Meat,Milk and drinks related items as Rice or Wheat is not yet at all a main food
in Ramayana or Mahabharata times. As the necessity of those food items is no more in present day habits, these communities become more like non trading communities. They become like agricultural land oweners,chieftains and Local political leaders surpassing even Brahmins,Vysyas and Kshatriyas. Now days Yadavas are realising their strength and
slowly becoming politically strong. Some people says that yadava's use cow dung also. Cow is a sacred animal, every thing of it is useful for people. The trade of Yadavas is highly respectful trade in Olden days, but now days some people feel that is of lower people work. This impressing is getting changed slowly as the trade has come not now.( It is lacs of years old).


OTHER NAMES AND SUB-CASTES


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 or Patel (A leader of village or temple).


KURUBA KINGDOMS



SUB-CASTES



TRIBAL COMMUNITIES

These may be part of kuruba communities. There may be more than 500 bedagus in kuruba community.
  • Heluva

  • Sudagadu Sidda

  • Gidabudaki

  • Jogi



KURUBAS TODAY

Traditionally being warriors and farmers, Kurubas were late to take up modren day education, but have made a fast progress in many fields. They are today developing into a vibrant and dynamic community coming out of the nutshell of inferiority complex which was being imposed on them since the fall of Vijayanagara Empire . The community is being ably led by many politicians and social thinkers who are today not only leading the kuruba community but also all the deprived sections of the society. Kurubas today have become the voice of all the deprived communities of the society grouped under Backward Castes . More work has to be done to help the vast majority of Kuruba Gowdas living in the villages to come out of the inferiority complex and make a life for themselves.


TRADITIONS

Traditionally Kuruba Gowdas celebrate most Hindu festivals. They have their own costumes, songs, ballads and plays in praise of god like


KURUBA EPICS



SOME FAMOUS KURUBA GOWDAS



OTHER FAMOUS KURUBA GOWDAS

Link to Famous Kuruba Gowdas


MOVIES

Kuruba Gowdas are a favourite topic for movies, since the community has produced so many great persons who are legendary hsitorical figures and have become house old names. The following is the link to the movies made of famous Kuruba Gowdas and their life style.
Link to Kuruba Movies


SEE ALSO



REFERENCES




EXTERNAL LINKS