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Gavara is a term used to refer to four distinct and completely unrelated communities in South Indian.

• Gavara is a trading community and is a sub-caste of Balija. They have marital relationship with the Balijas. They are present in Tamil Nadu. Kavarai is the Tamil name for Balijas who have settled in Tamil Nadu and is the Tamilised rendition of Gavara. The often use the title Naidu. The Telugu-speaking Gavara community of Tamil Nadu is related to Balijas. Gavara Balijas are distinct from both Gavara Komatis and the Gavara caste of former Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh.
• Gavara is also the name of a Komati sub-caste. They are a trading community. Gavara Komatis are distinct from Gavara-Balijas as well as the Gavara caste of former Visakhapatnam district.
• Alternatively, Gavara is also the name of a small caste mostly present in former Visakhapatnam district (present-day Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam districts) and in some parts of the former Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. They are not related to Balija caste. They are predominantly agriculturists and are also involved in petty trade.

• Kavara (also known as Gavara) is a Tulu speaking caste mostly present in Ernakulam, Palakkad and Thrissur districts of Kerala. They are classified as a Scheduled Caste in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. They are not related to Balija caste.

References

1. • P. R. G. Mathur, ed. (1994). Applied Anthropology and Challenges of Development in India. Punthi-Pustak. p. 341. ISBN 9788185094793. Similarly too the Balija community, with two sub-divisions, Gajalu Balija and Gavara Balija, migrated originally from Tamil Nadu. The Balija Gavarai are popularly known as Naidus and the other as Chetties Valai Chatties, Chettiars. It is said that they originally spoke Telugu. They are mainly traders and jewellers.
   • Pradip K. Bhowmick, ed. (2002). Man and Life. Vol. 28. Institute of Social Research and Applied Anthropology. p. 59. Balija, a Telugu speaking migrant caste to Kerala, is segmented into two sub-castes, viz., Gavara Naidu and Gajaiu Balija (Vala Chetti).
   • Alpana Pandey, ed. (2015). Medieval Andhra: A Socio-Historical Perspective. Partridge Publishing. p. 44. ISBN 9781482850178. Balijas: Their main profession was and commerce. They added "Settis" to their names, which showed their supremacy over other castes in trade. The subsects of the Balijas indicate the professions pursued by them. some prominent subdivision were Gajula Balija, Gandhamvallu, Kavarai, etc.
2. G. Karunanithi, ed. (1991). Caste and Class in Industrial Organisation. Commonwealth Publishers. p. 45. ISBN 9788171691425. A section of the Naidu migrants in Tamilnadu call themselves Kavarais. They are included in the list of backward classes. They have marital relationship with the Balijas.
3. • Mukund, Kanakalatha (1999). The Trading World of the Tamil Merchant: Evolution of Merchant Capitalism in the Coromandel. Orient Blackswan. p. 46. ISBN 978-81-250-1661-8. Kavarai (the Tamil word for Balija merchants)
   • Ananda Ranga Pillai, ed. (1984). The Private Diary of Ananda Ranga Pillai, Dubash to Joseph François Dupleix, Governor of Pondicherry: A Record of Matters, Political, Historical, Social, and Personal, from 1736-1761. Vol. 2. Asian Educational Services. p. 67. The Kavarais, known also as Balijas, are the trading caste of the Telugus, and belong to the right hand.
   • Brimnes, Niels (1999). Constructing the Colonial Encounter: Right and Left Hand Castes in Early Colonial South India. Psychology Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-7007-1106-2. The deserters, who defined themselves as maga nadu tesattar, consisted of right hand castes and were headed by Vellalas and Tamilized Balijas, known as Kavarais.
   • R. Nagaswamy, ed. (1997). Studies in South Indian History and Culture. V.R. Ramachandra Dikshitar Centenary Committee. p. 321. Turning now to another Telugu group, the Balijas, also called Kavarai, it appears that although this was a trading caste, members could also take to textile manufacture.
   • Jawaharlal Nehru University. Centre for Historical Studies, ed. (1995). Studies in History. Vol. 11, 6. Sage. p. 8. English trade in Madras, the much sought after, and obviously lucrative, exclusive contracts for trading with the English Company (both for supplying textiles and other goods and buying the European goods) had been cornered by the Right side merchants, especially the Balijas (often referred to as the Kavarai in Tamil).
   • R. Roque, K. Wagner, ed. (2011). Engaging Colonial Knowledge: Reading European Archives in World History. Springer. p. 170. ISBN 9780230360075. Within the right hand division the leading individuals were from the communities of Vellalas and Kavarais. The former constituted, as in other parts of Tamil Nadu, the established agricultural elite, while the latter were Telugu-speaking Balija Chetties, who had settled in Tamil country.
   • Christopher John Baker, D. A. Washbrook, ed. (1976). South India: Political Institutions and Political Change. 1880-1940. Springer. p. 223. ISBN 978-1-349-02746-0. Kavarai was merely the Tamil equivalent of the Telugu word Balija
   • Venkatesa Iyengar, ed. (1932). The Mysore Tribes and Castes. Mittal Publications. p. 102. In the Tamil Districts, Balijas are known as Kavarais
   • Census of India, 1901: Madras (3 v.). India Census Commissioner. 1902. p. 161. Kavarai - A Tamil synonym for Balija; probably a corrupt form of Gavara.
   • SirCharles Fawcett, ed. (2017). The Travels of the Abbarrn India and the Near East, 1672 to 1674. Routledge. p. 595. ISBN 9781351539890. The name 'Gavarai' may be a misspelling of 'Kavarai', which is now the Tamil name for Balijas (a Telegu trading caste) settled in the Tamil country
   • Jervoise Athelstane Baines, ed. (1912). Ethnography: Castes and Tribes. Vol. 28. K.J. Trübner. p. 36. The largest trading community of the Telugu country is the Balija, which is widely spread over the Tamil districts also, and there called Vadugan, or Northerners, or Kavarai
   • Vijaya Ramaswamy, ed. (2017). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 43. ISBN 9781538106860. In recent years, migrant communities, like the Gajula Balijas—called Gavarai in the Tamil country—have joined the agricultural workforce, giving up their traditional profession as bangle sellers
   • R. Thirumalai, S. Manoharan, ed. (1997). People of India: Tamil Nadu. Affiliated East-West Press. p. 211. ISBN 9788185938882. The Gajula Balija, called 'Gavarai' in Tamil, are popularly known as Naidu or Balija Naidu. Its members have such titles as Naidu, Chetty and Naicker.
   • Julian James Cotton, ed. (1905). List of Inscriptions on Tombs Or Monuments in Madras. Vol. 3. p. 246. Kavarais are the same caste as the Balijas
   • Colburn's United Service Magazine and Naval and Military Journal. University of California. 1895. p. 286. Kavarai is the Tamil name for the great Telugu trading caste, Balija, who are spread throughout the Presidency
   • Kumari, A. Vijaya; Sepuri Bhaskar (1998). Social Change Among Balijas: Majority Community of Andhra Pradesh. M. D. Publications. p. 8. ISBN 978-81-7533-072-6. Kavarai is the name for Balijas (Telugu Trading Caste), who have settled in Tamil Nadu
   • P. Rajaraman, ed. (1988). The Justice Party: A Historical Perspective, 1916-37. Poompozhil Publishers. p. 19. The Balija Naidus, the chief Telugu trading caste were found scattered throughout the Presidency of Madras. In the Tamil districts they were known as Vadugan and Kavarais
   • Kumarasamy Rajaram, ed. (1982). History of Thirumalai Nayak. Ennes Publications. p. 82. Gavarais are also called Balijas.
   • Alf Hiltebeitel, ed. (2009). Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics: Draupadi among Rajputs, Muslims, and Dalits. University of Chicago Press. p. 466. ISBN 9780226340555.
   • Peter Francis, ed. (2002). Asia's Maritime Bead Trade: 300 B.C. to the Present. University of Hawaii Press. p. 36. ISBN 9780824823320. The
   • S. N. Sadasivan, ed. (2000). A Social History of India. APH Publishing. p. 284. ISBN 978-81-7648-170-0.
   • Raju Kalidos, ed. (1976). History and Culture of the Tamils: From Prehistoric Times to the President's Rule. Vijay Publications. p. 239, 283.
   • N. Rajasekharan Nair, A. G. Natarajan, ed. (2007). Dravidian Phonology. Centre of Advanced Study in Linguistics, Annamalai University. p. 214.
   • Verinder Grover, ed. (1989). Political system in India. Vol. 1. Deep & Deep Publ. p. 47. ISBN 9788171001163.
   • Susan Margaret Neild, ed. (1977). Madras: The Growth of a Colonial City in India, 1780-1840. S. M. Neild. p. 198, 376.
4. Vijaya, M.; Kanthimathi, S.; Srikumari, C. R.; Reddy, P. Govinda; Majumder, P. P.; Ramesh, A. (2007). "A Study on Tamil – Speaking Immigrants of Andhra Pradesh, South India" (PDF). International Journal of Human Genetics. 7 (4): 303–306. doi:10.1080/09723757.2007.11886010. S2CID 55044174.
5. • K. Ramachandra Murty, ed. (2001). Parties, Elections, and Mobilisation. Anmol Publications. p. 18. ISBN 9788126109791. The Vysyas (Komati) are the most important traditional Telugu trading caste comprising 3 per cent of the State population. They are broadly divided into two endogamous sub-castes, viz., Gavara Komatis and Kalinga Komatis.
   • C. Dwarakanath Gupta, Sepuri Bhaskar, ed. (1992). Vysyas: A Sociological Study. Ashish Publishing House. p. 11. ISBN 9788170244509. Komatis are mainly divided into two sections called Gavara and Kalinga
   • Krishna Prakash Bahadur, ed. (1977). Caste, Tribes & Culture of India: Karnataka, Kerala & Tamil Nadu. Vol. 4. Ess Ess Publications. p. 16. They are two main sections among the Komatis, namely the Gavara and the Kalinga
   • Yandell, Keith E. Yandell Keith E.; Paul, John J. (19 November 2013). Religion and Public Culture: Encounters and Identities in Modern South India. Routledge. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-136-81801-1. The main part of the Komati caste community in Masulipatnam were Gavara Komatis, one of the two main Komati groups on the Coromandel coast. The Gavara Komatis did not eat fish or meat.
   • Census of India, 1961: Andhra Pradesh. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 1962. pp. 7–9. The two major sects among Komati caste are Gavara Komati and Kalinga Komati. The Gavara Komatis are strict vegetarians while the Kalinga Komatis are non-vegetarians.
   • Ramendra Nath Nandi, ed. (2000). State Formation, Agrarian Growth, and Social Change in Feudal South India, C. AD 600-1200. Manohar Publishers & Distributors. p. 161. ISBN 9788173042904. Gavara Komatis, who are a prominent section of the Telugu speaking merchant community.
   • A. Vaidehi Krishnamoorthy, ed. (1970). Social and Economic Conditions in Eastern Deccan from A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1250. p. 47. The Gavaras, the Gavara Komatlu as they are called formed another community which claimed the status of Vaisyas.
   • Kumar Suresh Singh, ed. (1992). People of India: Andhra Pradesh. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 1940. ISBN 978-81-7671-006-0. The Gavara and Kalinga are the two main sections of the Komati. The Gavara Komati live far north of Vizianagaram.
   • K. N. M. Raju, ed. (1998). Family and Household Functions: A Demographic Study. Sunrise Publications. p. 209. Gavara is an important subdivision of Komatis and these Gavaras are probably in reality Gavara Komati.
   • G. Sudharshan Reddy, ed. (1998). Caste Mobility in Andhra : A Study of Vaisya Mahasabha, 1907-1930. Vol. 59. Proceedings of Indian History Congress. p. 652. The Komatis are, broadly divided into two sections called Gavara and Kalinga.
   • L. Krishna Anantha Krishna Iyer, ed. (1930). The Mysore Tribes and Castes. University of Mysore. p. 541. There are three main groups among the Kōmatis which constitute practically different castes, without either commensality or inter marriage, namely, Gavara, Tuppada and Trai - Varnika.
   • Journal of the Andhra Historical Research Society. Vol. 8. Andhra Historical Research Society. 1934. p. 138. There are several sects amongst the Komatis - such as Yajna Komati, Gavara Komati, Kalinga Komati, Arava Komati, Neti Komati, Vidura Komati, Raipak Komati etc.
6. Tapper, Bruce Elliot (1987). Rivalry and Tribute: Society and Ritual in a Telugu Village in South India. Hindustan Publishing Corporation. ISBN 978-81-7075-003-1.
7. ^
   • Murthy, B. E. V. V. Narasimha (1989). Entrepreneurship in Small Towns. Mittal Publications. p. 91.
   • Journal of the Andhra Historical Research Society. Vol. 26–28. Andhra Historical Research Society. 1960. p. 75.
8. "Kapu, Gavara votes to determine Anakapalli assembly seat's fate". The Times of India. 2 April 2019. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
9. • K. S. Singh, ed. (1992). People of India: pt.1-3 Kerala. Vol. 27. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 596. The Kavara also known as Gavara are distributed mainly in Ernakulam, Palakkad and Thrissur districts. The community perceives its distribution at medium range and its identification is at the regional level. Iyer (1981) writes that Kavara is a Tulu caste, found in the Chittur taluk of the Cochin State, who speak mutilated form of Tulu and make wicker work of all kinds. The Kavara still speak a mutilated form of Tulu language, called Kavara dialect with family members. With others they speak Malayalam.
   • Nagendra Kr Singh, ed. (2006). Global Encyclopaedia of the South Indian Dalit's Ethnography. Global Vision Pub House. p. 340. The Kavara, also known as Gavara, is a Tulu caste, found in the Chittur taluk of the Cochin State, who speak mutilated form of Tulu and make wicker work of all kinds. They belong to the Scheduled Castes.
   • Ajit K. Danda, S. B. Chakrabarti, ed. (1989). L.K. Ananthakrishna Iyer: 125th Birth Anniversary Tribute. Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Culture, Government of India. p. 118. Kavaras and Gavaras have been again listed as separate Scheduled Castes lifting the area restrictions within Kerala. As already mentioned that the Kavara / Gavaras subsist on basket making. They speak some kind of Tulu - Malayalam dialect.
   • David Levinson, ed. (1991). Encyclopedia of World Cultures: South Asia. G.K. Hall. p. 325. Kavara A Tulu - speaking caste found in northern and central Kerala. They do wicker work
10. • Pradip K. Bhowmick, ed. (2002). Man and Life. Vol. 28. Institute of Social Research and Applied Anthropology. p. 58, 59. Kavara is one of those castes belonging to the sixty - eight Scheduled Castes of Kerala. They subsist on basket - making and are mainly found in the district of Palhgat.
    • Tulsidas Vithooji Gedam, ed. (1999). Untouchability and Its Origin. Yugantar Education Society. p. 286.
    • P. R. G. Mathur, ed. (1994). Applied Anthropology and Challenges of Development in India. Punthi-Pustak. p. 356. ISBN 9788185094793.

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