Vokkaliga

The Vokkaligas (Template:Lang-kn) are an Indian caste or social group found mainly in the Old Mysore Region of southern Karnataka state. In Tamil Nadu they are known as Okkaligar and use Gowder as a title. The Vokkaliga belong to the Vaisya (cultivator) varna in Hinduism, sometimes classified as satvic.

Origins

Vokkalathana in Kannada language means tilling land and Vokkaliga means one who tills land. Alternate etymologies include the work vokku ("to thresh grain out of the ear stocks").

People belonging to Vokkaliga community are known as Okkaliga of Utkala Kingdom. Many more people of different communities use Gowda as surname. Vokkaliga have names such as Gowda, Gowder, Gounder, Reddy, Rao, Naidu and Naicker as the title after their name in the States of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and these names are being used in the modern time to identify the group to which a person belongs

A Gowda, also spelled Gowdaru or Gauda or Nayaka (=Head/Chief) is not a name of any caste. Gowda is a leader of a group or head of territory. The Gowdas claim to be landlords and village head men and are known to be the dominant and powerful person in the community in the past, and times have changed and now everyone is considered as equal in the villages.

Vokkaliga Gowdas are known for their agricultural activities and recorded prosperity through cultivation. The common saying Gowda chennagiddare ooru Chennagiruthe means "When a Gowda is happy the whole village is happy". This implies the significance of the group among the socio-economic groups. They are related to Kongu Vellalars of Tamil Nadu.

History

The Yelahankanadu (14 km (8.7 mi) from Bangalore) Prabhus were Gowdas or tillers of the land. They belonged to Morasu Vokkalu sect, the ancestors of which were migrants. Fourth in succession from Rana Bhairave Gowda, founder of the dynasty of Avati Nadu Prabhus and great grandson of Jaya Gowda, who established separate dynasty, is the famous Yelahanka Nadu Prabhus, Kempe Gowda I who ruled for 46 years commencing his reign from 1513. Jaya Gowda accepted the sovereignty of the Vijayanagar emperor.

The Gangadikar/Gangatkar Ganga kshatriyas Gowdas were the Vokklaigas in other parts of Karnataka. The name Gangadikara, which is derived from the word Gangawadi–kara, meaning the inhabitant of Gangawadi is a relic of Ganga Dynasty Rule and has since survived in this part of Karnataka. The gangadikars are spread in the districts of Bangalore, Ramanagar, Bangalore rural, Tumkur, Mysore, Hassan, Mandya. They are numerically the largest group among Vokkaligas.

Kempe Gowdas of the Morasu Vokkaliga sect, were great rulers who were concerned in the welfare of their subjects and spent lavishly in the construction of tanks, agraharas (suburbs of Brahmins), temples and forts. The Vokkaligas rendered great service in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry and soldiery. Kempegowda I conquered Sivaganga principality, 30 mi (48.3 km) from Bangalore on Bangalore–Poona Hwy. Next, he annexed Domlur which is on the road from Bangalore to Old Bangalore Airport. Within this vast forest area, in 1537, he erected a mud fort and built the Township of Bangalore.

Kempe Gowda I (1510–1570), whose ancestor had immigrated from Kancheepuram to the neighborhood of Bangalore due to a personal feud with the chief of Kancheepuram established the city of Bangalore under the Vijayanagar empire. The document describing the city as he conceptualised it, written in Telugu the commonly spoken language of this region, is still preserved. This language is still spoken in the villages of Bangalore, Yelahanka, Devanahalli, Doddaballapur, Hoskote, Anekal and Hosur districts.

Kempe Gowda I next annexed Ulsoor and Hesaraghatta. Bangalore's four main streets of the Old Bengaluru Pete, the Chickpete and Doddapete leading to Ulsoor gate, the Sondekoppa gate, the Yelahanka gate and the Anekal gate were laid. Kempe Gowda shifted his capital from Yelahanka to Bangalore. Vijayanagar Emperor Achuta Raya granted Kempe Gowda I the neighboring villages of Begur, Jigani, Varthur, Kengeri, Banavara and Kumbalgode, besides many other hamlets yielding a revenue of 30,000 varahas. Kempe Gowda I built the cave temple of Gavi Gangadhareswara at Gavipur, the Bull Temple in Basavanagudi, the Kempambudhi Tank and the Dharambudhi Tank. His successor, Kempe Gowda II, built the Ulsoor Lake, the Karanjee Tank, the Sampangi Tank, the Someswara Temple of Ulsoor, the famous four Kempe Gowda Towers and the Ranganatha Temple in Balepete, Bangalore.

KempeGowda is a renowned name and is duly honoured by naming the prime locations of Karnataka in his name. A statue of Kempegowda I is erected in the city centre, in front of the Bangalore City Corporation office.

It is a fact that being the Ruler he promoted the upliftment of the backward classes and built colonies such as Thigalar Pet, Kumbar Pet for specific backward classes to ensure their welfare.

There is an inscription in old Kannada,dated 1628, in the Ranganatha Temple, the English translation of which is "Be it well, When Rajadhi-Raja-Parameshwara Vira Pratapa Vira-Maha-Deva Maharaya seated in the Jewel throne was ruling the empire of the world: When of the Asannavakula, the Yelahanka Nadu Prabhu Kempanacharya-Gauni's grandson Kempe Gowdas son, Immadi Kempegaunayya was ruling a peaceful kingdom in righteousness". With the decline of the Vijayanagar Empire, the eclipse of the rule of Yelahanka Nadu Prabhus took place at the dawn of the Seventeenth century.

Prominent personalities

Politicians and leaders

D.V.Sadananda Gowda, Chief Minister of Karnataka

• Kempe Gowda I, founder of Bangalore,
• K.C.Reddy - First Chief Minister of Karnataka, (then Mysore State)
• Kengal Hanumanthaiah- former Chief Minister of Karnataka (then Mysore State)
• Shantaveri Gopala Gowda- Famous Socialist Leader & Politician
• Kadidal Manjappa- former Chief Minister of Karnataka then Mysore State
• H. D. Deve Gowda- former Prime Minister of India & Former Chief Minister of Karnataka.
• S. M. Krishna- former Chief Minister of Karnataka,Former Governor of Maharastra & current External Affairs Minister of India.
• H. D. Kumaraswamy- former Chief Minister of Karnataka.

• [ Krishna Byregowda ]- State Younth Congress President

• [ Hanumanthe Gowda ]- Ex - Byatarayanapura CMC President

• [ Anand M ]- Ex - Councillor

• [ Nataraj K R ]- Social Worker

• [ Anantharamu M ]- Social Worker

Literature

• Kuvempu(Kuppahalli Venkatappa Puttappa)- Rashtra Kavi (national Poet)
• H. N. Nage Gowda - Poet.
• Ha Ma Nayak- Writer.
• Poorna Chandra Tejaswi- Writer.
• Javare Gowda - Writer

Civil service and judiciary

• Justice Venkatachala- former Lokayukta.
• H. L. Nage Gowda I.A.S Founder of Janapada Loka, Writer

Academicians and founders of educational institutions

• Dr. K. Chidananda Gowda - former vice Chancellor Kuvempu University
• Dr. M. H. Marigowda (Father of Horticulture in Karnataka and India)

Junior Achievers

• Kavya Shivashankar (Parents Sandhya and Shivashankar from Mysore, Karnataka) - Olathe, Kansas, USA (2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion)

Artists and cinema

• Tirumakudalu Chowdiah - Violinist (Musician).
• Ambarish- Actor& Politician.
• Vajramuni- Actor.
• B. Saroja Devi- Actress.
• Nagathihalli Chandrashekar- Director.
• Ramya - Actress
• Prem Director & Producer.
• Jaggesh- Actor.
• Anjali - Actress.
• Jai jagadish - Actor
• Anil Gowda

Business

• V. G. Siddhartha - founder of Cafe Coffee Day

• [ Hemanth Kumar Chikkahanumaiah ]- Bussiness Man

• [ Prashanth Nanjegowda ]- Bussiness Man

• [ Suresh Muniraju ]- Founder of Vanasri P.G

• [ Vishnuvardhan Ramachandrapp ]- Managing Director Spark Security services

Sports

• Vikas Gowda - discus thrower

External links

• Vokkaligas Website
• Vokkaligas Army Website
• Vokkaligara Parishat of America
• The importance of being Vokkaliga
• Great Analysis and More details are found in this pdf file about Vokkaliga community
• tamilnadu vokkaligar sangam
• ta:வொக்கலிகர்