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| Important components of the development of the Kamma community were: | Important components of the development of the Kamma community were: | ||
| *Their embrace of education. Among the non-Brahmin communities, Kammas were one of the first to take to education in large numbers. Over a period of 10 years, in Guntur District alone, 130 High schools were established by their initiative. |
*Their embrace of education. Among the non-Brahmin communities, Kammas were one of the first to take to education in large numbers. Over a period of 10 years, in Guntur District alone, 130 High schools were established by their initiative. | ||
| *In recent past they became one of the wealthy communities in Andhra Pradesh. | |||
| *They have a progressive social outlook and work hard at anything they take up. | *They have a progressive social outlook and work hard at anything they take up. | ||
| *They were adept farmers and as a consequence of the changes that affected the economic landscape of rural India down the centuries, they became prosperous. | *They were adept farmers and as a consequence of the changes that affected the economic landscape of rural India down the centuries, they became prosperous. | ||
| *Kammas gradually diversified into other specialties such as films, media, academia, medicine, business, real estate, industries etc | *Kammas gradually diversified into other specialties such as films, media, academia, medicine, business, real estate, industries etc | ||
| * Even though they fall less in number to the Brahmin Social Reformers, Poets, famous Politicians in whole of Andhra history, they have |
* Even though they fall less in number to the Brahmin Social Reformers, Poets, famous Politicians in whole of Andhra history, they have made good inroads in recent past. | ||
| *They have an enterprising and diligent nature. | *They have an enterprising and diligent nature. | ||
| *Kammas can claim credit for introducing modern agricultural techniques in the state. Today, some of the most efficient professional institutions in the state are run by the Kammas. | *Kammas can claim credit for introducing modern agricultural techniques in the state. Today, some of the most efficient professional institutions in the state are run by the Kammas. | ||
| *They are generally found in roles ranging from large scale industries to small scale businesses. | *They are generally found in roles ranging from large scale industries to small scale businesses. | ||
| *One admirable characteristic about them is their readiness to undertake manual labor in agriculture, which is generally considered something to be avoided in India by the upper castes. | *One admirable characteristic about them is their readiness to undertake manual labor in agriculture, which is generally considered something to be avoided in India by the upper castes. | ||
| *Even though much stereotyped they are lot of poor Kamma people in state. | |||
| Many Kammas in villages are not only |
Many Kammas in villages are not only peasants but are landlords as well. The Kamma community can also be found in large numbers in ], ], ], ], ], Ranga Reddy and ]s besides their significant presence in ], Krishna, ], ] and Prakasham Districts of Coastal ]. In ] they can be found in ], ], ], ], ], Theni, ], ], ] and ] districts. | ||
| ===Zamindaris=== | ===Zamindaris=== | ||
| *'''Amaravati''' Vasireddy family | *'''Amaravati''' Vasireddy family | ||
Revision as of 07:09, 13 May 2006
Kamma is a caste or social group found in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. They constitute about 5% of the state population which would make them the fifth largest community in Andhra Pradesh. There are significant numbers of this community members in Chennai (Madras) and neighboring districts, Bangalore and Coimbatore as well. In the late decades of last century some of them migrated to other parts of the world, particularly to the US, UK and Australia.
Origins
Ancient History
There are many theories about the origins of the word "Kamma" and the social group known as Kammas but none is conclusive.
- Some historians opined that the name Kamma is probably derived from Kambhoja, an ancient Aryan warrior clan (1).
- Avadh Bihari Lal Avasthi comments on the above references as follows: We find Kambhi, Kamma, Kumbhi etc castes in South India. There is also a famous city Koimb-toor. Possibly, there has also been a Kamboja country in Southern India (See Garuda Purana, Aik Adhyan p 28).
- The Kambojas in west, south-west India are also attested from inscriptions of king Sahasiva Raya of Sangama Dynasty (1336-1478), kings Harihara & Deva Raya of Narasinga Dynasty (1496-1567), and from the references of king Vishnuvardhana of Hoyasala Dynasty/Mysore (of 12th c AD).
- Inscription of 1050 c AD from Mysore Tract (EC, VII SK 118) attests Trading Corporations of Nanadesa Tisaiya Yirattu Ainnurruvar which traded, among other commodities, in elephants, horses, sapphires, moonstones, pearls, rubies & other gems. The countries of trade are mostly located in middle to southern India. These corporations are stated to have trading links, among others, with the Kambhojas and Pahlavas (Annual Report on South Indian Epigraphy (ARSIE 342 of 1912); History & Culture of Indian People Vol V, Dr R. C. Majumdar, Dr A. D. Pusalkar etc p 527).
- Kambhoja Raja Kathalu (Story of the king of Kambhojas) is still very popular in Andhra Pradesh which treats the militaristic exploits of some fierce, daring-do and adventurous king of Kambojas. The story probably refers to some historical brush of the Kamboja hordes with the people of Andhra around Christian era.
- In medieval times the region now known as Palnadu, which was named after the Pallavas that ruled there, was called Kammanadu, indicating that they may have been present for a very long time (2).
- Kammas grew to prominence during the Kakatiya reign. In the middle ages they held important positions in their army. Two Kamma chieftains, Musunuri Prolaya Nayaka and Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka served the Kakatiya king Prataparudra. After the fall of Warangal they united the Nayaka chieftains, wrested Warangal from the Delhi Sultanate and ruled for 50 years (2).
- Subsequently many Kammas migrated to the Vijayanagar kingdom. During the Vijayanagar rule Kamma Nayaks formed the bulwark of its army and were Governors in Tanjore, Madurai and Coimbatore areas of Tamil Nadu. For instance, Krishna Devaraya sent a Cheiftain Pemmasani Vishwanatha Nayudu to suppress the rebellion of his father Pemmasani Nagama Nayudu in Madurai. Later, Vishwanatha Nayudu was made Governor of Madurai.
- Kammas controlled parts of south and north Tamil Nadu for several years under the title of Nayacker, which was a legacy of the Vijayanagar Empire. Thirumala Nayacker was the most famous among them
- A recent census showed there are over seven hundred thousand Kammas in Tamil Nadu.
- After the decline of major kingdoms they still owned large fertile lands. Owing mainly to this they continued to dominate in the villages as village heads, especially in coastal A.P., much akin to the Reddys in the western parts of the state.
- One of the residual dynasties that is unequivocally linked to the Kamma community is the Vasireddy dynasty in Amaravati, established around 1413 AD. The prominent ruler was Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu
- Kamma caste is considered a "Middle caste". Other similar middle castes of India include farming communities such as Jats, Yadavs and Kurmis in the north, and Marathas and Patidars in the west, Reddys, Kapus and Vokkaligas in the south.
Modern History
Important components of the development of the Kamma community were:
- Their embrace of education. Among the non-Brahmin communities, Kammas were one of the first to take to education in large numbers. Over a period of 10 years, in Guntur District alone, 130 High schools were established by their initiative.
- They have a progressive social outlook and work hard at anything they take up.
- They were adept farmers and as a consequence of the changes that affected the economic landscape of rural India down the centuries, they became prosperous.
- Kammas gradually diversified into other specialties such as films, media, academia, medicine, business, real estate, industries etc
- Even though they fall less in number to the Brahmin Social Reformers, Poets, famous Politicians in whole of Andhra history, they have made good inroads in recent past.
- They have an enterprising and diligent nature.
- Kammas can claim credit for introducing modern agricultural techniques in the state. Today, some of the most efficient professional institutions in the state are run by the Kammas.
- They are generally found in roles ranging from large scale industries to small scale businesses.
- One admirable characteristic about them is their readiness to undertake manual labor in agriculture, which is generally considered something to be avoided in India by the upper castes.
Many Kammas in villages are not only peasants but are landlords as well. 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.
Zamindaris
- Amaravati Vasireddy family
- Challapalli Raja Yarlagadda Mallikariuna Prasad Nayadu
- Vayyur
Notable Kammas
A list of people from Kamma caste who became prominent at state and national levels is given below.
Surnames
Most of the Kamma surnames end with 'neni' denoting descent from an ancestor having title 'Nayakudu/Nayudu/Nayuni. For example, persons with surname 'Veeramachaneni' are descendants of 'Veeramacha Nayudu'. Other surnames indicate the villages to which the persons originally belonged to. Kammas use different titles in different regions such as Choudary, Rao, Naidu and Naicker. In Tamil Nadu and Southern A.P., Naidu is commonly used. Naicker is added in the areas south of Coimbatore district. However, Telugu speaking Balija and Gavara communities also add the title Naicker in Tamil Nadu.
Politics
Kammas are politically very active, especially in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. During the twentieth century a number of leaders like Prof N.G. Ranga, Gottipati Brahmaiah, and Kalluri Chandramouli took prominent roles in the national freedom movement. Several Kammas were attracted to leftist ideals and joined 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.
During the 1980s, they again played a key role in state and national politics with the inception of the Telugu Desam Party by N. T. Rama Rao. Later, Nara Chandra Babu Naidu gave a progressive direction to Andhra Pradesh and got himself and the state global recognition. This recognition of the political and economic importance of Andhra Pradesh was manifest in the visits of American Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush.
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, 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.
References and Notes
- Kammavari Charitra by Kotta Bhavaiah Choudary (in Telugu).
- Telugu Vignana Sarvaswamu, Volume 2, History, Telugu University, Hyderabad (In Telugu).
- Caste and the Andhra Communists - Selig. S.Harrison The American Political Science Review Vol.50. No.2 (Jun 1956) p.378-404
- Crisis States, Research Workshop. “State Politics in India: Political Mobilization and Political Competition in the 1990's” Andhra Pradesh: The Reform State and Its Dilemas, Rama. S. Melkote