About Kankallar group
Overview
In South India, most of the Kamma caste or community lives in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In the southern parts of the country and the adjoining states of Tamil Nadu, they are also known as Kamma Naids or Kammavar Naidus. In coastal Andhra Pradesh, they are called Chaudhry. The community has a large population in Chennai, and neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu such as Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Theni, and Thoothukudi, as well as Bangalore. Some of them went abroad in the later decades of the 20th century, mostly to the US, the UK and Australia. Today’s Kammas are a hardworking and industrious community considered to be the wealthiest people in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. In Andhra Pradesh, especially in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra Pradesh, Kammas are heavily involved in politics. They are particularly prevalent in politics, business, media, the film industry, and education. They generally range from small business owners to senior engineers. There are many low landowners and farmers in the villages of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. As there are only a few Kammas in the State, reading their progress is interesting in Indian history. Their work ethic and hard work, in general, have been identified as key success factors. Understandably, modern farming methods are driven by desire. The Kamma now oversees some of the most productive and commercial enterprises in the country.
The origins and history of Kammavar
There are several, but unconvincing reasons concerning the etymology of both the term ‘Kamma’ and the Kammas social group. One such theory is that the people who lived in the Krishna valley, where Buddhism prevailed, got the name from Theravada Buddhist concept of Kamma (Pali) or Karma (Sanskrit). Formerly, this region was known as Kammarashtram, Kammakaraatam, or Kammanadu. According to a few historians, the name Kamma probably comes from an ancient Aryan warrior clan - Kambhoja. Regarding the references referred to above, Avadh Bihari Lal Avasthi says the following:
- South India is home to the Kambhi, Kamma, Kumbhi, and other castes. Another famous city is Koimb-toor. It's feasible that Southern India formerly had a Kamboja kingdom.
- The inscriptions of monarchs Sadasiva Raya of the Sangama Dynasty (1336–1478), Harihara, Bukka, and Deva Raya of the Narasinga Dynasty (1496–1567), and Vishnuvardhana of the Hoyasala Dynasty/Mysore (of 12th century AD) attest to the life of the Kambojas in west and southwest India.
- An inscription from the Mysore Tract (EC, VII SK 118) dated to 1050 AD attests to the buying and selling groups of Nanadesa Tisaiya Yirattu Ainnurruvar. These groups dealt in numerous items, which include pearls, rubies, sapphires, moonstones, elephants, and horses. The majority of the buying and selling international locations are located in significant and southern India. It is claimed that these groups exchange with the Pallavas and Kambhojas among other companies.
- The famous tale Kambhoja Raja Kathalu, which recounts the daring navy feats of a Kambhoja king, remains broadly read in Andhra Pradesh. The story probably refers to some historical brush of the Kambojas with the people of Andhra around Christian era.
The place that is now Palnadu, named after the Pallavas who ruled there, turned into known as Kammanadu in medieval times, suggesting that they may have lived there for a totally long period. Bhrammanaidu, Nalagama Raju, and Balachandradu are the well-known Kamma kings of Tamil Nadu. Kammas have become famous throughout the Kakatiya era. These have been the sage leaders of the medieval times, with a powerful army. The famous Kamma kings among palnadu are Bhrammanaidu, Nalagama raju, Balachandradu. Kammas grew to prominence during the Kakatiya reign. They delivered the Nayaka chieftains collectively, took Warangal far away from the Delhi Sultanate, and ruled for fifty years after Warangal fell. This gave the Vijayanagar empire more strength. During the Vijayanagar rule they concured half of indian land from Tamilnadu, Andhra, Karnataka upto upper Orissa, Madhyapradesh and sustained Hidu culture fighting against Bahamany sulthans. The Kamma Nayaks served as the Vijayanagara army's essential protection and have been the governors of Tamil Nadu's Tanjore, Madurai, and Coimbatore regions. Sri Krishnadevaraya, the renowned Kamma ruler, accelerated the beauty of the Vijayanagara realm over a considerable place. He is properly-organized and wise. Every Vijayanagara leader is an exceedingly courageous, decided, diligent, and honourable nationalist. For an instance a Cheiftain Pemmasani Vishwanatha Nayudu suggested Srikrishna Devaraya to suppress the rebellion of his father Pemmasani Nagama Nayudu in Madurai. Vishwanatha Nayudu became thereafter appointed governor of Madurai. Near Madurai, at Nayakarpatti, there may be nevertheless a Zamindari belonging to the Pemmasani Kamma extended family.
An interesting ancient incident blanketed another brave character, Kamma Nayak Pemmasani Thimma Nayudu, who used a cunning strategic circulate to spare Krisnadeva Raya's lifestyles on the conflict of Raichur. Nayudu was then appointed Governor of Gandikota (the Cuddapah vicinity). The Rayalaseema location has a excessive quantity of temples built by way of Thimma Nayudu. For a while, Kammas dominated over quantities of Tamil Nadu's north and south underneath the name Nayacker, a holdover from the Vijayanagar Empire. The most well-known became Madurai's Thirumala Nayacker. In Tamil Nadu, there are more than 700,000 Kammas, consistent with a latest census. They nonetheless held extensive, effective areas even after the fall of effective kingdoms. They maintained their dominance as village heads mainly due to this, especially in coastal Andhra Pradesh, where they had been very similar to the Reddys within the kingdom's western regions. One of the well-known dynasties that is linked to the Kamma community is the Vasireddy dynasty in Amaravati, established around 1413 AD. The prominent ruler was Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu.
Contemporary History
The following are vital factors inside the Kamma community's development:
Their commitment to schooling. The Kammas were some of the first groups of non-Brahmins to adopt mass training. Over a ten-12 months span, They took the initiative to develop 130 excessive colleges in the Guntur District on my own. Numerous faculties and libraries were founded with the aid of the zamindars of Challapalli and Kapilewarapuram. They was once one of the wealthier groups in Andhra Pradesh, however in more latest times, their prosperity has been amplified and determined via in line with-capita earnings.
In Andhra Pradesh, kammas are possibly the wealthiest caste. They have made noteworthy contributions to the fields of trade, farming, training, medicinal drug, engineering, excessive era, and the arts and film industry. They placed lots of effort into something they do and have a modern social standpoint. They have been professional farmers who grew rich because of the adjustments that over the centuries motivated the agricultural Indian economic system. Kammas regularly expanded into diverse fields, along with media, academia, real estate, medical and so forth. Even though they fall less in number to the Brahmin Social Reformers, Poets, famous Politicians in whole of Andhra history, they have gained good inroads in recent past. They are industrious and enterprising people. It is Kammas's duty to have delivered contemporary farming techniques to the nation.
The Kammas now control some of the state's most effective expert institutions. They are generally found in roles ranging from large scale industries to small scale businesses. Kamma caste is considered a regional caste mainly based in Andhra. In South India, the Reddys, Velamas, Kapus, and Vokkaligas are many of the different comparable castes.
One admirable characteristic about them is their recognition and belief in the dignity of labour, and are not above lending a hand to hired help and doing some field work themselves in agriculture if they see a need, which is generally considered something to be avoided in India by the upper castes. In India, the top castes typically keep away from doing such matters.
In villages, a huge quantity of Kammas are landlords further to being peasants. The Kamma community can also be found in large numbers in Anantapur, Chittoor, Bellary, Nizamabad, Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Khammam districts besides their significant presence in Guntur, Krishna, Godavari, Nellore and Prakasham Districts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu they can be found in Coimbatore, Thirunelveli, Tutucorin, Kovilpatti, Madurai, Theni, Karur, Dindigal, North Arcot and South Arcot districts.
Surnames
Most of the Kamma surnames end with 'neni' denoting descent from an ancestor having title 'Nayakudu/Nayudu/Nayuni. People bearing the surname ‘Veeramachaneni’ for instance, are descended from ‘Veeramacha Nayudu’. Other surnames indicate the villages to which the persons originally belonged to. In diverse locations, Kammas pass by one-of-a-kind titles, like Choudary, Rao, Naidu, and Naicker. Naidu is often used in Tamil Nadu and Southern Andhra Pradesh. In the regions south of the Coimbatore district, Naicker is introduced. But the Balija and Gavara groups in Telugu-speaking Tamil Nadu also add the appellation Naicker.
Politics
Kammas are very engaged in politics, particularly in the areas of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra. Many influential figures inside the national freedom motion throughout the 20th century were Prof. N.G. Ranga, Gottipati Brahmaiah, and Kalluri Chandramouli. A wide variety of Kammas became interested in socialist standards and became contributors of the Communist Party.
It was a strong political force in the state until the mid sixties. Many wealthy Kammas willingly relinquished their lands and actively worked for the land distribution reforms. This helped many landless individuals attain middle class status and brought about greater economic development of the state as a whole rather than to just one particular community. We are witnessing the benefits of this sacrifice now in the state as Andhra Pradesh has developed into an economic hub. However, their affinity towards the communist party in the early days led them to lose political clout along with the diminished influence of the Communist party throughout the world.
With the founding of the Telugu Desam Party during the 1980s, they again assumed a substantial position in state and federal politics. Later, Nara Chandra Babu Naidu gave a progressive direction to Andhra Pradesh and got him and the state global recognition. American Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush's visits to Andhra Pradesh tested their understanding.
Crossroads
The educated Kammas are at a crossroads today. They are trying to decide if they are an impatient, forward looking, leftist, creative, artistic, bold, young and rebellious community which does not fit into the old feudal society structure or as a prosperous, right wing, conservative, reactionary, cautious, money minded and clannish community?
This dilemma is real, and several Kammas have expressed such views. With increased global horizons, like prospering in the USA and UK and Australia it will be interesting to see what route the creative Kammas will take. Most probably there will be a split between the wealthy and not so wealthy sections, each allying with various other similar groups but overall maintaining a trend towards progressive views.
Zamindaris
Amaravati (Vasireddy clan), Challapalli (Yarlagadda clan), Undrajavaram (Mullapudi clan), Kapileswarapuram (Bulusu clan), Rangapuram (Adusumalli clan), Muktyala (Vasireddy clan), Nayakarpatti near Madurai (Pemmasani clan), Rachuru kingdom (suryadevara clan)
