Golla (caste)

The Gollas are a Telugu-speaking pastoral community, who are populated in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.[1][2][3][4] They represent 13.4% of the total population of Andhra Pradesh state.[5] Gollas are traditionally cowherds, but they engage in both sheep/goat and cattle pastoralism, in that they either herd exclusively sheep, or a mixed herd of sheep and goats, or cattle.[6][7][3]

Golla
ReligionsHinduism
LanguagesTelugu • Kannada
CountryIndia
Populated statesAndhra Pradesh • Telangana • Karnataka • Tamil Nadu

Etymology

The Gollas are called Gawalis. One etymology for their name comes from the Sanskrit "Gopala" which in North India passed through Prakrit "Goala", other variants also occur in South India, in such forms as Gollavaru, Godlavaru etc.[8] There are many synonyms by which they are referred to within their community, namely, Kadugolla, Oorugolla, Adivigolla, Handigolla and Gopala. Others refer to them only as Golla or Gollaru.[9]

The Gollas also call themselves Yadava. In the early 1920s, castes such as Ahir, Gavli, Golla, Gopa and Goala, which were traditionally engaged in cattle-related occupations, started referring to themselves as Yadav/Yadava. They claimed that they are related to the Abhiras and Yadavas of the Puranas, which were held to be synonymous and associated with Lord Krishna, a cowherd.[10]

Sub-castes

The community, due to its size, has a great number of sub-castes namely: Yerra, Mushti, Karine, Pakinati, Puja, Modateetta, Nallasadana, Gujarathi, Gampa, Peyya, Veyya and Sidda.[11] In the early 20th century, the Yerra Gollas dominated the Golla community in Hyderabad state. A small population of the community lived in Karnataka who spoke Kannada. Widow Remarriage is allowed in certain subdivisions of the caste.[12]

Assimilation into Yadav community

In 1923, leaders from North Indian Ahir and Maharashtraian Gavli community formed All India Yadav Mahasabha (AIYM) to promote Yadava identity amongst regional castes whose occupation was associated with cattle, i.e, cowherds, herdsmen, milksellers. They claimed that they are related to the Yadu dynasty of the Puranas, hence the term Yadav, through the Abhira tribe. Lord Krishna, a cowherd, was the hero-god of Abhiras.[13] The AIYM insisted that all these regional castes known by different names, call themselves Yadav/Yadava and that each person have Yadav as his last name, and this was enthusiastically followed by various communities who were traditionally involved in cattle related occupations. The Gollas of Hyderabad state, under the leadership of their regional association, the Hyderabad Rashtra Yadava Mahajana Samajam, requested to the Census Commissioner for a change in their caste names Golla, Gawli, Gollawar and Ahir to Yadava. Similarly, in 1930, the government of Madras state directed the adoption of the term "Yadava", in place of Golla, Idaiyan, Gopa, Gopi or Gowla, in all official documents. This was in response to an appeal made by the Yadukula Maha Sangham of east Godavari District.[11]

Religion

Gollas are both Vaishnavites and Saivites. They put on a vertical yellow or red streak on their forehead, indicating Vaishnavism, and worship a deity Mallanna, who is a form of Shiva.[14] The Yerra or Kilari Gollas regard themselves superior to other Gollas and put on a sacred thread during marriages.[15]

Social status

The social status of Gollas was fairly high and they were treated equally with the agricultural peasants like Kapu, Kamma, and Balija castes and also they were allowed to mix freely among them.[1]

Some sources suggest that they might have immigrated from North India.[16]

The Gollas are classified as Other Backward Class in the Indian system of reservation.[17][2][18]

Titles of Golla

The Titles which are used by Golla community peoples are:

See also

References
  1. India, Anthropological Survey of (1989). All India Anthropometric Survey: Analysis of Data. South Zone. Anthropological Survey of India.
  2. Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Karnataka (Report). Archived from the original on 25 December 2020.
  3. Murthy, M.L.K. (1 February 1993). "Ethnohistory of pastoralism: A study of Kurubas and Gollas". Studies in History. 9 (1): 33–41. doi:10.1177/025764309300900102. S2CID 161569571.
  4. "LIST OF BACKWARD CLASSES APPROVED". www.bcmbcmw.tn.gov.in. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  5. "Seemandhra Yadavs demand 7 MP, 25 Assembly seats". The Hindu. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  6. Singh, K. S. (1992). People of India: Andhra Pradesh. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 978-81-85579-09-2.
  7. The Eastern Anthropologist. Ethnographic and Folk Culture Society. 1966.
  8. Vignesha, M. S. (1993). Sociology of Animal Husbandry: Studies Made in Five Villages in Karanataka. Associated Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-85211-33-6.
  9. Singh, Kumar Suresh (2003). People of India: (3 pts.). Karnataka. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 978-81-85938-98-1.
  10. Rao, M. S. A. (1987). Social Movements and Social Transformation: A Study of Two Backward Classes Movements in India. Manohar. ISBN 978-0-8364-2133-0.
  11. Rao, M. S. A. (1979). Social movements and social transformation: a study of two backward classes movements in India. Delhi: Macmillan. pp. 139, 141, 148. ISBN 9780333902554.
  12. Siraj-ul-Hassan, Syed. (1990). Castes and tribes of the Nizam's dominions. Vintage Books. OCLC 26562567.
  13. Jaffrelot, Christophe (2003). India's Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Lower Castes in North India. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. pp. 189, 194–196. ISBN 978-1-85065-670-8.
  14. Murty, M. L. K.; Sontheimer, Günther D. (1980). "Prehistoric Background to Pastoralism in the Southern Deccan in the Light of Oral Traditions and Cults of Some Pastoral Communities". Anthropos. 75 (1/2): 163–184. ISSN 0257-9774. JSTOR 40460587.
  15. General, India Office of the Registrar (1973). Census of India, 1971: Mysore (in German). Manager of Publications.
  16. Kumari, M. Krishna (1997). Facets of Andhra Culture. Gyan Sagar Publications. ISBN 978-81-86987-04-9.
  17. Central Commission for Backward Classes. Central List of OBCs Telangana (Report). Archived from the original on 24 December 2020.
  18. Central Commission for Backward Classes (20 October 2020). Central List of OBCs Maharashtra (Report). Archived from the original on 10 November 2020.
  19. Misra, Promode Kumar; Misra, Rajalakshmi; Rajalakshmi, Chennkeswara Ramanuja; Verghese, Isaac (1971). Nomads in the Mysore City. Anthropological Survey of India.
  20. General, India Office of the Registrar (1965). Census of India, 1961. Manager of Publications.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.